Work is once again progressing on a high-end retail development to center around a commuter-rail station in the southwest corner of Farmington in Davis County.

Station Park would add close to 1 million square feet of retail space to Farmington — more than doubling what the city already has.

Earlier this month, city officials signed off on a development agreement to allow a new owner to purchase the land where Station Park is to be built. The purchase should be completed by May, and work on roads and utilities within the project is likely to begin this fall, said Fred Bruning, president of CenterCal Properties.

The project is scheduled to be done sometime in 2009. When finished, Bruning anticipates that Station Park will become a destination point for shoppers in Davis County. The development is to have a mixture of small and large shops, housing and office spaces — similar to the Gateway mall in downtown Salt Lake City.

"The quality of what we build is a lot better than what exists there in Davis County," Bruning said in an interview Friday. "What you have is a lot of K-Marts. It's not quality in terms of the architecture and tenant mix."

The Station Park project aims to be pedestrian-friendly and have a good mix of shopping, housing and office space. The development also will be accessible by commuter rail.

The Utah Transit Authority is currently building a commuter-rail line from Salt Lake City to Pleasant View in Weber County. The line, and the stations, are expected to be finished in 2008.

Last summer, Farmington developer Rich Haws, the present owner of Station Park, decided to sell his development concept and several dozen acres planned for Station Park to CenterCal Properties. Before CenterCal agreed to purchase the land, however, it had to work out several issues with the development agreement for Station Park.

Top issues with the plan involved how to manage traffic in the area and provide access to Station Park. Farmington Mayor Scott Harbertson said Friday that he was pleased with the agreement, although he admitted that the city was stepping into new territory in terms of the scope and size of the development.

"This is the first time we've ever done anything like this," Harbertson said. "It's kind of a leap of faith, and you have to give a little latitude to the developer to build a project it feels is successful."

CenterCal Properties has worked on several large developments, including Jordan Landing in West Jordan. It has also done projects in California and Oregon that are centered around mass transit, similar to Station Park.

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E-mail: nwarburton@desnews.com