Lake Front Property in Utah

Bear Lake is about the only option around. I'm looking at developing some property on a warm water lake 30 miles south of Provo...Not Utah lake...
Lot sizes right now have to be about 2.5 acres so I'm doing a feasibility study to see if I can make the project work. Some lots would be right on the water, community would have a park/marina. Water is shallow but warm and fairly murky....kind of like utah lake. But you could have your own beach, possibly a dock.

So would you be interested...What would you pay for a 2.5 acre lot? On the water/ near the water/
Here is a view.


Lake is about 15 feet deep, 7 miles long and generally has very very smooth water.

a couple more pics, had to resize

One More

Beautiful!!! I live in FL, so I it would not make sense for me. BTW, what is a warm water lake? How Warm?

Utah lake is just north of here, similar depth. Summer time water is in the 80's. Like a warm pool. Riding season here is pretty much May-1st 2 weeks of sept. Before or after that you'll want a wet suit.

I say warm water lake because there are lots of mountain reservoirs where people go, but those are much colder all year round.

I'd be all over that if I still lived there. I lived in Provo for 4 years. I heard it's grown considerably since I left in '90.

is that the lake u can see from the freeway by nephi. if so i thought it was something the farmers used over there, and that it almost disappears late in the season

YEAH that wouldn't suck!

The only issue I see is the proximity to SLC or Provo. I'm guessing that most people that would be interested are higher working class. If you planned the development in such a way to attract a high-middle income class (i.e. gated community, strict homeowner's rules, larger custom homes with agressive architectural guidelines, additional benefits such as community pool, basketball court, etc.), you may have better luck. You do have the benefit of offering something that isn't that common in Utah. Another thing to consider is how do you guarantee a regular water depth from year to year? I've seen that lake pretty low in the past.

I'd consider it. My big thing is that I here some of the locals (LDS), aren't very friendly to non LDS types.

what do you have in mind price wise? i know you were asking for ideas but im not too educated on the utah real estate market, so was curious to know if someone would have a wide ballpark figure

Come on Jeff. LDS people are the nicest in the world. We are very family oriented and try are best to be nice to every one, but there might be the occasional odd one that is afraid of what is different. I hope this isnt a common concern that LDS people are un-friendly to non-LDS people.

Does the water level vary very much throughout the year? Would it disappear in a bad drought year? The location sounds good.

And Jeff that LDS thing it totally untrue.

I would certaintly hope it was untrue. I have lots of LDS friends here in california, and would think theyd act like that.

I had considered a move to northern arizona, and had been told be some people that non LDS children have problems in the heavy LDS areas. Probably just some one who doesnt like LDS.

It is difficult to say what I would pay for a lot as I do not know what the resulting real estate or finished property would be worth. I do not know this area at all but it looks like you would be close to the mountains for winter skiing etc. Does this lake not freeze in the winter?

A couple of years ago at the end of a 7 year drought the lake was almost gone, (at least as far as I could tell by looking down from the freeway.)We got one good winter and it was right back to normal. These pictures were about a month ago. -yes it is odd to have snow that low on the mountains that early in September. As you can see there is plenty of water in the lake at the end of the year. Only after a sustained drought do you have problems. Of course all the lakes in Utah did.

ex: Utah lake was only open for about half the season three years in a row due to low water.

Lake Powell, still very usable and fun but down over 100'

Deercreek, down about what 40' -past the edge of the ramp.

You get the idea, on a normal year water levels wouldn't be a problem, I think that the water level does move enough that a stationary dock probably wouldn't work well though.


Distance, it's 30 miles to Provo, -thats commutable especially because the lower half of Utah county really doesn't have much traffic.

70 miles to SLC, too far for me.

But, then again, maybe you would buy it, put a nice cabin on it and go there for vacations.

Price. Rough land, w/ no water rights, roads or utility access is crazy in Utah. On the West side of Utah Lake it's going for about 100k an acre. Developed about 400k.

This land like I said would have to be 2.5 acre parcels. I was thinking around $200-250K per lot. That would be developed w/ nice roads, utilities etc. The other part of that is the potential for future subdivision. Once you have enough residents you can form your own town and change zoning requirements. You would then be allowed to subdivide down to 1/2 acre lots and sell 4 1/2 acre lots yourself if you wanted.

The biggest concerns with the project is the maze of water rights in Utah (then actually getting water to the property) and working with a county that has a small town mentality and has not been friendly to growth in the past.

Beyond that there are a number of issues to work out if I could make it happen.


One last thing, on the LDS thing. Utah is safe, clean, and people here are really nice. I grew up here but also lived in California in high school, and I just moved back from Vegas. Coming back to Utah I appreciate it even more. The kids I knew in high school that weren't LDS often were the most popular because they were different, or it didn't matter at all. That being said... Utah has good people and bad people just like anywhere else, you choose who you hang out with.

and you dont have to worry about mormons knocking on your door in utah. That type of proselyting is worthless here. LOL

I've driven past that lake many-a-time on my way to Vegas or California. Every time I do, I wonder why nobody is riding. I have a much bigger problem with the gnatt piss beer in UT than I do the LDS majority. It's a good place to raise a family. I'd rather have my kids over at their friends eating Jello with carrot shavings than the alternative.

