Open house on TRAX is 6 tonight

With a first court hearing on the horizon for a voter referendum over a TRAX line dispute, Draper is hosting an open house tonight to determine how residents would like their future transit-oriented city center to look.

The city envisions a mixed-use development behind the Intermountain Farmers Association grain mill off Pioneer Road (12400 South). The development would be near the planned Draper Center Platform light-rail stop. As for the mixture of office, retail and residential space that will be included, the city wants to hear from residents.

"We know the intensity of the area is likely to change because of TRAX, so we're asking people how they want to guide that," said Grant Crowell, Draper's planning director.

The light-rail stop could open within the next few years, rather than the 2015 deadline originally scheduled. UTA spokesman Chad Saley said that after a series of studies and designs are completed, construction on the line could begin in February 2009. Draper has been told the line could be complete by December 2010.

"We're looking at a potential 2009 start date," Saley said. "It could mean a lot for Draper in kind of revitalizing that area."

The city has hired engineering company Parsons Brinckerhoff, which is known for transit-oriented developments, to consult on the project.

The development would be the first of its kind for the city. But some residents do not want to see a TRAX line curve past City Hall and into low-density neighborhoods. On Tuesday, various property owners and stakeholders of the site met to discuss the development.

The TRAX line would run on former Union Pacific Railroad tracks that were purchased as a right-of-way by UTA in 1993. Opponents of that line include many neighbors who live along the rail corridor. They had pushed for an alternative route on State Street.

But after a year of studies, the Draper City Council voted unanimously last November for the Union Pacific route.

A grassroots group, Citizens for Responsible Transportation, formed in opposition to that decision and filed for a voter referendum request late last year. The group collected hundreds of signatures in a petition drive but was initially 122 signatures short for getting an item on the ballot to allow voters to decide on the TRAX line location.

CRT, however, did not agree with that final count. In February, the group filed an appeal in 3rd District Court, accusing the city of wrongfully dismissing signatures.

The group has since filed two temporary restraining orders with the city. The first was denied by Judge Leon Dever on Feb. 20. The second will be discussed at a hearing scheduled for April 4.