Panel crafts rules for developers hoping to move prison

The fate of the Utah State Prison is still very much up in the air, but if you're looking to redevelop the current prison site you now have a rough list of likely requirements you'll have to meet to be involved.

The list — which was discussed Friday afternoon during a meeting of the Prison Relocation and Development Authority (PRADA) — includes 37 points and is embedded in a newly-drafted, 23-page "request for proposals." That document outlines the information potential developers would need to provide authorities if they hope to move the prison and redevelop its current site in Draper.

Much of the information would-be developers will need to supply has to do with the impact of their proposed developments. The first point, for example, calls for a "complete narrative" of any proposed development, meaning authorities want information about how it will unfold as well as how it will comply with current Draper ordinance. Developers also will need to supply information on how their projects will impact the state environmentally, economically and even historically, among many other things.

The list of required information also touches on the prison itself, pointing out that if developers hope to move the facility elsewhere they'll have to outline that proposal in great detail as well.

The documents also reveal that proposals will be scored on four criteria:

• The strength of their team.

• Their project management approach.

• Their schedule.

• Their cost.

The request for proposals and the list are not binding yet and will be approved or rejected by PRADA on Sept. 30. Friday's meeting was called merely to discuss the language and details of the request for proposals.

Lane Summerhays, chairman of PRADA, said after Friday's meeting that he thought the committee would ultimately approve the documents. If that happens, the committee will eventually will begin accepting development proposals, with final drafts due Nov. 13. The 11-member committee includes Utah lawmakers, consultants, business people and representatives from law enforcement and real estate interests.

Public hearings will follow, with PRADA eventually making its final recommendation to the governor and the Legislature — who have the final say in the matter — by Jan. 24.

In the meantime, none of this means the prison is actually going anywhere. Instead, Summerhays described the process as an exploratory effort to determine the costs and benefits of relocating the prison and redeveloping of the current site. Summerhays said that committee members will have a better sense of what those costs and benefits may be after they see actual redevelopment proposals.

He added that most committee members have not yet decided if they will support the prison's relocation.

Friday's meeting comes just days after law enforcement representatives and members of the public spoke out against moving the prison.

jdalrymple@sltrib.com

Twitter: @jimmycdii