1 / 5

Officials with Pleasant Grove, St. John Properties and the state of Utah break ground on Phase 6 of the Valley Grove development in Pleasant Grove on Tuesday, May 9, 2023.

Harrison Epstein, Daily Herald

2 / 5

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox speaks during a groundbreaking ceremony for Phase 6 of the Valley Grove development in Pleasant Grove on Tuesday, May 9, 2023.

Harrison Epstein, Daily Herald

3 / 5

A "St. John Properties" sign hangs over the site for Phase 6 of the Valley Grove development in Pleasant Grove on Tuesday, May 9, 2023, as Daniel Thomas, regional partner with St. John Properties, speaks to attendees during the groundbreaking ceremony held in Valley Grove III, the company's most recent project.

Harrison Epstein, Daily Herald

4 / 5

Scott Gifford, director of leasing for St. John Properties, speaks during a groundbreaking ceremony for Phase 6 of the Valley Grove development in Pleasant Grove on Tuesday, May 9, 2023.

Harrison Epstein, Daily Herald

5 / 5

Officials with Pleasant Grove, St. John Properties and the state of Utah break ground on Phase 6 of the Valley Grove development in Pleasant Grove on Tuesday, May 9, 2023.

Harrison Epstein, Daily Herald

❮ ❯

With leaders from around the state and Utah Valley in attendance, St. John Properties demonstrated, once again, its commitment to Pleasant Grove.

On Tuesday, over 100 business and political leaders joined for a ceremonial groundbreaking on Phase 6 of the Valley Grove development.

From the soon-to-be-finished ground floor of Valley Grove III, attendees looked at the property prepared for the next phase — 47 acres adjacent to Interstate 15 near Pleasant Grove Boulevard.

“We’re excited to see something start to happen down here,” Mayor Guy Fugal said. “It’s a good time to be mayor of Pleasant Grove; we’ve got a lot of exciting things happening.”

Fugal is optimistic about the role the company will continue to play as the city grows. The Valley Grove developments have been underway for nearly a decade, with office spaces used by technology companies, retail establishments and housing.

“You could take your money and you could spend it anywhere in this country, anywhere else in this world, and you have chosen to spend it here in Utah. For that, know how grateful we are to all of you who are building, making our communities a better place,” Gov. Spencer Cox told attendees.

Daniel Thomas, regional partner with St. John Properties, called the upcoming construction a “vibrant, high-density, mixed-use project” that will cost $600 million. This brings the total investment from the company into the 120-acre Valley Grove project up to $1.2 billion.

According to a video presentation during the ceremony, the new project boasts 300,000 square feet of office space, over 1,100 homes, a 2.1-acre promenade/community space and 200,000 square feet of retail space, all with easy access to I-15.

“This is the positive type of growth, setting aside a couple of acres in a development that can be used to make a lot more money for a community gathering spot,” Cox said.

It was vital for city leaders that this promenade exists at the center of the development, creating the place Cox praised, the central location for families in the area. The land itself that will be used for Phase 6 has a storied history in the city. Almost 20 years ago, the land was destined to be a new convention center and high-rise hotel, but for several reasons, the project was didn’t happen. “Now we’re back here with St. John and we’re happy that they are the one that’s doing it,” Fugal said.

The company held the groundbreaking for its most recent project, Valley Grove III, in September 2022 after completing different phases of Valley Grove periodically since 2017.

“There’s inherent risk in development but this what we do, we go big,” Thomas said. “Utah has the right regulatory environment for growth: pro-business, great tax structure, they’re forward looking with their planning — they’re trying to get their infrastructure in place for growth — and probably the most important thing, for us, is in Utah the population is organically growing and it’s really easy to be a developer in a growing market.”

Final permitting and planning with the city still need to be completed, but Fugal was joined by the City Council and administrators, all of whom are confident agreements will be easily made. Thomas told the Daily Herald the company expects to break ground this summer on the base infrastructure, starting the multiyear work.

Among those celebrating Tuesday was Camden Bayles, a Pleasant Grove High School senior. St. John Properties gifted $25,000 to Bayles and others with the school for their work remodeling the “G” on the mountain above the city.

“You can’t have Pleasant Grove without the ‘G’ on the mountain,” Bayles said. “It represents our community. It’s hard to explain what it means to us, because it just means so much. … It’s Pleasant Grove, it’s who we are.”