Corroon said the project is a "better way to plan" because it brings a variety of civic buildings to one central location so residents won't have to travel to multiple areas across the city.

"I think, in Utah, this is a great example of forward-thinking," Corroon said. "It almost hearkens back to the past, to the European-style planning where the town center is the focus and the community builds up around it."

The project will be situated on Main Street, near 12600 South, in the center of Herriman. Aside from 45 acres of retail space and 52,000 square feet of office space that will be included in the development, the Towne Center project will also have 20 acres of recreational space, with a proposed one-acre lake, ice skating rink, splash park and movie theater.

When it is completed, the project could change the face of Herriman, which had an estimated population of about 15,000 people in 2006, according to U.S. Census Bureau statistics, but Crane says residents are supportive of the development.

"Obviously, interaction with the residents often creates comments ... from people that were attracted here for a certain reason, and many of them came here a few years ago when there weren't as many people and there wasn't as much noise," Crane said. "You get those kinds of comments, which are natural and normal, but ... in general, this concept and this development have generated as much excitement in our city as any development or proposal."

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