Canyons board hears detailed planning update on Innovation Center; trades building, conference space and program clusters discussed

Canyons School District leaders and their architects presented a detailed planning and programming update for the Canyons Innovation Center on May 6, describing program clusters, renderings and early sizing and cost estimates.

Superintendent Robbins told the board the planning team had reached a point where it could discuss “clusters and programming” and how the center would align with the district’s Portrait of a Scholar goals. He said the district aims for the center to open in 2027 and to include AI curriculum both as a standalone offering and integrated across strands. “My goal is by the time we open in '27 to have AI not only as a standalone, but then morph it into every strand area,” Robbins said.

Why it matters: The Innovation Center is the district’s adaptive reuse of the former eBay regional headquarters and is intended to expand career and technical pathways, create industry partnerships, host conferences and provide space for programs that currently are limited by capacity at CTEC.

Architects from MHTN and district staff showed high‑level floor plans and renderings that include a conference center and “inquiry lounge” adjacent to a large industry‑partner showcase area. Designers said the conference room concept could host roughly 280 people in certain configurations and would include advanced audio‑visual capabilities and portable partitions.

The planning team described program clusters for trades, health sciences, energy and engineering, multimedia and hospitality, and proposed locating a multi‑use ‘amenities’ building to house cosmetology, culinary and conferencing functions. MHTN and district staff said one proposed trade outbuilding is targeting roughly 30,000 square feet, a size the team described as a “sweet spot” on budget models.

Program‑sizing questions dominated the discussion. Architects and career‑technical teachers told the board some trades programs — welding, construction and diesel — could require additional teacher FTEs and larger lab space if the district doubles capacity to meet waiting lists. A draft square‑footage estimate flagged cosmetology at about 11,000 square feet in one concept, while some welding labs are commonly designed in the 5,000–6,000 square‑foot range in comparable projects the architects cited.

The presentation also described partnerships and staffing plans. Reid and program staff detailed industry outreach: internship interest from local companies and organizations such as STEM Action Center. The team said it expects STEM Action Center to be an active lab partner. Representatives described visits to model programs in other districts and input from industry partners ranging from animation producers to manufacturing companies.

Architects told the board that siting decisions, building systems and potential uses for the building’s third floor would affect cost and flexibility. They identified design priorities including flexible lab space that can adapt to technological change, “collision points” where industry and students interact, and storage and acoustical considerations for heavy shop and media programs.

Board members raised safety, HVAC and logistics concerns for mixed uses — for example, keeping cosmetology ventilation separate from culinary spaces — and asked for more detailed cost analysis. Staff said they would add a construction manager/general contractor to the team for budget refinement and recommended further rounds of stakeholder review this summer.

The presentation included demonstrations of media and entrepreneurial activities planned for the facility, including CSD TV student productions and an industry partner wall. District leaders said the center’s flexibility is intended to allow incremental occupancy and future expansion as enrollment and program needs evolve.

Ending: District staff asked for more detailed program‑size direction from the board and said they would return with refined cost estimates, space plans and recommendations from the construction manager during the summer planning cycle.