The way it sit's in the valley it looks like it could get pretty rough, I would think the wind could bloww right through it.

The LDS thing is not too much of a factor, although I did have some LDS people from my neighborhood avoid our house for trick-or-treating last night because I was in my driveway with a beer in my hand. I guess they didn't want the full-size candy bars we were giving out. And this is in an upper middle class neighborhood. Oh well, just the occasional LDS family trying to protect children that will eventually turn out to be porn stars.

Well said Jason. Supression breeds deviancy.

LDS?

You gotta be kidding me Jonny, right??

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3712632997792266611&q=south+park+m ormons

I hear you Jason. When I lived in Provo, I used to hear the only way to stop a Mormon from drinking all of your beer when you went fishing was to take 2 Mormons fishing because they won't drink in front of each other.

BTW, I can't believe you drinking a beer kept them away, after all your profile says you live in Sin City.

I'm proud to be LDS, and luckily i havent turned into a porn star.

thanks for the clip Jed, i was just about to post that. I hope everyone know the right answer now. lol

No problem Tingey. It would have been a bigger laugh if you had posted it.

Hey, did I miss something... who would own the lake? Or who does own the lake?

30 miles from Provo would totally work for commuting. And 70 miles from SLC works for a cabin or vacation home. I think you can buy property on Starvation Res. for cabins w/ docs.

$200-250k seems a little high to start. Just my feeling no real data to back it up.

I would look at water rights for the lake. Some places here in Utah seem to run way down by the end of the summer. My thought is that it is because of the agricultural water rights. farmers are gowing to need to water crops regardless of of drought.

Haha! That clip is hilarious, especially because Mormons don't even believe that. I'm LDS and I think you'll find that there are awesome LDS people, total jerkweed LDS people, and everything in between, which is the same as I've found in most religions. Obviously anyone who has lived in an especially high LDS population would have had some negative experiences though.

Jason, If I had kids there's no way a "scary beer" would keep them from getting your candy. (Actually I often hang out with people that drink and have no problem with it.)

As for the lake, I'd say the main concern would be if it can stay at a reasonable level year round.

That clip is a crack up! Seriously though it's true. For Real. Yer all gonna burn, so come buy this property first and give me all your candy!,,,um money.

I really would like to divide to smaller lots, like 1/2 acre lots but the county has some pretty tight restrictions. The land is currently zoned agricultural and the nearest town is about 5 miles away. What I did find out though is that once you have 100 registered voters or something like that you can form your own city. With that accomplished you should be able to change the zoning so that you can subdivide your 2.5 into 5 .5acre lots. You make your money back, or keep the whole thing for yourself. Recently I've heard of 1/3 acre lots selling around $300K for just the lot. -Of course its in a different area, but still that is a huge jump in land prices in Utah.

The lake is privately owned but there is a boat ramp and picnic tables owned by the county which are open to the public.

On a side note: where is starvation res? What's it like, any pics or links?
Thanks

im LDS and proud of it as well. i have gotten into the porn industry lately and it is treating me very well

and BTW jonny, LDS stands for Latter Day Saints

how far to the nearest snowboard hill in the winter

Starvation is next to the town of Duchesne(SP?). It is an AMAZING lake.

Nearest ski resort in the winter is Sundance, about 10 miles out of Provo, so about 45 minutes to an hour. To the big resorts it would be about 1.5 hours.

However, it is also really close to Fairview, We've got a cabin up there. World class snowmobiling, hill climbing. Once I started snowmobiling I kind of stopped snowboarding.

sure would look beautifull with a thousand houses on it... Good luck.

In my research I found a company that just built an 80 acre lake in Salt lake valley. Homes surrounding the lake, but get this.... Swimming is prohibited! NO Powerboats! Looks like the company just wants paddleboats, sailboats and canoes. They are lining the shores with rocks just to make sure you don't break the rules and go swimming in the lake you just paid a premium to live on. What kind of boneheads came up with that?

Let me just say that my main motivation is to make a great wakeboarding community. A place in Utah that would work well for competitions and foster an environment where everybody has a board boat. That means no crusty old fishermen. Oh, and I wonder how hard it would be to get tubes banned?

What else should the community include (ammenities) to foster that kind of community?

In response to Jed's "gnatt piss beer" comment, they at least have funny beer:

There is a place in downtown Ogden that has a brew called Polygamy Pale Ale that I have every time I go there. I will admit that may of Utah's local brews are good. I should clarify that the "Gnatt Piss" label goes to the low content on grocery store beer. And it doesn't help that a bottle of Grolsch or Pilsner Urquell from the liquor stores are $2.50+ each and I have yet to find a place that carries Hair of the Dog.

Thanks for the helpful comments guys.

Has anyone read "Under the Banner of Heaven" a book about fanatical mormons by John Krakaur (the guy who wrote "Into Thin Air". I know mormons hate it, but man, what an eye opener.

there is a lake in Denver like that. There is a huge gated comunity around it, wind protection, and I think it is just paddle boats. One little swim beach. What a waste. I should buy a winch and get arrested poaching that lake. that would rule. Got to add to my record. Starvation looks nice, but the judge told me not to ever come back to Utah. So I wont(just on the waters of lake powell).