The Utah Transit Authority (UTA) in Salt Lake City broke ground March 21 at the site of the Kays Crossing transit-oriented development (TOD) in Layton. The location of this private multi-family development is immediately adjacent to a future FrontRunner commuter rail station.

When complete in approximately 12-14 months, Kays Crossing will offer 156 one- and two-bedroom units just north of the Layton FrontRunner Station platform. The TOD site, comprising approximately 2.75 acres, also includes two levels of covered parking (one underground) and 2,400 square feet of street-level retail.

UTA is one of several partners in the creation of Kays Crossing; the agency owned a portion of the land where the development will be located and worked with the developer, MV Properties, to finalize the reshaping of the property and land sale. Another participant in the process, the Layton City Redevelopment Agency, committed $750,000 in Redevelopment Housing Funds to assist in project financing and bring residential uses to historic downtown Layton.

“This is the first time UTA has been able to reconfigure a park-and-ride to allow a private developer to construct a TOD adjacent to a FrontRunner station and potentially increase UTA ridership,” said Christina Oliver, UTA’s TOD Department manager. “MV Properties and Layton City have focused on the transit accessibility of this site since the inception of this development plan. It has been an unprecedented partnership between public and private entities and now a true transit-oriented development will be constructed, the development which I believe will be a model for future endeavors along UTA’s transit corridors.”

UTA also plans for development of more locations similar to Kays Crossing along both its FrontRunner and TRAX light rail lines.

Breaking ground at the site of the future Kays Crossing TOD are, from left, Layton City Councilmembers Joyce Brown and Jory Francis; Jared Nielson, Kays Crossing developer and manager of MV Properties; Davis Chamber President Jim Smith; UTA General Manager Michael Allegra; Christopher M. Conabee, managing director, Governor’s Office of Economic Development; Councilmembers Scott Freitag and Mike Bouwhuis; and Zions Bank representatives Matthew Marr, commercial loan officer; James Wakefield, senior real estate regional manager; and John Bergstedt, senior vice president.