Phase one of The Point, initiated on June 29, spurs a period of visible growth for the development and ushers in a major change in the landscape for Utahns passing by on I-15.

"Within the next 30 days, people will begin to see substantial activity across the site," said Kip Wadsworth, the Wadsworth Development Group's CEO. "What starts here, now, will set the standard for how the district grows over time, with room for housing, jobs, retail, restaurants, entertainment, healthcare, innovation, parks, trails and public gathering places."

In attendance at the groundbreaking for phase one were Wadsworth, Draper City Mayor Troy Walker, University of Utah Health and University of Utah Health Sciences Executive Vice President Dr. Bob Carter, Mountain America Credit Union President and CEO Sterling Nielsen, Speaker of the Utah House Mike Schultz, President of the Utah Senate J. Stuart Adams, and Gov. Spencer Cox.

The Point is structured as a public–private partnership in which Utah taxpayers retain ownership of the land while collecting long-term lease payments, with $165 million in state investment leveraging $2.3 billion in private capital.

Partners of the phase one build include Lincoln Property Co., Colmena Group and Wadsworth Development Group.

Phase one will cultivate 100 acres of the 600-acre planned project as its downtown district, including the following:

• Mountain America Event Center, a 5,200-seat multipurpose event center said to be "the largest of its kind in the South Salt Lake Valley."

• Chroma, a Class A, 363-unit multifamily residential complex built over 42,000 square feet of retail space.

• The Promenade, a 2,000-foot walkable "people-focused main street" and heart of the development's downtown.

• University of Utah healthcare campus, a 46-acre healthcare campus focused on specialized, research-informed care.

The University of Utah also announced at the event that it will serve as the official healthcare sponsor of The Point. Carter said the partnership will help connect a growing statewide network of facilities.

"Our Eccles Health Campus in West Valley is well underway. Our comprehensive cancer center in Vineyard is going up, and now U Health at The Point will serve as a link and an anchor to this new connected network, so that no matter where you live in Utah, you can have access to the world-class care that we're known for."

The full build-out of the project is estimated to support 46,000 jobs when completed.

Eighteen months after the dedication of Porter Rockwell Boulevard, Schultz said "the foundation has been laid, literally and metaphorically" for this first phase, including several big moves like:

- 17,000 feet of sewer. - 31,000 feet of storm drain infrastructure. - 36,000 feet of water and irrigation lines. - 54,000 feet of power conduit. - 30,000 feet of communications infrastructure.

"This is so much bigger than just building some retail stores and some places for people to live," Cox said. "This is thinking about the best of Utah and how we can move that forward for future generations."

"We've been building underground for a long time, putting the infrastructure in, and now we get to go vertical."

For more information, visit thepointutah.org.

Mountain America Credit Union secures naming rights for The Point event center

Mountain America Credit Union has secured naming rights for a new event center that will be part of phase one at The Point.

"It's located perfectly: right in Salt Lake County, right next to Utah County — vibrant communities that are really going to enjoy the concerts, family events and community events at Mountain America," said Sterling Nielsen, Mountain America Credit Union's president and CEO.

The event center will host a variety of events, including concerts, family and community events, as well as financial education programming and support for entrepreneurs. Leaders repeatedly framed The Point as a once-in-a-lifetime chance to build a community "for our kids and our grandkids."