‘New Generation’ Apartment Project Under Way in West Valley
By Johnson, Frances
Construction is under way in West Valley City on a 209unit apartment project called Liberty Commons. It is being developed by Salt Lake City-based Cowboy Partners.
Liberty Commons will sit on 11 acres just east of 5600 West on 2700 South. The complex is in a master planned development called Highbury that sits at the west end of Lake Park, a master planned office park owned and being developed by Zions Securities. Highbury is a mixed-use retail and residential project also being developed by Zions Securities. In addition to Cowboy Partners, Ivory Homes has purchased a number of lots in the development.
According to Cowboy Partners president Dan Lofgren, the units at Liberty Commons will be unlike anything the Salt Lake Valley has ever seen.
“This is all new generation product,” Lofgren said. “These are designs that have never been built before in this market area. It’s very high quality, designed for a great lifestyle.”
The one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments will have direct access attached garages, and the front doors, of each unit will face the street in a series of buildings, giving the development the feel of a residential neighborhood rather than a large apartment complex.
“It will hopefully encourage people to be out, down on the streets and in the community,” Lofgren said. “As one drives through the community it will be much like a traditional neighborhood.”
The units will have nine-foot ceilings and be energy efficient. Also, unlike most apartment developments, many of the units will not have other units above or below them.
The project was designed by Texas-based Humphries Associates. Contractor is Pentalon Construction, Draper. Lofgren said initial occupancy is expected in late summer of this year. Unit prices have not yet been determined.
The Liberty Commons development will also include a community facility with a business center, exercise and fitness area and swimming pool, as well as landscaped open space.
The development is ideal for newlyweds and single dwellers, as well as young couples with small children, Lofgren said.
“By virtue of the fairly broad range of unit configurations we’re aiming to create a neighborhood here with a number of household configurations,” he said. “We’re looking to create a neighborhood here with variety.”
Occupancy is also expected early this summer at Liberty Midtown, another Cowboy Partners development at 239 S. 300 E. in downtown Salt Lake City. Liberty Midtown includes 72 one-bedroom apartments located near TRAX and the central business district.
“It’s a brand new design designed to specifically respond to the historical nature of that neighborhood, while being very modem and efficient,” Lofgren said.
The exterior of the project will be brick and stucco with a color palette that blends in with the surrounding buildings, he said. Units will be configured around a courtyard, and the fivestory building will feature parking and common areas, including a community center, on the first level.
Along with Liberty Commons, Liberty Midtown will have “up-to-the- minute accommodations for media and connectivity,” Lofgren said.
Final decisions have yet to be made about Cowboy Partners’ parcel of land at Jordan Landing in West Jordan, though a community there has been approved, Lofgren said, and the development, which will most likely have 216 units, has been given the name Liberty Landing.
“We’re just making some final decisions about what to do there and how and when to proceed,” Lofgren said.
Copyright Enterprise Business Newspaper Inc. Jan 08, 2007
(c) 2007 Enterprise, The; Salt Lake City. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.