LDS Church has a very BIG problem, they don't have enough parking stalls for their NEW MASSIVE 135,000 SQUARE FEET OFFICE COMPLEX. What are they going to do?

Excuse me, but why was there no mention of a Family Search and Discovery Center in the latest Thanksgiving Point Office Site Approval? 

Thanksgiving Point Office Site Approval presented to the city of Lehi, March 24, 2016

Wasn’t the reason the LDS Church was donated the property (with a minimal investment, not disclosed) was to build a Family Search and Discovery Center? 

Why wasn’t the Family Search and Discovery Center mentioned in the latest application for approval?

Are they still going to incorporate in the massive 4 story 135,000 square feet office building a Family Search and Discovery Center?  Don’t know, they didn’t mention that.

So who really is going be the tenant or who are the tenants who will occupy the massive 4 story commercial office building?

From all I have heard, the LDS Church will be the single tenant of this building. Maybe the LDS Church would like to share who will occupy this office building? 

The release of this information makes a HUGE difference.

You see, the LDS Church is building this proposed massive 4 story 135,000 square feet office complex on a PGA caliber driving range.  If the LDS Church is the tenant of this building, is the LDS Church leasing this building from itself?

The LDS Church is quite open with their proclamation that they do not use debt to finance the real estate arm of the church, everything they build is done with cash (not literally, no debt).

So one arm of the LDS Church, probably some subsidiary will build the proposed massive 4 story office complex and lease it to another arm of the LDS Church or do they?  Is money actually exchanged?  Does the one arm of the church actually lease the building to another arm of the church?  Well isn’t it all the same thing, money shifting from one pile to another pile all owned by the LDS Church, they own both piles of money?

Can the LDS Church build a building and lease it to itself?  I believe the answer to this is yes.  But, will money actually be transferred between one or more LDS Church entities? Or, will the accountants merely create paperwork that shows one arm of the LDS Church paying another arm of the LDS Church?

Does it even matter?

Well, yes it does.

The LDS Church threw out a random, undefined, unsubstantiated square footage figure of 98,400 square feet for the purpose of calculating the number of required parking stalls for their proposed massive 4 story office complex. Architects and engineers have indicated the building square footage to be 135, 000 square feet, so why is the LDS Church using a figure of 98,400 square feet for the purpose of calculating the parking stall requirements?  NOBODY KNOWS!

I can hear LDS Church and Lehi DRC employees sitting in a meeting discussing this very issue.   

Lehi: So, you are going to need 608 parking stalls for your massive 4 story commercial office building and you have only 497 stalls and no parking for the proposed LDS Stake Center, what are we going to do?

Church:  I know, let’s say the building has only 98,400 square feet for the purpose of calculating parking stall requirements, that way we will only need 443 parking stalls. 

Lehi: Yeah but, isn’t the building 135,000 square feet and there is a different requirement for the Family Search and Discover Center.   

Church:  SOOOOOOO, doesn’t matter, just say the building is 98,400 square feet and we will come up with some concocted story about gross square feet, gross leasable square feet, net square feet and everyone will be so confused they won’t say a thing.  Those planning commission guys don’t know a thing and trust everything you tell them, so just put it out there that the building is 98,400 square feet for the purpose of calculating the parking stall requirements and if anyone says anything (they won’t) we are prepared to concoct the gross vs net square foot story.  

Lehi: Oh, OK, anything you say.

The LDS Church has not revealed how they came up with 98,400 square foot figure. Remember, they are more than likely the single tenant in the building and this makes a big difference!

They LDS Church has even stopped talking about the Family Search and Discovery Center, why is that?

Could it be that the Family Search and Discovery Center requires parking? How much parking? How many square feet will the Family Search and Discovery Center occupy in the proposed massive 4 story office complex?  What is the required number of parking stalls for this venture? Isn’t this building the NEW Worldwide Corporate Headquarters of the Family Search and Discovery Center? Isn’t the NEW Worldwide Corporate HQ of the Family Search and Discovery Center along with the Family Search and Discovery Center the ONLY tenant of this massive 4 story 135,000 square foot office building (sole tenant)? Don't know, but it makes a difference, a huge difference when calculating parking stall requirements.

I have heard LDS Church representative’s share this new office building will be occupied by LDS Church employees working for the Worldwide Corporate Headquarters of the Family Search and Discovery Center. Will they be occupying the whole building?  At one point, LDS Church representatives indicated that when they first proposed building 2 x 120,000 square foot office buildings that the LDS Church would be using one of the buildings and leasing out the other.  Now that there is only one building, is the LDS Church using the entire building?  

This is a very important question!

The new massive 4 story office building proposed by the LDS Church is 135,000 square feet. Parking stall requirements as defined in the Lehi Area plan say you MUST have 4.5 parking stalls for every 1000 square feet.  In the case of a 135,000 square foot building you would need 608 slots. Problem for the LDS Church is that they only have enough parking stalls for 497 cars and that includes ALL the parking stalls for phase 2, the LDS Stake Center.  The LDS Church is short 115 parking stalls and that leaves no parking stalls at all for the proposed future development of an LDS Stake Center.

