Draper Prison Relocation To Spawn New Tech Center?
Even though the prison relocation is still about a year away from final approval, it hasn’t stopped Draper city officials from announcing their plans for the space.
By Kenneth Lee Sands
When the Utah State Prison was built in 1951, Draper was a remote and rural community perfectly suited for the location of a prison. Draper has since grown to over 44,000 residents and is home to a burgeoning high-tech corridor. This, along with the fact that the aging prison is in need of modernization, has lead some (especially those in the state legislature) to wonder, “is it time for a relocation?”
Why the Relocation?
The idea to relocate the prison is not new. In fact, the idea to relocate the prison has cropped up more than a few times over the past 15 or so years. The reasoning for moving the prison has always been to open up the space to new private development. Proponents have argued that the tax dollars generated from businesses and homes in the new development will offset the cost of relocation. The argument this time is no different.
This Time, It’s (Probably) For Real
Motions to relocate the prison have failed in the past mostly due to concerns (and commissioned reports showing) that the financial benefits would not outweigh the cost of moving. This time around, however, new developments seem to indicate that a move is very likely.
In 2011, for example, Utah passed the Prison Relocation and Development Authority Act. Since then, a Prison Relocation Authority and Development Committee has been formed, and new reports have been commissioned. The most recent report presented to the committee indicates that the cost of not relocating is nearing the cost of moving to a new site. The commission has also announced that it is moving forward with its plans to identify new potential sites for the prison. Lastly, the Utah State Legislature has indicated its preliminary support for the relocation when it passed a resolution back in February.
Development Plans Already Hatched
Even though the prison relocation is still about a year away from final approval, it hasn’t stopped Draper city officials from announcing their plans for the space. As first reported by the Deseret News, “The potential development proposed by Draper includes 105 acres of open space, more than 5,000 high- and medium-density residential units, and nearly 9 million square feet of office space in addition to retail, research and development and other uses.”
In addition to announcing the plans, city officials also hired a firm to develop renderings of what the new “tech center” might look like.
What’s Next?
After determining a new site for the prison, the next step would be to determine exactly what happens to the state-owned property the prison currently resides on. Options range from selling the property outright to private companies as undeveloped land, or to spend money developing it into something like what Draper imagines first, and then selling. Lastly, there is also the possibility that the state balks on the relocation altogether, and instead spends money to repair and upgrade the facility.
Published 6/24/2014
