Provo MSA Development Thread

[delts145]

Jive set to jump to new HQ, add 200 employees

By Art Raymond - Deseret News - http://www.deseretnews.com/article/8...employees.html

OREM — Utah cloud communications company Jive managed to keep some big news under wraps until its annual employee
appreciation gathering at Snowbird last weekend, where it announced a new headquarters that's already under construction in Utah County.

Since 2006, Jive has been building market presence, offering high-tech, cloud-based business telephone, conferencing
and contact-management services, growing from just a handful of founders 11 years ago to over 500 employees now.

That growth, which compelled the company to spread its staff around five Utah offices, will be accommodated much better in a new, 52,000-square-foot facility in Pleasant Grove.
And, the company is in the midst of adding 200 additional employees this year as its success, and expansion, continues...



A rendering of Jive Communication's new headquarters in Pleasant Grove. The 11-year-old Utah company, which specializes in cloud-based business communication tools, is adding 200 employees this year. The new building, currently under construction, will be ready in spring, 2018.

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[JMK]

Software giant Adobe to build new facility, double Utah workforce

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/8...workforce.html

Software giant Adobe Inc. will substantially expand its Utah presence, announcing plans Thursday to build a new $90 million facility and add almost 1,300 employees at its Lehi campus.

The news was revealed at the Governor’s Office of Economic Development board meeting where the agency also detailed a tax incentive package for the San Jose, California-based company best known for its suite of creative digital tools.

The 20-year deal grants Adobe $25.8 million in tax breaks on a projected $2.3 billion in new state wages and $85.8 million in corporate, payroll and sales taxes over that time.

The new project will complement the four-story, 280,000-square-foot building the company completed in 2012 for $107 million. The original facility, designed by San Francisco architecture firm WRNS Studio and perched on a hill just east of I-15 near Thanksgiving Point, hosts about 1,200 employees from Adobe’s digital marketing unit.

[Makid]

Originally Posted by JMK

Software giant Adobe to build new facility, double Utah workforce

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/8...workforce.html

I think this is going to force the need for Trax to extend to Lehi sooner.

Also, I think that Phase 3 of their campus may wait for Trax. At 1 point, Phase 3 was going to be roughly the same size as Phase 1 and Phase 2 combined.

There isn't really any way possible that Phase 3 can happen without additional transit options to the area. Adding another 2 to 3 thousand people right there is going to stop the roads and further clog the highway. Dedicated bus lanes from FrontRunner to Adobe and the other campuses (doubtful to happen) or getting Trax there quicker and increase bus service around the campuses (more likely to happen) is the only thing that will prevent total gridlock in the area in the next 3 to 5 years.

I would love to see better bus service between Frontrunner and the tech campuses but I don't think it would do much good with the roads already at the breaking point and this is going to push it over the edge. Trax is really the only thing that can help since it is on the East side of I-15.

I do think that the case can be made to extend Trax further South but just doing Lehi can help some of the car traffic from the North (where Frontrunner won't due to bus/shuttle connections).

[billbillbillbill]

Originally Posted by Makid

I think this is going to force the need for Trax to extend to Lehi sooner.

Also, I think that Phase 3 of their campus may wait for Trax. At 1 point, Phase 3 was going to be roughly the same size as Phase 1 and Phase 2 combined.

There isn't really any way possible that Phase 3 can happen without additional transit options to the area. Adding another 2 to 3 thousand people right there is going to stop the roads and further clog the highway. Dedicated bus lanes from FrontRunner to Adobe and the other campuses (doubtful to happen) or getting Trax there quicker and increase bus service around the campuses (more likely to happen) is the only thing that will prevent total gridlock in the area in the next 3 to 5 years.

I would love to see better bus service between Frontrunner and the tech campuses but I don't think it would do much good with the roads already at the breaking point and this is going to push it over the edge. Trax is really the only thing that can help since it is on the East side of I-15.

