A study released Friday ranks a Utah County location as the best place for the relocation of the state prison.
The list, compiled by the State of Utah Prison Relocation Commission, ranked 17 potential prison sites in Utah, Tooele, Salt Lake and Weber counties. It also eliminated several proposed sites that it determined were critically flawed.
The site screening guidelines consisted of several criteria—including hazard avoidance, county infrastructure, community services and development costs. Most of the sites deemed critically flawed were too small or remote.
The top site is located near State Highway 73 in Utah County's southern Cedar Valley, by the border of Davis County. It was selected as the top contender because of its large land area and proximity to Salt Lake City and Draper. No city officials were available for comment.
A few of the other highly ranked locations were the Airport North and Southwest Valley sites in Salt Lake City, and Tooele County’s Depot Boundary Road Site.
The state prison is currently in Draper.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.