What could be included in development on former state prison land
DRAPER, Utah (KUTV) — After years of development, there's now a man in charge of development that will happen in Draper when the Utah State Prison is relocated.
Steve Kellenberg will take on the role of director of planning for the development on 700 acres of state-owned land, which will be called "The Point." Kellenberg has helped design communities around the world.
"I've got a pretty good feel for what the process is, the methodology,” Kellenberg said.
His interest in planning for The Point was piqued when he considered the location, opportunity presented for greener transit, and the fact that the land is not privately owned.
"When you have a single entity that has those shared goals of both economic and social development for the public benefit, you can do things that can't be done anywhere else," Kellenberg said.
The plans are still vague and flexible, but will include housing, business parks, and green space. Transportation is a major focus; Kellenberg said he wants to take the opportunity to develop transit for the future.
Promotional videos for the site include flying cars, but Kellenberg said the final plans could have autonomous circulators (think UTA's autonomous shuttle) and walking and public transit options so residents could live easily without cars.
The main goal for developers is flexibility, said Alan Matheson, executive director of The Point.
We won't know exactly what the world will be like in 10 years, but we can design it in a way that we can accommodate what happens in 10 years,” Matheson said.
He said they are also looking closely at incorporating an innovation district. The idea is to create a hub where ideas and businesses can be researched, accelerated, and commercialized.
"These are starting to pop up around the world, and they're areas where you create an economic innovation ecosystem," he explained.
There isn’t an estimate yet for how much this will all cost, or how it could impact the surrounding communities.
Kellenberg said as the site development continues, they are also working on a regional plan that will take the plans for land, transportation, open space, and infrastructure, and connect it with the existing area.
So that as we make land use decisions and transportation decisions, we know that we're all on the same page, that everything is compatible — not only compatible, but is kind of adding value,” Kellenberg said.
One of the worries of nearby residents is traffic, but Matheson said their analysis has shown that the development may decrease traffic by creating new housing closer to where people work and increasing public transit.
They estimate the drive from Draper to Provo would be 20 minutes shorter during peak hours, and there could be 2.6 million fewer miles driven per day throughout the Wasatch Front, even with an increase in jobs and population. He also said that could lead to an estimated 3.2 fewer tons of emissions per day.
They expect the site to create 150,000 new jobs, and through that a $10,000 average household income increase through economic growth and development.
Matheson said the next steps are coming up with that master plan: Talking with target companies and figuring out costs and how to best pay for it. He said they are looking into finding out how those that will benefit from the site can help pay for it, so the burden isn't just on the taxpayers.
