A guard tower begins to fall at the old state prison in Draper on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022. (Scott G Winterton/Deseret News)
DRAPER, Utah — A day after the demolition of Utah’s old state prison began, plans are moving forward to build a brand-new community. Leaders said it’ll take decades to build The Point, but promised it’ll be worth the wait.
The Point is aptly named, as it will be built right below the point of the mountain.
Executive Director of The Point of the Mountain State Land Authority Alan Matheson said this will be a long-term project. It’ll take over 20 years to complete.
First, the new prison provides more focus on rehabilitation. Then, developers will turn the old prison site will into a new community, creating opportunities for new businesses and families.
“We’ll be working on demolition through about the middle of next year. Starting to put in infrastructure shortly after that. And expect that Phase 1 will go in, with buildings in 2026, people occupying at that point. But this’ll be a long-term project,” Matheson said.
Matheson said it’ll become one of the state’s must-see destinations. Turning the site from a prison to a welcoming community.
“We wanted this to be a liveable place. There will be modern corporate headquarters, lots of jobs. But it’ll also have a lot of open space, trails and parks,” Matheson said.
There’s already a lot of new corporate office space in this area and new apartment towers going up every day.
Former Gov. Gary Herbert said it will be worth the wait.
“We’re a fast-growing state, we need to have this opportunity to grow economically on the I-15 corridor. And as the two major counties are coming together, the synergy that’s going to come there I going to be, I think, remarkable,” Herbert said.
Herbert called The Point a “win-win-win.”
Right now, there’s only a framework for what it’ll look like. But more details are expected to come out in the coming weeks.