"The state has had a significant contribution in developing transportation," he said. "If we don't have infrastructure, we can't have economic development. We will continue to address the infrastructure issue in the upcoming legislative session."

Some Lehi residents have expressed frustration with the speed and type of development that has taken place in and around Traverse Mountain.

Ivory Ridge, located just to the north of Traverse Mountain, has been a particularly thorny issue.

Forest City pointed to a number of figures that made the area far too lucrative to leave undeveloped.

American Metro Studies, a national market research group that specializes in real estate, said the average annual household income within a 15-mile radius of The Terrace was nearly $87,000 last year and is projected to increase to $93,000 by the time the development opens in 2009. Population in that same area is projected to grow from 559,000 to 613,000 in the same time period.

But Macken said his company is looking far beyond that 15-mile radius. As presently planned, the Utah County light-rail project will run a train line right through The Terrace, and Macken said he hopes that will turn the development into a regional destination.

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E-mail: jtwitchell@desnews.com