Residents near 6400 West in Herriman may have noticed heavy machinery, noise and dust in their neighborhoods for the past few months. This is due to construction on the infrastructure for the Olympia development (formerly Olympia Hills) in northwestern Herriman. 

In late 2023, developers began construction on the first phase of the Olympia project, which will continue 6400 West southward from Herriman Blvd. (12600 South), connecting it to the new Olympia Blvd.. Olympia will be a 933-acre development built in phases over the next several years. The continuation of 6400 West will accommodate bicycles and pedestrians. 

“[It] will be a three-lane road with bike lanes and an asphalt trail on one side and sidewalk on the other,” the city revealed. “We expect that’ll be completed sometime in the summer.” 

A sizable roundabout at the junction of 6400 West and Olympia Blvd. will feature landscaping and pedestrian islands for safer street crossing. Both sides of 6400 West will include park strips and paved trails. The street will allow access to the currently approved subdivisions and will help minimize construction traffic on existing roads. Paving preparation and utility work on the road has been ongoing, and curbs, gutters and pavements are expected to be completed during the spring. 

The city’s website also confirms, “The closed end of Heritage Hill Drive will connect to the new 6400 West roadway and a precast wall will be installed on the east side of the road along the Heritage neighborhood.”

For years, many residents from surrounding areas have expressed dismay and even anger over the Olympia development. Elected Herriman officials were among those frustrated during the initial Salt Lake County approval processes. The city contested the development in 2018 and again in 2020, when it was ultimately approved by the county. 

“At that time, in February 2020, the land that Olympia is being built on was not part of Herriman and was approved and entitled through Salt Lake County,” the city said. “Herriman City had zero control over what was approved at that point since it was outside our boundaries.”

To gain some control over Olympia’s progression, the city met with the developer for several months in 2021 to discuss the possible annexation of the land and how to best integrate the forthcoming community into Herriman. “Once the developer and the city decided that annexation… was the best path forward, the borders changed and they became part of the city,” a Herriman representative said. 

As part of the annexation process, which was completed in 2021, the city negotiated a Master Development Agreement that was more favorable for Herriman than what the county had planned. The developer is still free to develop the land according to the MDA, but Herriman is now involved in the process. 

“There are several aspects regulated by the MDA that must be complied with, which include the Parks Master Plan (open space), Trails Master Plan (trail connections), Active Transportation Plan and the Roads Master Plan (street types and design),” states a 2023 Herriman City staff report to the City Planning Commission. “The MDA also includes Design Guidelines to dictate what development within each of these plans should look like and include.” 

Funding for the construction of the northern section of 6400 West falls to the city, though the developer will foot the upfront costs for Herriman’s portion, and the city will reimburse them at a later date. 

“The roadway connection from Herriman Boulevard is the responsibility of the city to install, but the developer for Olympia is responsible for all improvements behind the curb of 6400 West on both sides of the street,” states another 2023 staff report. 

Three residential subdivisions in Olympia have been approved thus far. “[The subdivisions are] known as Great Basin, Joshua Tree and Kings Canyon,” the city noted. A fourth called Mount Rainier is expected to be approved soon. 

The proposed Great Basin subdivision will include 150 residential units, 78 of which will be detached single-family homes. Access to the subdivision will be mainly through 6400 West, though southern access points are also planned. There will be approximately six residential units per acre, with the average lot size being 5,970 square feet, or about 0.14 acres. 

The proposed Kings Canyon subdivision will entail 71 detached single-family homes with a total of 143 residences. Access will also come from 6400 West as well as Oceanside Drive. There will be about 6.26 units per acre. The average lot is 4,612 square feet, or about 0.10 acres. 

The Joshua Tree proposal consists of 210 residential units, 55 of which will be single-family detached homes. The attached homes will include townhomes and stacked apartment units. The average detached lot size is 2,870 square feet or about 0.066 acres. The attached units range from 579 to 1,210 square feet. There are approximately 12 units per acre. Joshua Tree will also include nearly five acres of open space, or 28% of the subdivision, including a central 1.2-acre park. The park is to include a trail, playground, pavilion area, open grass space, and 20 parking spaces. 

Mount Rainier is expected to have 528 attached residential units. When the entirety of Olympia is completed, the development will include up to 6,330 residential units in addition to commercial zones and open space. In the center of the community will be a 7.46-acre park, which will be funded by the city. λ