Neighboring Draper would gladly take it - it's working with a developer on a possible station - but the city might not even get a stop. In February, Bluffdale's City Council voted 3-2 to block the Utah Transit Authority from building a commuter-rail stop at 14200 South along an existing Union Pacific rail line. The majority worried the train would bring traffic and other unwanted growth to the semi-rural city of 7,000 people.

But state lawmakers passed a bill that allows UTA to bypass city ordinances and route FrontRunner where it pleases.

For now, UTA has expressed its preference for the Bluffdale stop and has huddled with city officials to discuss their concerns. But agency spokeswoman Carrie Bohnsack-Ware said Wednesday that a Draper station remains on the table.

FrontRunner launched daily service this week from Ogden to Salt Lake City, but it isn't expected to start running south to Provo until 2012 or 2013.

So Draper leaders are working with a developer on a transit-oriented project just north of Bangerter Highway in an effort to lure FrontRunner to their growing city of 37,000.

They argue a Draper route would better serve southern Salt Lake County, build the city's tax base and boost the value of the neighboring Utah State Prison site, which could bolster renewed efforts to push the penitentiary off the prime property.

"We'd pretty much create a new vision for the southwest side of Draper, including the prison land," Councilman Bill Colbert said. "This all fits together."

In a town hall meeting this week, Draper officials expressed interest in quickly inking a development deal and rezoning 140 acres near the Jordan River to allow transit-oriented construction - so long as FrontRunner comes.

Those moves would pave the way for the developer to build high-rises and dense housing - such as town homes, apartments and condos - provided UTA lands an attractive deal for a station on 5 to 10 acres.

"We're not going to ram anything through," Draper Mayor Darrell Smith vowed.

But at least one resident isn't so sure. Scott Cottis lives in the neighboring Galena Hills subdivision, which struggled for years to maintain a low-density feel near the Jordan. He fears high buildings and high densities would ruin views, home values and area amenities.

"This whole river corridor has been trashed, and now it's going to have a high-speed train and high-rises," said Cottis, noting that he and others already donated thousands of dollars toward a legal fight that forced the South Valley Sewer District to pursue a higher-tech and lower-impact treatment plant on the Jordan's banks.

"Why are [Draper officials] fighting so hard for this?" Cottis asked. "They want the money. This is shortsighted, bad planning."

sgehrke@sltrib.com