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SALT LAKE CITY — 2020 is a big year for Salt Lake City and for the rest of Utah.
Three major projects in the city will hit milestones in two years. A major phase of the Salt Lake City International Airport’s renovation will be completed. The Utah State Prison will move from its current location in Draper to northwest Salt Lake City. And the construction of the city’s controversial inland port and global trade hub also will be underway.
World Trade Center Utah President and CEO Derek Miller has dubbed the trio Utah’s 2020 trifecta. All three have major implications for the future of Utah’s economic growth for decades to come, Miller said.
“Any state would be lucky to have any one of these projects, so the fact that as a state we have three of these projects at the same time is really remarkable,” he said. “Each one of them represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity for the state.”
Miller also will become the director of the Salt Lake Chamber at the end of April.
With the renovation, the airport will be equipped to handle a yearly passenger load of 25 million or more. Worldwide connecting flights are also expected to expand through the airport’s Delta hub, Miller said.
The inland port opens up trade possibilities that could allow more Utah products to reach consumers outside the state and across the world. It also could attract more businesses that want the benefits of the port, Miller said.
The state prison relocation will free up about 700 acres of developable land in Draper.
Local leaders have discussed a technology-focused future for the site, since it’s close to Utah’s Silicon Slopes tech hub, Miller said. It could house a national laboratory in the future, similar to Idaho or New Mexico’s national laboratory sites.
Other possibilities include a tech education collaboration between the University of Utah, Brigham Young University and Utah Valley University that would occupy the former prison site, Miller said.
Most of the stakeholders agree whatever occupies the site should have a positive effect on the surrounding areas, he said.
“Whatever it ends up being, there is sort of a recognition that it needs to be something that would have a multiplier effect on what is then built around it,” Miller said.
Related
What is an inland port and what would creating one mean for Utahns?
What would the creation of an inland port mean for Salt Lake City and the rest of the state? Also, what is an inland port?The projects won’t be without significant challenges, though, Miller said.
There is a lack of infrastructure in the northwest quadrant of the city where these projects will be constructed. Power and water access will need to be expanded in the area.
Mass transit “particularly” will need to be planned in such a way that it will be able to handle the increased traffic created by the projects, Miller said. The director of the Utah Department of Transportation, who has a seat on the inland port authority board, will be a part of that planning process, he said.
Affordable housing will also be essential for the area so that any new workers the projects draw in will be able to live nearby, Miller said.
It’s not just about bringing in companies that will provide jobs, Miller said. The planning process will need to be comprehensive, with solutions that address the area’s inevitable growth, he said.
“I feel confident that we have the right structure in place to make sure the correct planning is done,” Miller said.
"Any state would be lucky to have any one of these projects. ... Each one of them represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity for the state." — Derek Miller, WTC Utah
Miller’s other concerns about the trifecta projects are related to those things that are out of Utah’s control, such as policy decisions that happen on the national level.
For example, the ongoing disagreements between the Trump administration and China’s government could soon affect trade in Utah.
“We are not an island unto ourselves and we’re not so isolated that we’re not impacted by what happens at a national level,” Miller said. “We have to make sure our congressional delegation is focused on issues important to Utah and meaningful to our continued economic growth — I think they are.”
