This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
Planners with Envision Utah were chosen Friday to map possible futures for the highly valuable piece of land now sitting beneath Utah State Prison.
Members of the Point of the Mountain Development Commission said the Salt Lake City-based planning agency and its partners beat five other applicants seeking the job of studying the 700-acre, state-owned property in Draper.
Key legislators, city officials and business leaders believe the land, which straddles southern Salt Lake County and northern Utah County, could generate billions of dollars in economic growth, possibly as a technology and residential hub — once the aging prison is moved west of Salt Lake City International Airport.
Envision Utah, officials decided Friday, has the right experience and expertise in Utah's land-use and transportation issues to analyze the current prison site's potential.
"They are ready to immediately hit the ground running and be effective," said Jeremy Macdonald, regional site operations manager at Adobe, who was on the six-member panel that vetted applicants.
Created by the Utah Legislature earlier this year, the commission is tasked with developing a land-use vision for the prison site and report its findings to state lawmakers and Gov. Gary Herbert before Dec. 1.
Rep. Brad Wilson, R-Kaysville and the panel's co-chairman, said Friday the commission was "off to a slower start than we wanted" but expected to have Envision Utah hired and "ramped up" within 60 days.
Ari Bruening, Envision Utah's chief operating officer, said the agency and its partners would emphasize public input in developing a plan "that's suited for future generations of Utahns."
"This means listening to everyone involved — residents, business owners, their employees, cities — so they can help shape what the area will become," said Bruening. "It has to be a vision that's built by Utahns and for all Utahns."
Twitter: @TonySemerad