Utah Real Estate Challenge 2025
2025 UREC Kick Off Video
Overview
The Utah Real Estate Challenge (UREC) is an intercollegiate real estate development competition for undergraduate and graduate students throughout the State of Utah. The competition fosters an understanding of real estate development by giving students the opportunity to prepare and present a development proposal to a panel of expert judges. A grand prize of $20,000 will be awarded to the team with the most promising and economically viable real estate development plan. A second-place prize of $10,000, and a third-place prize of $5,000 will also be awarded. The competition is made possible by the generous support of the Ivory-Boyer Real Estate Center Board, sponsors, mentors, judges, and faculty from participating schools.
Interested in participating or sponsoring the event? Please reach out to Alicia Brooks at alicia.brooks@eccles.utah.edu.
Resources
2025 Competition Details
Awards
Competition Timeline
Team Registration Opens Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, 8 a.m. |
Team Registration Deadline Friday, Feb. 14, 2025, 5 p.m. |
5-page Development Proposal Submission Deadline Friday, Feb. 28, 2025, 5 p.m. |
First-Round Judges Presentations Wednesday, March 5, 2025, 8:30 a.m. |
25-page Development Business Plan Submission deadline Monday, April 7, 2025, 5 p.m. |
Finalist Presentation and Awards Luncheon To be announced. |
2024 UREC Winners
First-Place Winner
Red Arch Development: The Outfield
The Outfield is a 216-unit mixed-use development, prominently featuring a public library, situated in the heart of the Ballpark neighborhood. With a strong emphasis on promoting family values, this project creates a new nexus that preserves the authentic history of the neighborhood while providing housing opportunities for families of all backgrounds to live within the community.
Team Members: Sagan Gotberg, Kristofer Long, Vance Siebers, and Camden Woll
Second-Place Winner
Revive Development Group: Fender Station
Fender Station is a mixed-use project located in the Ballpark neighborhood, just northwest of the Bees stadium. The project includes market-rate and affordable apartment units, townhomes, condos, retail, and restaurant space. This site accommodates the growing demand in the area for rentable and for-sale living space in the area. It serves to establish an enduring urban village, characterized by a community of long-term residents.
Team Members: Ted Arlington, Rex Buys, Harrison Merrill, Kennedy Perry, and Peter Redd
Third-Place Winner
Apis Partners: The Diamond District
The Diamond District is a pioneering development to the Ballpark neighborhood, promising to enhance community safety, stimulate small business growth, and foster local engagement through a mix of retail spaces, for-rent apartments, and for-sale townhomes. This initiative seamlessly meets the city’s diverse needs and aspirations while ensuring profitability through innovative financing and leveraging city programs. Financial strategies include securing a loan from the RDA, tapping into the state’s H.B. 572 program for affordable housing, and utilizing townhome sales to reduce construction loan interest. Design-wise, the project emphasizes accessibility to TRAX, family-friendly amenities, ground-floor retail, and extensive green spaces, aligning with a vision of community and environmental consciousness. Collectively, these efforts highlight the project’s dedication to creativity, innovation, and long-term value for the Ballpark community.
Team Members: Eli Falk, Payton Smoot, Molly Sutherland, Spencer Ward, and Matt Wilcox
UREC 2024 Photos
UREC 2023 Winners
First-Place Winner
Pioneer Dev
Team Members:
- Russell Dilworth
- Nathan Frame
- Porter Openshaw
- Annika Tingey
- RaeLee Yancy
Second-Place Winner
BCR Development
Team Members:
- Chase Dorius
- Catherine Frost
- Braxton Hackman
- Braya Robbins
- Ryan Ward
Third-Place Winner
Cirque Studios
Team Members:
- Lucas Chiment
- Jack Gordon
- Addison Martin
- Alaina Prasek
Fourth-Place Winner
Altior
Team Members:
- Casey Bowen
- Samira Marjaei
- Courtney Nielsen
- Valarie Williams