I do think that the case can be made to extend Trax further South but just doing Lehi can help some of the car traffic from the North (where Frontrunner won't due to bus/shuttle connections).

I assume the fast-tracking of I-15 rebuild in Lehi helped with the timing of this expansion. I assume they will be done around the same time.

I definitely agree that transit needs to happen but really have a hard time believing that connecting the blue line is the answer. That bump into Draper is a big time waster for those who live north. I see trax in Utah County and better tie ins to the frontrunner station a better use of money.

[Hatman]

The most interesting thing about this TRAX line is how much of it is already built. Following the route in Google Maps, I'm impressed that ALL the major bridges (one of the most expensive parts) are already built. Here is a picture from the linked article showing one of the bridges in the background:


Without knowing that bridge was built specifically for TRAX, it would pose quite the fun puzzle to an inquisitive engineer: Old rail line, rusted rails, rotting ties, but what's this? A double-tracked bridge? with fresh ballast? With rails clipped directly the the concrete bridge deck? Built for higher speeds? What is this?

And there are FIVE such bridges along the line already. Not a single one still needs to be built. It's amazing how much funding we give to road projects, so much that all of these expensive structure fit into the category of remediation for new road construction. And until TRAX comes along, all these nice bridges will just sit empty, depreciating.

Another thought on TRAX; I was driving (or rather, getting a ride) through 'downtown' American Fork the other day, and I was surprised by how much urban potential the place has. All the nice old buildings, all the nice small blocks, all the open lots ready for denser developments... It has the potential to be really great. And it's only 6.5 miles farther down the old rail line than the future Adobe station. I had thought for a long while that the Utah County portion of the TRAX blue line would be sort of an over-extension, pushing higher density transit into suburban exurbs where no one would use it. I've reversed that. TRAX will be a great fit in Utah County, and needs to be built sooner, rather than later.

[ThePusherMan]

Shouldn't Trax be focusing it's efforts downtown? I'm all about expansion but at what point does our light rail just become a commuter rail and at that point what purpose does Frontrunner serve?

[Hatman]

Originally Posted by ThePusherMan

Shouldn't Trax be focusing it's efforts downtown?

In an ideal world, yes. But that's not the situation we're in. Funding for TRAX comes from UTA and the State, which get their funding sources from many different parties. If UTA were to show a preference for just one city - Salt Lake City's downtown specifically - there would be political problems. So funding tends to get spread around equally so that everyone feels like they got treated fairly. This results in inefficient funding distribution, development, and sprawl.

What we need is local commitments to transit in addition to regional ones. Our regional rail system is pretty good - you can get downtown in many different ways. But TRAX is only moderately useful in getting around downtown because there is no downtown-specific funding mechanism in place. There's been recent talk of creating a Salt Lake City-specific transit agency to run intra-city transit lines. At least this is a recognition of the problem, though I think that new enthusiasm would be better spent in cooperation with UTA, rather than in succession from it.

I'm all about expansion but at what point does our light rail just become a commuter rail and at that point what purpose does Frontrunner serve?

I like to imagine FrontRunner as the 'express' and Trax as the 'local.' Or perhaps imagine FrontRunner as I-15 and Trax as State Street. The two systems are different enough to complement each other.
Suppose TRAX does make it to American Fork. You'd be very silly to ride TRAX from American Fork all the way into downtown - that would take at least two hours. FrontRunner can get you there in 45 minutes (hopefully faster by the time TRAX gets to American Fork!). But say you wanted to get to Lehi and the Adobe area. You'd be pretty silly to take FrontRunner for just one stop, then transfer to a bus or whatever. FrontRunner stops way too infrequently to be useful for short trips - but TRAX would be a great way to get from AF to Lehi.

