More rail for Salt Lake City

[thelakelander]

Salt Lake City just broke ground on their second commuter rail line.

Ground broken for Utah Co. FrontRunner

LEHI — A large group of citizens and public officials turned out Tuesday afternoon for a groundbreaking ceremony for the FrontRunner South commuter rail line.
The ceremony was held at 3100 N. Garden Drive, near Thanksgiving Point, which will be the site of the future Lehi Station and park-and-ride facility.

In 2006 Utah County residents voted to increase their sales tax by a quarter-cent in order to accelerate the work, which was originally in the Wasatch Front Regional Council's 2030 plan.

James Simpson, administrator for the Federal Transit Administration, was on hand and spent his morning riding the FrontRunner North and looking at other projects planned by UTA before he explained to the crowd in Lehi why it is not common for him to attend a groundbreaking like this.

In normal circumstances, a groundbreaking would only take place after funding was in place from the federal government. But when UTA told the FTA more than a year ago that they wanted to do five different projects, nearly all at the same time in order to be more efficient, people in Washington were excited about progressive thinking on a local level.

"We believe in it. I will tell you why," said Simpson. "One thing the Bush administration is known for is entrepreneurialism and thinking outside of the box. You can't go to the federal government to find the answers, you have to find the answers locally, and Utah does that."

full article: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,700250384,00.html?linkTrack=rotator-cvr-7006

[thelakelander]

Another TOD for Salt Lake City's new commuter rail line, also underway.

FARMINGTON — So what if the earth movers, graders, steamrollers and front-end loaders jumped the gun by a week? It's about time that developers officially began work on Station Park, a mixed-use development on 62 acres right next to Farmington's FrontRunner station.
Wednesday, while the yellow machines worked, officials and business leaders gathered for an official groundbreaking ceremony.

Developer Rich Haws began buying land in 1996 to build what's known as a transit-oriented development, or TOD.

TODs are popular because they give commuters a chance to spend money as soon as they get off of a train or other mode of transit. It's the same reason gas stations like to locate next to freeway offramps.

...Once complete, the $200 million-plus center will include a 130-room, six-story hotel, about 60 shops and 10 to 15 restaurants.

So far, the preliminary tenant list for Station Park is impressive, especially for Farmington: a 16-screen Cinemark movie theater, Best Buy, Barnes and Noble, J.C. Penney, Ross, Staples, Petco, Lane Bryant, Sports Authority and Bed, Bath and Beyond, all within walking distance of the FrontRunner parking lot.

full article: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,700250697,00.html