What was once the regional headquarters for global tech giant eBay will soon be transformed into an innovative learning center focused on training students for the 21st century workplace.
The Canyons Board of Education on Tuesday, Aug. 20, approved a contract to purchase the 36-acre eBay campus in Draper to serve as the home for a new high-tech career-training center. Located in the heart of Salt Lake County’s tech sector, Silicon Slopes and adjacent The Point, a transit-oriented development on the site of the former Utah Prison, the spacious campus features a state-of-the-art 215,000-square-foot facility and 16 acres of developable land, putting the District in a position to consider setting aside acreage for a future west Draper elementary school.
“With this forward-thinking decision, Canyons District positions itself to be part of the educational ecosystem of Silicon Slopes while also preparing for the influx of families to our District’s next big growth area. The timing of the availability of the property coincides seamlessly with the region’s economic trends and the District’s long-range and strategic plans,” said Board of Education President Amber Shill. “Furthermore, our innovative plan to retrofit eBay’s former offices into a school, instead of paying for new construction, will save millions in taxpayer money and perhaps serve as a blueprint for districts across the country.”
Canyons District is acquiring the property at 583 W. eBay Way for roughly half what it would cost to design and build a new high school. The District plans to liquidate property it already owns to pay for the $50 million purchase. Existing capital fund revenue will also be put toward the purchase with the remainder coming from short-term lease-revenue bonds.
The negotiated deal with eBay translates to $230 per square foot. By comparison, the cost of new construction and design in Utah is reaching some $500 per square foot, according to Canyons District Business Administrator Leon Wilcox. The eBay building also comes fully furnished and equipped with computers, servers, and other technology.
Next steps include selecting an architect to assist in making minor alterations to the building to meet the needs of educational programs. CSD tentatively plans to begin the process of issuing bonds in September and hold a public hearing in October. The bonds will be issued in November with the expectation to close on the purchase in December.
The eBay campus not only gives Canyons room to grow and meet the educational needs of fast-growing west Draper, it gives Canyons space to innovate new educational solutions for today’s fast-changing world, said Canyons Superintendent Dr. Rick Robins.
Located footsteps away from a FrontRunner station, the former eBay property is a prime spot for an innovation center where high school students across the region could take advantage of hands-on learning in such fields as engineering, business and medicine. At the innovation center, students would work side-by-side with employers to solve real challenges encountered in the business world. They would leave with leadership skills and professional portfolios, and have the ability to earn industry certifications and college credit.
“Canyons already has a solid track-record at delivering this kind of learning at our Canyons Technical Education Center, which, due to growing demand for its courses and limited space, maintains a waiting list for many of its programs,” said Dr. Robins. “We needed space to build upon what’s happening at CTEC, and the eBay site is an optimal location. This purchase is really a convergence of finding the right location at the right time and for the right price.”
The District has looked into rebuilding the existing 42-year-old Canyons Technical Education Center at 825 E. 9095 South. According to reviews of the facility’s condition, it would cost more to renovate it than rebuild it. The cost of the eBay property, including the building, is less than what it would take to build a new school.
CTEC is the eighth and final Canyons high school to receive upgrades as part of the Board of Education’s ambitious facility-improvement plan, started in 2010, to upgrade schools all across Canyons.
Dr. Robins says the proposed innovation center’s educational programming will be solidified after a study of economic engines, projected workforce needs, and student interest. An advisory panel of industry and higher education experts will be empaneled to help develop the center’s curriculum and programs.
“The vision is to elevate all the programs that are preparing students for the workforce pipeline. We see this center as the ultimate experience for students and to lift our mission of ensuring our students are truly ready for the demands of college and careers when they walk across the graduation stage,” Dr. Robins said. “In our sights and within our reach is the development of an innovation center that will place Canyons District students shoulder-to-shoulder in a learning environment with leaders of dynamic industries.”
Depending on the District’s space needs, the eBay site may also be used for a vocational program for adults with disabilities, an employee health and wellness clinic and employee child care.
The Canyons Board of Education and Administration target fall 2026 for the opening of the innovation center.
Information about the yet-unnamed center’s courses, programs, and instructional model will be made available to students and their parents throughout the District’s thorough and transparent planning process.