Promoting urban growth is another important consideration. If you want an area to develop density, you need to create access to it first. Otherwise you get problems like they have in Lehi right now - gridlock. Also, you're not going to get many developers to build high density projects near a future TRAX line, but you can get quite a few to do just that near an active TRAX line. I wish that transit could exist for good transit's sake alone, but that's not the only reason that transit gets built.

[bob rulz]

So would a TRAX extension also connect to the Lehi FrontRunner station, or at least stop parallel to it? That would have the potential to turn Lehi into at least a decent transit hub as well. I agree with extending TRAX into Lehi, simply because it's growing so fast and is becoming such a major business hub that they need to start getting better transit into there fast. That said, I would like to see Salt Lake City get some more attention as well.

What I would ideally hope for is a major UTA funding bill that would fund a TRAX Lehi extension, downtown connector, the Sugarhouse streetcar extension, full double-tracking of FrontRunner and the S-Line, a few BRT lines, more high frequency bus routes, and later service...hey, let me dream!

Later service and more high-frequency bus routes are the top priority though, honestly. Would also love to see the Black Line. But maybe the next UTA funding bill could have a Lehi extension AND SLC improvements so that both ends can be placated?

[ThePusherMan]

Originally Posted by bob rulz

What I would ideally hope for is a major UTA funding bill that would fund a TRAX Lehi extension, downtown connector, the Sugarhouse streetcar extension, full double-tracking of FrontRunner and the S-Line, a few BRT lines, more high frequency bus routes, and later service...hey, let me dream!

I want to live in this future!

[TonyAnderson]

Originally Posted by billbillbillbill

I assume the fast-tracking of I-15 rebuild in Lehi helped with the timing of this expansion. I assume they will be done around the same time.

I definitely agree that transit needs to happen but really have a hard time believing that connecting the blue line is the answer. That bump into Draper is a big time waster for those who live north. I see trax in Utah County and better tie ins to the frontrunner station a better use of money.

Definitely. I don't see the point in freeway, FrontRunner, and Trax all basically running parallel to each other for 5-10 miles or so to get around the point of the mountain. Utah County should just build its own Trax central station and expand from there as they wish.

[Liberty Wellsian]

Originally Posted by Hatman

Another thought on TRAX; I was driving (or rather, getting a ride) through 'downtown' American Fork the other day, and I was surprised by how much urban potential the place has. All the nice old buildings, all the nice small blocks, all the open lots ready for denser developments... It has the potential to be really great. And it's only 6.5 miles farther down the old rail line than the future Adobe station. I had thought for a long while that the Utah County portion of the TRAX blue line would be sort of an over-extension, pushing higher density transit into suburban exurbs where no one would use it. I've reversed that. TRAX will be a great fit in Utah County, and needs to be built sooner, rather than later.

Opportunity to repost this


Rough plan for downtown American Fork



Green-BRT from AF Frontrunner to Orem Frontrunner via state and University Prkwy. This line's scheddule should be synchronized with the AF FR station. In AF it is the only line while in Orem, on University Prkwy, it would be a second line.

Red-Af city hall and the post office both move to the historic school with the post office occupying most of the ground floor. AF City hall entrance will be to the east and PO to the west. The small building on the west of the complex is demolished to make way for a drive thru mail drop and 30 min parking. The current post office would be sold and redeveloped. The current city hall would become office space.

Purple- Multi family Residential 35

Blue- Fire and Ambulence are moved to a new location and this lot is zoned as CCD and sold. One poteential new location for FD is the parking lot south of the Rec center.

Yellow- Continue 30N through both blocks. Rezone as RMU with the area west of Grant allowing up to 100 feet and 60 feet for the east. Limit building footprint to 200'x200'

White- Historic Commercial. Design review required with a preference for 1 to 3 story masonry.

[jtrent77]

Originally Posted by TonyAnderson

Definitely. I don't see the point in freeway, FrontRunner, and Trax all basically running parallel to each other for 5-10 miles or so to get around the point of the mountain. Utah County should just build its own Trax central station and expand from there as they wish.

