MIDVALE — What was a burgeoning mining site decades ago could become one of the state's largest commercial and office developments.
Numerous business and civic leaders were on hand Tuesday for the groundbreaking of View72 Corporate Center at 7800 South and 1000 West. Co-developed by the Gardner Co. and Arbor Commercial, when completed, the 200-acre site could accommodate 2 million square feet of commercial and office space, Gardner Co. president Christian Gardner told the Deseret News.
The first phase of the project, scheduled for completion in July 2010, will include two buildings on a 90-acre parcel that will be occupied by global mining supplier FLSmidth& Co. A/S, headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark.
View72 will become a regional operations center for FLSmidth, with all of its 400 Utah employees consolidating to the Midvale site from the four current locations across the Salt Lake Valley. The two buildings will offer 170,000 square feet of Class A office space, according to a company news release.
So why would a company commit to lease brand-new office space in today's challenging economy? Christian Jepsen, president and chief executive officer of subsidiary FLSmidth Minerals, told the Deseret News that the site and the opportunity offered some distinct financial opportunities for his company and the community.
"We very much understand economic development," he said. "If we want to grow and create additional jobs in this area — particularly in Salt Lake City — we had to consolidate our resources."
Robert Coomes, vice president of business development at FLSmidth, said in a release that "this move will streamline our research and development."
"Our employees will have the benefit of mass transit, easy access to the major freeways and open space," he added.
FLSmidth employs 9,000 people worldwide. In Utah, the company specializes in separating base and precious metals from rock and earth extracted from mining operations.
"In this new location, our researchers and product managers will be side-by-side as they perform product testing or lab work," Coomes said. "This will fast-track the creative process as we develop new technology, and new ways to recycle the water used in the mineral extraction process, which is a precious Utah resource."
The office park's 2 million square feet of Class A office and technology and lab buildings are designed to be environmentally sensitive and energy-efficient by using state-of-the-art technology and materials, he said.
Midvale Mayor JoAnn Seghini, who celebrated her birthday Tuesday at the groundbreaking, said she believed the city was able to convey the various strategic advantages the site held for FLSmidth when they presented the proposal to the company's executive board.
"This is the last expanse of open space in the middle of the Salt Lake Valley," Seghini said. "We are proud and excited to have FLSmidth as View72's first tenant."
"We believe this development will open the door for additional businesses who want to relocate and bring quality jobs to Utah."
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