Lehi project shares the Gehry 'look'

"These projects are all large-scale developments with a mixed-use program that are meant to transform urban areas, or a suburban area, in the case of Lehi, and to connect existing neighborhoods," Salette said.

The Grand Avenue concept was hatched in 2000 through a collaborative effort between the public Grand Avenue Committee and private developers— and before Gehry was involved, according to a spokesperson for The Related Cos.

A master plan for Grand Avenue was approved in 2005, and on Feb. 13, the Los Angeles City Council gave the project a final green light.

Atlantic Yards was announced in December 2003, the result of years of discussion on how to address New York's housing crisis, according to a spokesman for Forest City Ratner Companies.

Both of the developments will be the biggest in the history of their respective cities, according to representatives of the companies.

Forest City Ratner representatives didn't know much about the proposed Lehi project, but, "That sounds familiar," was the response of a spokesman who heard a few of the development's key aspects.

"There definitely are some parallels there," Andersen said, referring to the Atlantic Yards project. "But I don't believe it will look like the Brooklyn (project). Even with the setting, in Brooklyn, the arena is much further out of the ground than he has here (in Lehi). The way that the hotel connects to the arena is completely different. If you look at the layouts of what they're planning in Brooklyn and what they're planning here, the layouts don't look anything alike."

Andersen said his project idea evolved around wanting to build a basketball arena to house his professional D-League basketball team. He also wanted to build a five-star hotel, and to Andersen, the residential component was a natural addition to make the project more financially stable.

"Residential (construc- tion), especially in Utah, is the one thing you know that can succeed," Andersen said. "It's something you can hang your hat on to say we know this will fill in the rest."

Once Andersen decided housing was crucial to the project, mixed-use retail space was another obvious necessity to balance the development and add financial support. The wakeboarding park serves as a secondary irrigation reservoir for Lehi, and Andersen says he always wanted to create a development that would foster an active lifestyle.

"I think if there's a message there, it's that people are looking for more than just living in a community that has a swimming pool," Andersen said. "People are looking for amenities that support their lifestyles, and one such amenity would be one where sporting events and concerts could be held where they're within walking distance of people's homes."