Fort Douglas Army Reserves to relocate making way for U of U campus expansion

SALT LAKE CITY ( ABC4 ) — The University of Utah formalized a deal Monday that will relocate the U.S. Army Reserve at Fort Douglas to a new $100 million facility near Camp Williams , freeing up space for the university to expand its campus.

Negotiations with the U.S. Army Reserve for the public lands transfer have been ongoing for several years, according to a U of U news release , and involved the Utah Legislature, Governor’s Office, and U.S. Congress.

The deal states that the university will use $100 million of state funds to build the army reserve headquarters near Camp Williams. In return, the university said it will use the fort’s land for several campus projects including research and lab centers for health sciences, possible housing, and recreational spaces.

This is not the first time the university has been on the receiving end of a land transfer from former fort-designated land. The fort land — which originally comprised 10,500 acres — has been slowly chipped away and reallocated to other projects, including for the University of Utah.

Over the last 126 years, more than 1,500 acres have been transferred from the fort to the university. The fort now sits on 50 acres and is surrounded by the campus, according to the U of U .

Vice President for University Development Fred Esplin said the university has “benefited for over a century” from the land originally allotted for the fort by Col. Connor in 1862.

“I’m sure neither Colonel Connor nor Brigham Young could have imagined what a remarkable center for teaching and research would emerge from land originally used for rifle and artillery ranges,” Esplin said in a news release.

The U.S. Army Reserve will be moved to a nearly 32-acre lot near Camp Williams where the Utah Army National Guard is stationed after the new 220,000-square-foot facility is constructed. Officials anticipate the relocation will take a minimum of four years.

In accordance with the 1991 Defense Authorization Act, the fort’s cemetery and museum will continue to be preserved and maintained by the federal government and the National Guard, respectively.

“We are honored to support our military by providing state-of-the-art facilities that enhance training and operational readiness while advancing our university’s mission,” U of U President Taylor Randall said.

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