The announcement event was attended by dozens of state and local officials, members of the press, cancer patients and Huntsman Cancer Institute doctors and researchers. We appreciate the brave cancer patients who shared their stories. One patient, Utah Valley Magazine owner Jeannette Bennett, shared her experience.

“These experiences are not just for me,” Bennett said. “Thank you all for your bravery and advocacy in sharing experiences that are so personal to you that help us all on our own journeys, promoting early screening and treatment, and funding life-saving services.”

In only a few short years, Vineyard has grown from a 100-person town to a burgeoning city of 20,000+ people.

In 2010, nothing was here but a small street with a few related families living as neighbors. What is being built in Vineyard now is more than just one street — it’s a place focused on health, connectivity, open space and commitment on coming together in all sorts of meaningful ways, where you can start your career, raise a family and retire. All while surrounded by beauty amid growing industry. Utah County will welcome even more growth in the coming years.

James Roh, Daily Herald file photo

Vineyard, Utah County and HCI are all three major components of the largest regional development in the area, at the nexus for transportation in the valley, right in the center of Vineyard’s burgeoning downtown, named Utah City. Utah City will be a vibrant development, heavily integrated into the state’s tech hub, and a partner to universities preparing bright, young talented professionals for the workforce that will continue to pace Utah ahead as a leader in innovative medical treatment.

HCI’s second headquarters will be a key part of Vineyard’s continued growth, creating this rare moment, where we can plan together, and co-create a facility and community which promotes health and increases quality of life, with ease of access to transportation, nestled into a linear corridor along the picturesque shores of Utah Lake, and connected to economic centers through the Wasatch front.

Having this medical life science giant in the heart of our growing technology and innovation center will lead to breakthroughs in science and medicine, paving paths for cutting-edge approaches to cancer research and treatment. In Utah, we believe in cutting inefficiencies to allow our families, our residents, and visitors the ability to expect more and enjoy the best possible experiences.

Incredible leaders from across the state — thoughtful developing partners and key contributors to this opportunity and development — are excited and committed to facilitating this world-class care and research, for our communities who have to face these life-altering diagnoses by bringing them this greater access to these life-saving-treatments.

Bringing HCI into the Wasatch Front’s center for growth and closer to our rural communities, with incredible partners to advance research and bolster educational opportunities, will create a rising tide that lifts all boats in the region.

Isaac Hale, Daily Herald file photo

Vineyard this week had the opportunity to share the future of Vineyard’s transit-oriented development with members of the Housing and Transit Reinvestment Zone (HTRZ) Committee at an event with the Urban Land Institute of Utah. Through a panel discussion, we shared how creating an HRTZ zone surrounding the Vineyard’s FrontRunner Station, supports the state’s investment in a strong economy, paths to ownership and efficient transportation.

Utah City, Vineyard’s downtown, is one of the largest regional developments in the state, a market drive design, oriented as a multi-modal area to solve first and last mile issues and provide better local and regional connectivity. It is a well-planned and highly attractive economic tech center in the heart of the fastest growing county in the state.

We are grateful for those who have seized the opportunity today and before us, working in collaboration to pave our dirt roads, positioning us in the place we are today. The possibilities are endless. The work performed here will save countless lives, connect services to communities and provide greater access and healing.

We believe that what we do together is more powerful than anything we can do alone, and we look forward to continuing to work together to create this thriving community.