BLUFFDALE, Utah — Politicians struggled to use heavy construction equipment to the amusement of a crowd at the groundbreaking of the first phase of "The Point," a massive development project at Point of the Mountain.
The project, on 630-acres of land on the site of the old Utah State Prison, is getting underway with construction work beginning Tuesday on an extension of Porter Rockwell Boulevard.
"It's unlike anything else that is happening in the country," said Governor Spencer Cox of the entire project.
Utah political leaders envision it as a tech hub, feeding into nearby Silicon Slopes and a mixed use development with office space, housing, retail and entertainment, a Frontrunner stop and transit options and a trail system connecting to the Jordan River. Even nearby communities are expected to benefit.
"This is an area that’s a catalyst for additional growth and economic prosperity for the state of Utah that I think is synergistic with what we’re doing in South Jordan," said Mayor Dawn Ramsey, who attended Tuesday's groundbreaking.
The location at the south end of the Salt Lake Valley is prime real-estate. But unlike other projects, the state is not selling the land to a private developer. Instead, taxpayers own it. Utah lawmakers authorized a $165 million loan to cover infrastructure and the state will continue to own the land.
"They’ll be leasing out properties here as we take down and build different buildings. They’ll pay lease payments back to the state and that will go to pay for first the infrastructure loan but then generally to pay back to the taxpayers really the investment the state makes here," said Rep. Jordan Teuscher, R-South Jordan, who co-chairs the Point of the Mountain Land Authority.
House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, said it will benefit Utah taxpayers for generations.
"The state will own the ground underneath on a long-term lease that not will just benefit us but benefit our kids and our grandkids," he said. "They’ll have an opportunity to have a say what goes here rather than just turn it over to developers."
Some who live in Bluffdale welcomed the project and the extension of Porter Rockwell Boulevard.
"It's just very congested traffic and there’s nowhere for all the cars to go and this will make a huge difference," said Tiff Sorensen, who lives near the development.
One rumor that has surrounded the development has been that it could be the site of a stadium for an NFL team. Asked about those rumors, Rep. Teuscher told FOX 13 News: "We'd love to have an NFL stadium here. I haven’t been contacted by the NFL yet but I’ll give them my phone number! We’d love to have that here and this would be an amazing place for the NFL."
Phase one of The Point will be completed in 2026.
