Just as Utah’s largest public development in history finally starts to emerge from the ground, state officials are solidifying a major pivot toward adding more housing.

It’s taken more than 10 years to get ready for the latest phases of redevelopment at the old prison site at Point of The Mountain next to Interstate 15, known as The Point.

Now things are getting real.

The first substantial phase of actual buildings going vertical at the 600-acre swath in Draper launched in late June.

State dignitaries and business leaders held a groundbreaking that’s supposed to produce a flagship 5,000-seat entertainment venue, a 363-unit apartment complex with lots of ground-floor retail spaces, and a 2,000-foot pedestrian-friendly street called “The Promenade.”

The University of Utah also unveiled plans last month for building a 200,000-square-foot medical facility as part of a 46-acre medical campus at The Point, to go up over the next five to 10 years. As an initial step, the U.’s trustees have approved spending $43.5 million to buy that land.

Now, into that mix, the state’s Point of the Mountain Land Authority has issued a new request to private developers and homebuilders for their help in constructing up to 900 homes on 50 acres as part of The Point’s future River District.

“This is a big step for us,” said Don Willie, The Point’s director of operations, who added that half of the developable public land at the former prison site is now spoken for.

“It demonstrates the momentum that’s building,” Willie said, “and will continue to build as we get Phase 1 more activated.”

As other pieces of The Point’s 104-acre downtown core start to take shape, the land authority said last week it hopes to fast-track a high-end residential neighborhood of single-family homes, town homes and condominiums designed for owner-occupants, so that the housing construction coincides with the launch of the mixed-use district now underway.

The authority says it will sift through applications from suitable developers and choose one or more by the end of 2026, with construction of The River District to start in spring of 2028.

‘Not an affordable project’

According Draper Mayor Troy Walker, a key member of the land authority, this housing foray will help strengthen the state’s high-stakes development at the prison site while also benefiting his own city’s future.

“The River District represents a significant opportunity to add much-needed housing to the region and welcome hundreds of new homeowners into Draper,” Walker said in a statement, “while creating neighborhoods that are walkable, connected and integrated throughout The Point.”

State officials, though, also acknowledge their latest hard push into new housing was not part of the original framework for The Point. The pivot comes in reaction, they say, to a statewide shortage in the supply of homes — for sale or otherwise — as Utah continues to add population.

What’s more, that mix of housing types at The River District is likely to be built at a higher density than, say, in South Jordan’s nearby Daybreak master-planned community — but don’t expect those new homes to be inexpensive.

“This is not an affordable project,” state Rep. Jordan Teuscher, who is co-chair of The Point’s governing land authority, said of the housing.

“But what we believe,” the South Jordan Republican added, “is that by increasing the housing stock generally, that leads to more affordability across the state.”

More than 10 years in the making

It’s been nearly 18 months since the state launched into using $165 million in Legislature-financed loans to flesh out road and backbone utility upgrades at The Point, including sewer, electricity and broadband.

That’s also involved work on a central segment of road into the area, called Porter Rockwell Boulevard. Launched in late 2024, that arterial is to be completed later this year, with adjacent roads to be done by summer 2027.

That roadwork and other crucial infrastructure has capped more than a decade of extensive public planning and preparation. The state’s chief partner in developing The Point — a consortium of Utah and out-of-state developers known as The Point Partners — launched into Phase 1 of The Point’s 104-acre downtown district at the June 29 groundbreaking.

That event also came with an announcement: Mountain America Credit Union, headquartered in Sandy, is the naming rights partner for the new entertainment venue, which will be the largest in that part of the Salt Lake Valley.

The Mountain America Event Center will host concerts, sporting events, family shows and other special events, its backers say. Colorado-based Oak View Group will manage the venue, which has been viewed by the authority as a critical catalyst to getting the rest of The Point off the ground.

And while The River District’s homes will be offered at whatever prices the market might bear, the apartment complex envisioned alongside the entertainment venue in Phase 1 will set aside roughly 415 of its units, Teuscher confirmed, for subsidized rents affordable to those making between 60% and 80% of the area’s median wages.

The Promenade, meanwhile, is being designed as a regional dining, shopping and gathering destination, with the state’s development partners calling it the “social heart” of The Point.

The U.’s health campus, adjacent to these Phase 1 elements, is now expected to give added lift to The Point’s additional long-term goal of having a healthcare innovation district that catalyzes regional employment and medical advances.

Utah’s slow-moving vision takes shape

These latest milestones, officials say, are starting to make real the state’s generational play to turn the prison site into a regional gathering place with jobs, shopping, eateries, entertainment, healthcare providers, a business innovation center and green gathering spaces.

The Point is also intended to create a long-term economic engine that benefits Utah taxpayers. But the new housing piece is a sign of the land authority reacting to current market conditions, particularly with its emphasis on ownership.

“We’re seeing a bunch of pressure — from my constituents and everyone across the state — saying we don’t want just places for our kids to live," Teuscher said. “We want places where our kids can buy a house, be invested in the system and become members of a community that you don’t necessarily get with apartments” and renting.

Officials at The Point also say that housing in the The River District will emphasize high-end architecture and offer “seamless” links to the development’s extensive network of parks and trails, as well as its emerging transit options, including a future FrontRunner station.

What it won’t be seeking is a quick profit. Given the nature of Utah’s investments at The Point, Teuscher added, officials can look at what’s best for the state long term, without an eye on immediate returns.

“We can play the long game,” he said.

Correction• July 16, 8:14 p.m.: This story was updated to correct the number of affordable rental units expected to be part of Phase 1 at The Point.