Utah Real Estate Challenge 2025

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.

2025 UREC Winners

First-Place Winner

Atlas Development Group: WestEnd

Atlas Development Group is proud to introduce WestEnd, a bold, mixed-use development inspired by the momentum of West High School’s redevelopment plan. WestEnd builds on the energy of the area’s transformation—positioned directly south of the school along 300 West—to serve as a new gateway between West High and downtown Salt Lake City. The project will include 337 residential units, with 15% master leased for West High faculty student families, promoting accessibility, affordability, and long-term community investment. A curated retail corridor will activate the public realm, while shared amenities will support both residents and the school district, reinforcing the project’s community-first vision. More than just a development, WestEnd represents a forward-thinking public-private collaboration that aligns with Salt Lake City’s vision for smart, inclusive growth. By strengthening the connection between West High and the urban core, WestEnd will help shape a more connected, vibrant, and future-ready Salt Lake City.

Team Members: Calli Glazier, Dawson Kearns, Brandon Reese, Raef Thomas, Jessica Zuban

Second-Place Winner

UPLIFT Real Estate Group: Triple 7 State

Uplift Real Estate Group proposes a mixed-use development featuring 188 mixed-income affordable units, medical outpatient centers, retail, daycare, and career center – all on a 1.71-acre site at the corner of 800 South and State Street. Triple 7 State is designed to be the cornerstone of the South State neighborhood’s revitalization, It aligns closely with the city’s vision for a vibrant, inclusive, and accessible downtown by reactivating a long-overlooked site with uses that serve both immediate community needs and long-term city goals. Strategically located across from the proposed Intermountain Urban Hospital, Triple 7 State forms a natural nexus for healthcare and housing. In partnership with Intermountain Health, we’re delivering housing and services that ensure that those who sustain the urban core, can afford to live in it. Located within a Qualified Census Tract, SLC RDA project area, and HTRZ eligible area, Triple 7 leverages a unique blend of public-private partnerships and funding sources that make this ambitious vision feasible.

Team Members: Taylor Alvarez, Sean Donner, Sam Hosac, Will McCoy

Third-Place Winner

The ACOTA Group: HIVE

HIVE is a downtown development featuring a vibrant active adult community, multi-family housing with a variety of unit sizes, a neighborhood grocery market, and outdoor amenity space focused on activities for children and adults. Architectural features and site considerations will attend to the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification scorecard and the Sustainable SITES Initiative standards to produce a development project that is resilient and sustainable. Site layout, programming, and amenities are meant to encourage multi-generational community building on site, while a population of mature residents will also increase visitation and economic activity for adjacent businesses, entertainment, and service providers. A unique blend of offerings–including housing for 55+ active adults, multi-family apartments, a grocery market, and children’s play space–supports all the needs of a low-maintenance, urban lifestyle for residents and visitors of all ages.

Team Members: Avery Albright, Olivia Gillette, Tyler Hopkin, Austin Keller, Christopher Wilson

UREC 2024 Winners

First-Place Winner
Red Arch Development:
The Outfield

Team Members:

  • Sagan Gotberg

  • Kristofer Long

  • Vance Siebers

  • Camden Woll

Second-Place Winner

Revive Development Group:
Fender Station
Team Members:

  • Ted Arlington

  • Rex Buys

  • Harrison Merrill

  • Kennedy Perry

  • Peter Redd

Third-Place Winner

Apis Partners:
The Diamond District
Team Members:

  • Eli Falk

  • Payton Smoot

  • Molly Sutherland

  • Spencer Ward

  • Matt Wilcox

Resources

UREC 2024
Team Competition Packet

The packet has all the info you need to get your team ready to register for the 2024 UREC competition. It has timelines, submissions requirements, information sessions schedule, and more.

UREC 2024
Finalists Team Presentations
and Awards Banquet

Thursday, April 11, 2024
11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Grand America Hotel

555 South Main Street
Salt Lake City, Utah

Please email Alicia.Brooks@Eccles.Utah.edu for information or to RSVP before Wednesday, April 3. Table sponsorships are available.

2024 Competition Details

We would love to have you involved in the competition! The UREC team will hold information sessions at various colleges and universities throughout the state. These forums will include a UREC presentation explaining the parameters of the competition with Q&A sessions. In January, we are planning an in-person info session at the U which will also offer an opportunity to meet students from other disciplines and schools so you can build your team. We will create an online team building spreadsheet to assist with team creation. To schedule a session at your school, please contact Alicia Brooks at Alicia.Brooks@Eccles.Utah.edu.

Each team must have at least two members and no more than five members. All team members must be enrolled students at a college or university in the State of Utah. A graduating student may participate if they complete all the graduation requirements during the 2023 fall semester. Student standing will be verified by the UREC planning team. Teams may utilize unpaid outside consultants and mentors, but only registered team members are eligible for award money. Previous winning teams have had a strong combination of planning, construction, finance, and design.

Students who register for the competition may utilize educational forums and other resources to aid in the creation and implementation of their real estate development plan. UREC will provide important reminders of upcoming events, forums, key submission deadlines, and judges decisions via email and the UREC website.

Should you have any questions regarding the competition or if you’d like to arrange an information session for your school, please reach out to the following:

Questions about the packet? Confused about the competition rules? Reach out to the following:

Awards

Competition Timeline

Team Registration Opens
Friday, Jan. 19, 2024, 8 a.m.
Team Registration Deadline
Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024, 11:59 p.m.
5-page Development Proposal Submission Deadline
Friday, Feb. 23, 2024, 5 p.m.
First Round Judges Presentations
Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024 at 8:30 a.m.
25-page Development Business Plan Submission deadline
Tuesday, April 2, 2024, Noon
Finalist Presentation and Awards Luncheon
Thursday, April 11, 2024, at 11 a.m.

UREC 2023 Winners

First-Place Winners

LOC
Team Members: Russell Dilworth, Nathan Frame, Porter Openshaw, Annika Tingey, RaeLee Yancy

Proposal, Business Plan

Second-Place Winner

BCR Development
Team Members: Chase Dorius, Catherine Frost, Braxton Hackman, Braya Robbins, Ryan Ward

Proposal, Business Plan

Third-Place Winner

Cirque Studios
Team Members: Lucas Chimento, Jack Gordon, Addison Martin, Alaina Prasek

Proposal, Business Plan

Fourth-Place Winner

Altior
Team Members: Casey Bowen, Samira Marjaei, Courtney Nielsen, Valarie Williams

Proposal, Business Plan

First-Place Winners

Pioneer Dev
Team Members: Bailey Johnson, Luke Littlefield, Cooper Parson, Kenley Roberts, Austin Taylor

Proposal, Business Plan

Runners-up

ARCH Group
Team Members: Austin Dent, Russ Dilworth, Blake Hanson, Hunter Murray, Kevin Peterson

Proposal, Business Plan

Runners-up

RJN Group
Team Members: Amro Al-Nimri, Morgan Julian, Scott Rojahn

Proposal, Business Plan

Thank You to Our Supporters

Chair’s Circle

Executive Committee

Event Sponsors