The LDS Church is short the required number of parking stalls, plain and simple, do the math, 135 x 4.5 = 607.5.

The LDS Church in their application throughout a figure of 98,400 square foot, didn’t define it as anything other than for the purpose of calculating the required number of parking stalls. They came up with a figure of 443 stalls would be required for the proposed massive 4 story 135,000 square foot office complex. 

What?  Wait?

Where did that figure come from?

Why is it even in this application?

What does it mean and why is the LDS Church using this figure instead of the 135,000 square feet figure?

I know the answer, can you see the rub?

THEY DON’T HAVE ENOUGH PARKING STALLS SO THEY INVENTED A FIGURE, THREW IT OUT THERE AND SAID THE NEW MASSIVE 4 STORY OFFICE BUILDING WAS NOT 135,000 SQUARE FEET, BUT 98,400 SQUARE FEET (for the propose of calculating the required number of parking stalls),however, it is still a 135,000 square feet massive office complex.

They are short parking stalls, plain and simple and they are playing games hoping none will catch them, well you have been caught.

This whole project from the very beginning has been extremely secretive and deceptive, par for the coarse for the LDS Church. If they told you the truth about anything, you might not buy in what they are selling.

The truth is, the building is 135,000 square feet, not 98,400 square feet. The LDS Church needs 608 parking stalls, not 443 or 497. The LDS Church is short 115 parking stalls. 

The LDS Church is building the building. 

The LDS Church will own the building (you can play games if you like and say it is one of your subsidiaries that will own and operate the building), but, the truth is, all the subsidiaries are owned by the LDS Church. 

The LDS Church will lease the building from itself or one of its subsidiaries. 

The truth is the LDS Church is not being honest and is playing games with the parking stall requirements and the City of Lehi is more than willing to play games with them. 

The truth is, the LDS Church has NO separate parking stalls for what they call phase 2, the building of a LDS Stake Center. 

The truth is that unless you share parking between a commercial LDS office building and an LDS Stake Center you would be hundreds of parking stalls short.   

Truth is, the LDS Church will own and operate both the massive 4 story office complex and the LDS Stake Center. 

We have been told the tenants from the commercial office building (Worldwide Corporate HQ of the Family Search and Discovery Center) will use the LDS Stake Center for recreational purposes and for other various reasons. Truth is, the LDS Stake Center will be open for business for those who work at the LDS office building.

TRUTH IS:  The LDS Church is short parking stalls.
TRUTH IS:  The LDS Church and the City of Lehi are playing games with the parking stall requirements.

What are they going to do about it?

What is the City of Lehi going to do about it?

Why is there a phase 2, a LDS Stake Center?  Why is the LDS Stake Center approval being sought after using a Conditional Use Permit?  (I will tackle that subject later)

Why won't they discuss the LDS Stake Center parking requirements in this proposal?  (I can tell you why and will reveal to this to you later - shared parking? We will see about that!)

Anyway you cut it, the truth is, the LDS Church is playing games and hoping to not be caught, well they have been caught, now what are they going to do about it? My hunch, NOTHING! Why? 

Because those who work for the LDS Church are intent on building his building by hook or crook, anyway they can, breaking contractual commitments in a special warranty deed and all the rules, so what, so say the representatives of the LDS Church. We want what we want, where we want it and nothing will stop us, lie, cheat or break the law, nothing stops us from our reported mission to build this massive 4 story office development.

Truth is the health, safety and welfare of the citizens of Lehi are being put in jeopardy because of the selfish interest of the LDS Church. This massive 4 story office complex does not belong here, move it to the other side of the railroad tracks like EVERY OTHER commercial office building. Wasn't the original plan was to have 2 x 120,000 square feet office buildings where the cornfields are located? Isn't that why in your initial proposal you brought forth your plan to build 2 x 120,000 square feet office buildings on the Thanksgiving Point golf course driving range?  Big problem, parking!!!! No way you could fit 2 x 120,000 square feet office buildings on a 12 acre lot and have enough parking.  So you concocted a story that you would put an LDS Stake Center there instead. Hooray for you, are you great, giving the poor residents of the local area an LDS Stake Center which was going to be built anyway a couple of miles away. You look like hero's.  Well you are not. You still don't have enough parking any way you slice it. Your pathetic attempt to ram through a massive building development west of the railroad tracks is an insult.  You may get what you want, but you will also get some things you don't want and one day blood may be on your hands when one of those who have exited your building kills someone while driving down residential streets where children play. 

The LDS Church says it is all about families, well what about all those families and their children that live in the area and now will be subject to thousands of cars driving down their residential neighborhoods? 

Do you think I am writing all these blogs for fun or are the content for a book I will one day write cataloging this debacle. The truth shall be revealed for what it is and the world will know what you are up to.  You may fool those who work for the City of Lehi, you may get your project, but the truth of the matter is, what you are doing is wrong and detrimental to the health, safety and welfare of all those live, work and visit the Thanksgiving Point area.

Shame on you!

And for goodness sake, start telling the truth and stop lying and stop trying to play games, the LDS Church and its representatives should ALWAYS be above reproach.