Commons Park was Layton’s ‘Dream Park’

               Layton City's offices are surrounded by Commons Park.

MOST Layton residents probably take Commons Park, the crown jewel of the City’s park system, for granted. However, a lot of work was undertaken in the 1960s and 1970s to make the park a reality – including "evicting" the former residents -- and trading one "park" for another.

“Old units removed to make room for Layton ‘Dream Park’ was an April 25, 1973 headline in the Ogden Standard-Examiner.

The “old” were the last remains of Verdeland

Park, government housing erected in Layton during World War II, to house military families. At that time, Layton’s population was only about 700 residents. Yet, 430 families lived in Verdeland Park during its heyday and helped triple the City’s population.

The U.S. government condemned 85 acres of farmland in the early 1940s, paying $23,934. In January 1943, the area opened as Verdeland Park.

Ironically,  Jay Starkey, Layton City Parks Director, had his office in one of the WW II buildings, one of only 10 remaining buildings in 1973, according to the Standard-Examiner story.

In 1957 Layton City officials purchased Verdeland Park for $648,000 at a 4.5 percent interest rate for 10 years. The barracks-type houses were disassembled and lumber and other building materials were sold for $270 per house.

                            Verdeland Park housing, as it appeared in the latae 1940s.

                                                               (Photo from the Heritage Museum of Layton Collection.)

On August 27, 1957, Layton City paid the federal government $580,000 for the 72-acre Verdeland Park land.

In 1962, Layton City sold 28 acres (at $3,000 per acre) of the former Verdeland Park land to the Davis School District for the creation of Layton High School. (Otherwise Commons Park would even be larger today.)

And, plans for the future $500,000 “Dream Park” were laid out in Starkey’s office.

In fact, Layton City owned and rented the Verdleand Park buildings to new families, for about $40 a month, from 1950 to 1968.

(Letters notifying residents to vacate their Verdeland Park housing was sent by Layton City in early 1964, according to the Standard-Examiner of Feb. 25, 1964. Residents living where Layton High School was to be built had six months to leave, according to the Standard of March 3, 1964.)

                   A grader works on Commons Park development, probably in the early 1960s.
                                                                    (Photo from the Heritage Museum of Layton Collection.)

It then sold each housing unit and they were hauled away. About 300 of the units were sold to a Layton Investment Company. Most sold for between $115 and $500.

(A double size housing unit were 25 feet by 64 feet and the singles were 25 by 32 feet in size.)

The City was anxious to remove the final units, as they posed a safety and aging sight problem.

“Some kids from the high school used to break into the unoccupied units and have parties,” one City employee told the Standard-Examiner.

The Standard-Examiner of May 26, 1972 stated that Layton City received a $285,000 grant from the Wasatch Front Regional Council for the park’s development.

The first time the title, “Commons” designation for the park showed up in the newspaper was in the Standard of Nov. 19, 1972.

“We want the Layton Commons area to be used by all citizens, without specifying an area for any certain group,” Layton Councilman Lynn Wood said.

According to the Lakeside Review newspaper of Oct. 30, 1985, Commons Park was developed in phases. Workers had to haul out 300 truckloads of debris off the land and brought in 600 loads of topsoil. Approximately 340 tons of rock were also hauled in.

It required 340 tons of sand to create the initial playground

As many of the old, mature trees, as possible were saved. It was Utah’s third-largest park at the time, ranking behind Sugarhouse and Liberty Parks at about 47 acres.

A very scenic area, the park sits at an average elevation of 4,360 feet above sea level. It is also traversed by Kays Creek, adding a natural water feature to the area. This water also attracts ducks and other wildlife.

Eventually a new Layton City Municipal Building, a Surf 'n Swim recreation complex and even a Heritage Museum and Amphitheater were build inside Commons Park.