A 5,000-seat entertainment venue, 363 apartments and a walkable shopping street are rising on the old prison site in Draper, and the state wants developers to build 900 more homes nearby.

The Point of the Mountain Land Authority broke ground Monday, June 29, on the first major buildings at The Point, the 600-acre redevelopment along Interstate 15 that state officials call Utah's largest public project in history. Don Willie, The Point's director of operations, said half the developable public land is now spoken for.

"This is a big step for us," Willie told the Salt Lake Tribune. "It demonstrates the momentum that's building, and will continue to build as we get Phase 1 more activated."

What's going up

Phase 1 covers 104 acres of The Point's downtown core. Three projects launched simultaneously:

• Mountain America Event Center — a 5,000-seat venue for concerts, sporting events and family shows, managed by Colorado-based Oak View Group. Mountain America Credit Union, headquartered in Sandy, holds the naming rights.
• A 363-unit apartment complex with ground-floor retail. Approximately 45 units will carry subsidized rents for households earning 60% to 80% of area median income, according to state Rep. Jordan Teuscher, co-chair of the land authority.
• The Promenade — a 2,000-foot pedestrian street billed as the development's "social heart," with dining, shopping and gathering spaces.

The University of Utah also approved spending $43.5 million in June to purchase 46 acres at The Point for a 200,000-square-foot medical facility, part of a campus planned over the next five to 10 years.

900 homes in the River District

Separately, the land authority issued a request for qualifications seeking private builders to construct up to 900 for-sale homes on 50 acres in The Point's future River District. The homes will be a mix of single-family houses, townhomes and condominiums at market-rate prices.

Teuscher was blunt about pricing. "This is not an affordable project," he said. "But what we believe is that by increasing the housing stock generally, that leads to more affordability across the state."

The housing push was not part of The Point's original plan. Teuscher said it responds to Utah's statewide shortage of for-sale homes as the state's population grows. Draper Mayor Troy Walker, a land authority member, said the River District will add "much-needed housing to the region" while creating walkable, connected neighborhoods.

In December 2025, Walker told the Draper Journal he expected the development to boost local property values. "When The Point comes online, I believe it's going to make our property values go even higher," he said at the time. Draper's median home price reached $1 million as of August 2025, according to the Salt Lake Board of Realtors.

What's next

The land authority plans to select one or more River District developers by the end of 2026, with construction targeted for spring 2028. Porter Rockwell Boulevard, the main road into The Point, is expected to be completed later in 2026, according to the land authority, with adjacent roads finished by summer 2027.

The state has invested $165 million in Legislature-financed loans for roads, sewer, electricity and broadband at the site. Infrastructure work began in early 2025.