Plan for new Bluffdale FrontRunner station prompts pushback from neighbors

BLUFFDALE — Plans to build a FrontRunner stop at The Point are moving forward, but neighbors near the selected site are pushing back against it.

The new commuter railway station near 14600 South is set to be built on the west side of The Point, a 600-acre mixed-use development on the site of the old state prison. Most of the new development is in Draper, but the station is slated for Bluffdale.

Neighbors in the city's Spring View Farms community said it's not the right place for it.

"I wouldn't support this in anybody's neighborhood," said Angie Lucas, who has lived in the area for 12 years. "I don't think it's meant to be this close to a residential neighborhood."

Robbie Beckstead, a resident of 13 years, called the decision to build a train station so close to his home "unfortunate."

"We're still hoping there's time to figure something out that's more productive for the state," he said.

What are the concerns?

A draft rendering of the new FrontRunner station depicts a multi-story structure on each side of the train tracks with a pedestrian bridge across them. A grassy area, fence and line of young trees would separate the station from the Spring View Farms neighborhood, according to the rendering.

But Beckstead has several concerns.

"Things like noise, light pollution," he said, while adding that trains would come more frequently as part of the state's effort to double-track parts of the FrontRunner line. "You've got trains coming in and out every 15 minutes with horns."

Lucas added that the planned structure is too tall — and too close to the Draper FrontRunner station.

"It seems like a huge waste of money," she said. "It makes me wonder who is benefitting financially from this project."

Design phase underway

Plans for the Bluffdale FrontRunner station are being spearheaded by the Utah Department of Transportation.

"We're very early on in the design process," UDOT spokesman John Gleason told KSL.

Gleason said public transit is an important part of what's going in at The Point. Groundbreaking for the first phase took place last December. It will feature retail, entertainment, a main street and some high-density housing.

"It's a focal point for the future," Gleason said of The Point. "People live and work in this area — big entertainment hub — and it's important that we're making smart decisions for the transportation future here as well."

Sen. Dan McCay, R-Riverton, represents the area where The Point and Spring View Farms are located.

"I support the idea of there being a FrontRunner station on the (Point) property," McCay said.

The state senator said he's been told the location for the new train station is settled, but he sympathizes with concerns from neighbors.

"As I've been meeting with the residents now for a few months, I've been trying to find ways to mitigate the negative impacts," said McCay.

For example, UDOT recently announced there will not be any pedestrian access from the neighborhood to the FrontRunner stop.

Despite neighbors' concerns about building an additional station so close to other existing FrontRunner stops, McCay said state data shows the train system will be faster than what it currently is.

"It makes sense for them to do it," said McCay, "but I am sympathetic to the residents and the difficulty that they're going to see as a result of … there being additional trains."

Feeling unheard

Katie Nichols, who has lived in Spring View Farms for nearly 20 years, said she appreciates UDOT's decision to limit pedestrian access between the station and her neighborhood, but she feels it was just a "consolation prize."

"We do not have a say in this," Nichols said. "We're being told The Point needs this and this is where it's going. They're going full steam ahead."

"It feels dehumanizing, to be honest," she added.

According to UDOT, the new FrontRunner stop at The Point is currently scheduled to be finished in 2030.

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