Farmington project to break ground

FARMINGTON — When you leave FrontRunner at its Farmington station, you don't have a lot of options. There's Lagoon, reachable by shuttle. And within walking distance are the Davis County Jail and 2nd District Court.

But if you need to do some shopping or watch a movie, you have to go to another city.

Station Park aims to change that.

CenterCal Properties, developer of Station Park, plans to break ground on the 62-acre site of the mixed-use development Aug. 13. The company's vice president of development, Craig Trottier, said he expects Station Park's grand opening in spring 2010.

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

CenterCal is in negotiations with other retail and restaurant tenants, some of whom will be new to Utah, Trottier said. The economy is making it challenging, since many companies have scaled back expansion plans, but the Station Park amenities are helping CenterCal continue to sign new deals.

"This is where they want to be," he said.

There will also be office space leased in the center. And once complete, the $200 million-plus center will include a 130-room, six-story hotel, about 60 shops and 10 to 15 restaurants.

Farmington Mayor Scott Harbertson said he's impressed with the scale model of the village area CenterCal showed the City Council, and he's impressed with what CenterCal could accomplish for the city.

Station Park's location will contribute to its success, Harbertson said, because it's located where I-15, Legacy Parkway, U.S. Highway 89 and FrontRunner come together.

Harbertson acknowledged that the Park Lane interchange will see increased pressure with more traffic heading to Farmington, but traffic studies show that the interchange can handle the increase.

And even though Farmington will change, the downtown features of Farmington — City Hall, the Davis County Memorial Courthouse, Davis School District and historic homes on the city's east side — won't change in look or feel.

Homes on the city's west side could see some impact with traffic increases, but Eric Huber, who lives about a mile west of Station Park, chose his location in Farmington specifically because of what Station Park and FrontRunner offer. He's far enough away to not be impacted by the traffic but still close enough to walk to the movies.

Cheralyn Creer, who lives a block closer to Station Park than Huber, said she's excited to shop closer to home.

Trottier said CenterCal is pursuing the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED certification for its buildings to verify they are environmentally responsible, profitable and a healthy place to work. It's also trying to create a downtown village atmosphere similar to what people find in Salt Lake's Gateway shopping mall, with fountains, trees, outdoor dining and performance areas.

But Station Park will outdo The Gateway in features, design elements and atmosphere, Trottier said.

"Nothing in Utah even comes close to it," he said.

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E-mail: jdougherty@desnews.com

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