This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The state soon may spend $800,000 to study how best to attract jobs and other economic development to the Point of the Mountain, spurred by the decision to move the prison from there to west of the Salt Lake City International Airport.
The Senate voted 24-0 to pass HB318 to create a Point of the Mountain Development Commission. Because of a minor amendment, it was sent to the House for further consideration. The House previously passed it 67-5.
Money for the commission has been included in final budget bills.
"Once the state prison moves, the state will have an enormous investment in the area" around Lehi and Draper, said Sen. Jerry Stevenson, R-Layton, Senate sponsor of the bill.
"It is critical that we have a well-drafted vision of what this area is and what it will become. And we only have one chance to do this right," he said.
The bill sets aside $800,000 to hire a group, such as Envision Utah, to lead the process and another consultant to figure out how to pay for potentially billions of dollars in new roads, rails, trails and public utilities needed to develop the area.
Stevenson said the new commission will not determine what will happen to the prison site. "We think that should come at a later date … as we get closer to moving the facilities we have there."
The 12-member commission would be comprised of four state lawmakers; the mayors of Lehi and Draper, along with another mayor from a city in Salt Lake County and one from a city in Utah County; the mayor of Salt Lake County and a member of the Utah County Commission; a representative from the Governor's Office of Economic Development; and a representative from a tech company.
— Lee Davidson