We've discussed this before, it is cheaper to extend a line and to build off of that, then to build an entirely brand new line out of "nothing." The blue line might be the only connection to SLC and perhaps they'll use it to build a central in Utah Valley and be super awesome and maybe abandon the connection between Draper and Lehi, but for not it is far cheaper to build off of existing.

[Liberty Wellsian]

Originally Posted by jtrent77

We've discussed this before, it is cheaper to extend a line and to build off of that, then to build an entirely brand new line out of "nothing." The blue line might be the only connection to SLC and perhaps they'll use it to build a central in Utah Valley and be super awesome and maybe abandon the connection between Draper and Lehi, but for not it is far cheaper to build off of existing.

They shouldn't do either right now. Utah County does not have the density or the funding for light rail (they pay less sales tax to UTA than SL &Davis counties). Utah County would be served much better by BRT than light rail.

After the Provo/Orem BRT is finished UTA should focus on expanding and perfecting BRT service not just in Utah County but salt lake, Davis, and Weber as well. When and if a line needs higher capacity vehicles and has funding available then rail can be laid.

[Hatman]

Originally Posted by Liberty Wellsian

Opportunity to repost this


Rough plan for downtown American Fork



Green-BRT from AF Frontrunner to Orem Frontrunner via state and University Prkwy. This line's scheddule should be synchronized with the AF FR station. In AF it is the only line while in Orem, on University Prkwy, it would be a second line.

Red-Af city hall and the post office both move to the historic school with the post office occupying most of the ground floor. AF City hall entrance will be to the east and PO to the west. The small building on the west of the complex is demolished to make way for a drive thru mail drop and 30 min parking. The current post office would be sold and redeveloped. The current city hall would become office space.

Purple- Multi family Residential 35

Blue- Fire and Ambulence are moved to a new location and this lot is zoned as CCD and sold. One poteential new location for FD is the parking lot south of the Rec center.

Yellow- Continue 30N through both blocks. Rezone as RMU with the area west of Grant allowing up to 100 feet and 60 feet for the east. Limit building footprint to 200'x200'

White- Historic Commercial. Design review required with a preference for 1 to 3 story masonry.

I love it. Now, just imagine adding in a TRAX station in the mix as well. It would probably fit best directly north of the District Court building. Then the BRT could make a quick loop around that block to meet TRAX, just like MAX does at the West Valley Central Station. You could increase the density of that old downtown up to 11.

I like the idea of working on a State Street BRT next, after the Provo-Orem line is done. The TRAX extension into Utah County is more politically motivated than anything, so it will happen on its own. (It makes sense in the long term, but in the short term it will be a hard sell.) It would be pretty perfect if the State Street BRT could go as far north as the American Fork FrontRunner station, and meet with an extended TRAX line in old downtown American Fork.

What other BRT lines are possible in Utah County? After building State Street to American Fork, perhaps the next logical thing would be extend TRAX from Adobe to American Fork?

[TonyAnderson]

Interesting read into the suburban office parks and their explosion in Utah Valley.

http://www.utahbusiness.com/turning-...b-draper-lehi/

[i-215]

I like the AF design, though it seems a waste to run center-run TRAX when there is a perfectly good rail line (which UTA owns, I believe) along Pacific.

[JMK]

St. John Properties Breaks Ground on Master Development in Pleasant Grove

http://www.utahbusiness.com/st-john-...leasant-grove/

Pleasant Grove—In business, as in life, time and cultivation leads to growth. That was the theme of St. John Properties’ groundbreaking for its new master-planned development in Pleasant Grove on Tuesday. The 62-acre development, Valley Grove, will include 1 million square feet of office, retail, restaurant and hospitality space, all centered around Pleasant Grove Blvd. near the I-15 interchange.

Daniel Thomas, regional partner with St. John Properties, said the company is anxious to see its vision for Valley Grove fulfilled. But just as a young sapling needs time and care in order to grow into a mature tree, he said, real estate development requires the patient, long-term execution of plans.

