BUSINESS + ECONOMY
West Valley City is finding its identity, according to city manager
Feb 9, 2023, 7:30 PM
Valley Fair Mall in West Valley City is pictured on Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2020. (Kristin Murphy, Deseret News)
(Kristin Murphy, Deseret News)
WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah — After years of development, West Vally City is finding its identity, according to city manager Wayne Pyle.
In a special edition of Dave and Dujanovic broadcast live from Granger High School, Pyle joins hosts Dave Noriega and Debbie Dujanovic. Together they discuss West Valley’s future.
As the second-largest city in the state, West Valley is still growing. With this comes decades of work, according to Pyle.
“First off, I would like to say one of the issues that I think arose back … in the 90s, or still existed from previous history, was a little bit of insecurity amongst the [city’s] population,” he tells Noriega and Dujanovic. “They were, kind of, striving to find an identity, right? And, I think over the last … 25-plus years, they really have made a lot of strides towards pride and culture.”
He goes on to describe the restaurant scene in West Valley as an example.
“I mean there’s so many great restaurants up and down,” he says.
Dujanovic adds that the city has restaurants that represent many different cultures. Pyle agrees, saying an “international flavor of the whole world,” populates West Valley.
More developments in West Valley City
According to Pyle, the city has garnered admiration over the years.
“I have people come in all the time and say, hey, I hadn’t been on or to Valley Fair Mall or in the city center area for 25 years. I can’t believe what you guys have done here,” he says.
On the flip side, he says West Valley residents have also come to admire the city.
“The people themselves I believe are very proud of the city. They’re happy to be here,” he says.
Along with the city’s future, Pyle also shares insight into the future of Valley Fair Mall.
He says there is planned development for the north end of the mall, which has not seen much development compared to other areas.
Along with this, West Valley is in the middle of housing development on the south side of the city.
“We’re looking forward to more great growth there,” Pyle says.
Dave & Dujanovic can be heard on weekdays from 9 a.m. to noon.
