Draper is doubling down on a beach vibe without the coastline. An 8.8-acre surf park has been folded into an updated master plan for the Veranda West development, putting a full wave pool next to hundreds of new homes and a retail district. The plan amendment, approved by the city in early June, adds roughly 418 residential units and a freeway-adjacent retail village. Backers say the project could nudge Draper’s image away from commuter pass-through and shopping stop toward athlete hub and tourism draw.
Developers pitch a coastal amenity inland
According to KSL, the revised Veranda West plan calls for an 8.8-acre surf park next to nearly 300 new apartments and other mixed-use space. Developers from The Wasatch Group and Kamaka Responsible Development told city leaders the wave pool will rely on advanced technology to produce “consistent and customizable waves” and could function as a national training center for Olympic surf teams. They estimate the broader project could pump about $23 million a year into the local economy and support 100 to 150 jobs, with surf-park construction slated to start this fall and a target opening in 2028.
Council approval and the site
The Draper City Council approved the master-area-plan amendment on June 9, according to Draper City. The notice places the project at approximately 13708 South 600 West and describes it as a TSD-zone amendment that makes room for the surf park alongside residential and commercial uses. The ordinance and supporting staff documents are filed with the City Recorder for anyone who wants to dig through the technical details.
Water use and drought in context
Water quickly became the hot topic in public hearings. Developers told the council the surf pool is expected to use about 6 to 9 million gallons per year, a figure they say is far below the roughly 28 million gallons projected for high-density housing or the roughly 109 million gallons a commercial build-out could consume on the same land, as reported by KSL. The team says the pool would run on a closed-loop system and capture rainfall and snowmelt to trim overall demand. Those assurances are playing out against a backdrop of historically low mountain snowpack and tight western water supplies, trends highlighted by NOAA/NCEI and the U.S. Drought Monitor this month.
Site layout and traffic fixes
The city’s staff report maps Veranda West on the north side of Bangerter Highway, just off 600 West, and notes that traffic fixes, including a new signal at 600 West, will be required in later approval phases, according to the staff analysis. The report sketches out pads for retail and possible office space in the center of the project, with multi-family housing at each end to support the transit-station district goals. Noise controls and circulation plans are slated for the detailed site-plan review that must occur before permits are issued.
What comes next
The amendment removes a major hurdle, but final site plans, building permits, and traffic approvals still have to clear several review stages before construction can begin. Local meeting transcripts show residents quizzing planners about water consumption and potential noise at the May review, according to the city’s public record on OpenUtah. If the surf park opens on schedule and performs as advertised, developers say it could reshape Draper’s south-valley economy, but the real outcome will hinge on the fine print that officials and neighbors work through next.