Valley Grove is intended to capitalize on the population and economic growth taking place in Utah County. Thomas said St. John Properties is “on a quest to grow Valley Grove into the epicenter of Utah County.”

Gov. Gary Herbert, who spoke at the groundbreaking, said the state demographer recently reported a likely population explosion in the area.

“Utah County is growing so rapidly that in the next four years, the population of Salt Lake County, which is now 1.1 million, and Utah County, which is about 600,000, will be equal,” Herbert said.

In addition to a great deal of residential construction in the area, Utah’s thriving Silicon Slopes tech community is driving a lot of growth in north Utah County. Instructure, for example, will be among the first tenants of Valley Grove. The firm will move 250 of its employees into a new corporate headquarters there. Other tech companies that already lease space at Valley Grove include Whistic, optionsANIMAL and Fortem Technologies.

Andrew Smith, CEO of Four Foods Group, said his restaurant franchise company plans to create a flagship restaurant at Valley Grove, adding it will be one of the largest restaurants Four Foods Group has in its portfolio. The company owns and operates 107 restaurants across the country, with brands including Kneaders, R&R Barbeque and Mo’ Bettah Steaks.

“When we looked at the development that St. John put together, we were ecstatic,” said Smith. “We’re excited about putting our foothold in the area.”

At the groundbreaking event, Brandon Fugal, chairman of Coldwell Banker Commercial Advisors, announced the brokerage will move its Utah County headquarters to Valley Grove.

“We have been very proud to be a partner with St. John as the brokerage and marketing end of things, and really spearheading a lot of this incredible Class A development and retail development and amenities that will transform this interchange and, frankly, set a new tone for Utah County in general,” he said.

At full build-out, Valley Grove is expected to host more than 7,000 employees in its four office towers and other office pads. St. John Properties has committed to planting more than 2,000 trees throughout the development, and the office towers will be LEED certified.

St. John Properties is headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland. The real estate investment company holds $2.5 billion worth of assets, including 18 million square feet of commercial real estate, according to president Lawrence Maykrantz. Valley Grove represents its entrance into the Utah market.

[Liberty Wellsian]

Originally Posted by Hatman

What other BRT lines are possible in Utah County? After building State Street to American Fork, perhaps the next logical thing would be extend TRAX from Adobe to American Fork?

I would extend the existing lines one long distance stop to an exurbs park and ride. The AF Frontrunner brt could add an express leg from a park and ride at the crossroads in Lehi(Redwood road) to the AF frontrunner/brt transfer station. I'm less familiar with SF, Mapleton, Payson but the same thing could be done with the Provo-Orem brt.

Originally Posted by i-215

I like the AF design, though it seems a waste to run center-run TRAX when there is a perfectly good rail line (which UTA owns, I believe) along Pacific.

BRT not trax. Even with the existing rail, brt on state would be cheaper than the Trax line on Pacific Ave. If you did both lines they actually would serve different areas for most of the trip and would function differently. They would be complimentary not in conflict. If we had to choose one I would choose the state brt as I think there is more opportunity along state than that rail line with better connections and it would be less expensive.

[i-215]

Originally Posted by Liberty Wellsian

BRT not trax. Even with the existing rail, brt on state would be cheaper than the Trax line on Pacific Ave. If you did both lines they actually would serve different areas

Gotcha.

[Orlando]

Originally Posted by TonyAnderson

Interesting read into the suburban office parks and their explosion in Utah Valley.

http://www.utahbusiness.com/turning-...b-draper-lehi/

“We’ve seen great expansion in Draper and Lehi and now everyone is asking, ‘What’s the next boom marketplace for Utah?’” Rossi says. He expects the commercial construction will follow the residential growth in Saratoga Springs and the 2100 North area of Lehi.

C'mon people don't fall the 'sprawlsalot' attitude.