Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — Christopher Conabee recalls a moment when a millennial-age man stood up and voiced his concern for the future of the Point of the Mountain to an older rancher during one of the various meetings set up by a committee in charge of planning the area’s future.
“He said, '30 years from now, you’re not going to be here and someone gave you the right to live how you want. I want my right to live how I want,'” Conabee, managing director of corporate recruitment and business services at the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development, said on KSL Newsradio’s The Doug Wright Show Tuesday.
“There is a demographic shift,” he added.
His appearance came a day after the Point of the Mountain Development Commission, which Conabee chairs, voted unanimously for a new plan for the future of the area in southern Salt Lake and northern Utah counties.
The proposal includes more mixed development of office and residential areas, public parks, and increased public transit to deal with the expected economic and population growth over the next few decades. Some of the plan includes creating more vibrant urban centers and having jobs closer to where people live.
It also includes a “catalyst” to the booming economy around the outgoing Utah State Prison site that those on the committee believe will help boost jobs and wages.
The group said in their vision plan that they can do this by “establishing a nationally-known research and university presence,” “attracting marque employers” and “creating a high-quality urban center that attracts employers and employees.”
Other highly-trained workforce jobs would also be added in the development.
As for preparing for the increase in traffic involved with more residents and workers, a new boulevard would be created running from Bangerter Highway in Draper to 2100 North in Lehi as an alternative to other routes, like I-15, Mountain View Corridor or Redwood Road.
Meanwhile, TRAX would expand further south into Lehi.
With a vision for the area selected, the Point of the Mountain Development Commission will push that to the Utah Legislature before it works to move to its next phase, which will explore ways to fund the project before work begins.
Conabee said the scenario selected by the committee was a solvable one, meaning one the committee believes can be put together without creating more problems.
“We can come up with a scenario that decreases water usage, that decreases pollution, that increases household income and increases stability and continued stability for our economy,” he said. “For us to have those negatives at the beginning, to come out with that scenario speaks volumes.”
Contributing: Doug Wright
