DRAPER, Utah — The Canyons School District will purchase the eBay headquarters in the Salt Lake Valley, and they plan to turn it into a new school.
The district announced its plans on Tuesday, saying the new 36-acre campus in Draper will be a technical education high school. It will include the 215,000-acre building that currently houses the online retail company, along with 16 acres of developable land.
The new school will be focused on "training students for the 21st century workplace" and preparing them for "the high-demand jobs of the future," Canyons said. Robotics, engineering, business and medicine are among the topics focused on.
It will replace the 42-year-old Canyons Technical Education Center, located at 825 E. 9095 South.
The district said it may set aside some of the land for a future elementary school. It may also house a vocational program for adults with disabilities, as well as resources for district employees like child care and health care.
The Canyons Board of Education approved the purchase on Tuesday. In the announcement, the district said it plans to close the deal in December.
The property will be bought for $50 million, which, according to the district, is "roughly half the cost of the design and construction of a new school." The district said it will use its capital fund, revenue from selling other district-owned properties, and lease-revenue bonds to pay for it.
eBay announced earlier this year that it was planning to sell its headquarters, but the company says it's committed to staying in the Salt Lake area, just in a different location.
“eBay is happy to learn that the Canyons School District has approved the contract for purchase of our Draper, Utah campus," the company said in a statement Tuesday evening. "As a global commerce leader, who continues to innovate for our community of buyers and sellers, we’re excited that the Draper site could become a hub of learning, designed to cultivate the tech leaders of the future."
The company's statement continued: "we are committed to Salt Lake City and will continue to evaluate all available local options to ensure the best outcome for our people and eBay.”
