Explore Cottonwood Heights Midvale Real Estate Opportunities

The Cottonwood Heights & Midvale Cities CRE Market at a Glance

The Cottonwood Heights and Midvale City office and retail market is anchored by an educated, high-income workforce, an exceptionally business-friendly city government, and a quality-of-life profile that makes it easy to attract and retain top talent.

Key market fundamentals:

• Office space asking rents average $28.95–$40.00 per square foot, with premium Class A properties commanding the highest rates in the submarket
• Office inventory exceeds 248,000 square feet across 18+ commercial properties, with the market dominated by office (82% of available CRE space) and retail
• Over 257,000 square feet of commercial lease space currently available across property types, including 14+ active office listings
• Cottonwood Heights has never raised its tax rate since incorporation in 2005 — a powerful signal of fiscal discipline and a pro-business environment that is virtually unmatched in Salt Lake County
• Direct access to I-215 provides seamless connectivity to the broader Salt Lake Valley, the airport, and all major employment centers

Why Businesses Choose Cottonwood Heights & Midvale 

For companies evaluating office or retail space in the Salt Lake Valley, Cottonwood Heights and Midvale offers a rare combination of strategic advantages that few competing submarkets can match.

Prestige & Quality of Life for Employee Recruitment — The ability to offer employees a workplace at the base of the Wasatch Mountains — with Alta, Snowbird, Brighton, and Solitude ski resorts just 20–30 minutes away — is a genuine competitive recruiting advantage. Utah's outdoor lifestyle is a top driver of talent attraction, and no address in Salt Lake County delivers it more immediately than Cottonwood Heights. Companies here can honestly tell prospective hires: your commute to world-class powder is shorter than your commute to work.

Access & Infrastructure — Located in the center of the Salt Lake Valley and positioned along I-215 at the eastern edge of the Salt Lake Valley, Cottonwood Heights provides rapid connectivity to downtown Salt Lake City (approximately 20 minutes), Salt Lake City International Airport (approximately 25 minutes), and the broader Wasatch Front corridor. The Fort Union Blvd. and Highland Drive commercial spine provides high-traffic retail exposure with excellent ingress and egress.

Affluent, Educated Consumer & Workforce Base — Cottonwood Heights is one of Salt Lake County's highest-income communities. The median household income and educational attainment levels significantly exceed regional averages, making this submarket particularly attractive for professional services, financial services, healthcare, technology, and premium retail tenants. Businesses serving high-net-worth clientele consistently find Cottonwood Heights to be one of the most productive markets in Utah.

Pro-Business City Government — Since incorporation in 2005, Cottonwood Heights has been recognized as among the most progressive and business-friendly cities in Utah. The city has never raised its tax rate and has actively invested in infrastructure, trail systems, and public amenities that directly enhance commercial property values. In 2007, Money Magazine ranked Cottonwood Heights among the Top 100 Best Places to Live in America — a distinction that drives continued demand for commercial space from businesses eager to locate where their employees want to be.

"The Heights" Mixed-Use Town Center — In 2023, the city of Cottonwood Heights purchased the 10-acre former Hillside Plaza site at Fort Union Blvd. and 2300 East to develop The Heights — a planned walkable, mixed-use town center with retail, restaurants, public event space, farmers markets, and housing. This city-sponsored mixed-use development signals strong long-term commercial investment in the submarket's core and represents a significant value-add opportunity for surrounding commercial properties.

A Rich History That Built a Resilient Communities

Understanding the trajectory of Cottonwood Heights and Midvale, Utah provides important context for evaluating its commercial real estate fundamentals.

Pioneer Roots (1849): Eight pioneer families founded the settlement of Union in 1849. Early settler Jehu Cox donated ten acres for a fort, and by 1854 the community had grown to 273 residents. The canyons above the settlement provided granite blocks quarried for the iconic Salt Lake LDS Temple, and lumber for the expanding railroad — making this area an engine of commerce from the very beginning.

Butlerville to Boomtown: Originally known as Butlerville, the settlement transformed from a farming and ranching community into a booming suburban city following World War II. The first subdivisions appeared in 1953–1955, population surged to 5,000, and the foundation for today's thriving commercial ecosystem was laid.

Incorporation & Fiscal Discipline (2005): Cottonwood Heights formally incorporated as a city on January 14, 2005, following a decisive community referendum. The city promptly established its own police department, fire services, City Hall, and urban trail network — all without raising taxes. This track record of responsible governance directly supports the stability and predictability that commercial real estate investors require.

Four-Season Amenities That Drive Talent Retention

A key driver of commercial real estate demand in Cottonwood Heights and Midvale City are community's unparalleled quality-of-life profile — particularly for companies competing to attract and retain skilled professionals.

Sitting directly at the base of Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons, these cities provides immediate access to four world-class ski resorts: Alta, Snowbird, Brighton, and Solitude. Alta alone routinely logs over 500 inches of annual snowfall, earning Utah its famous designation as home to The Greatest Snow on Earth. For businesses, this translates directly into a recruiting tool that no compensation package can fully replicate.

Beyond skiing, the canyons and city trail system support world-class hiking, mountain biking, rock climbing, camping, and fishing — making Cottonwood Heights a genuine four-season destination for outdoor-focused professionals. Snowbird's summer programming, including its mountain roller coaster, zip lines, alpine slide, and renowned Oktoberfest, draws visitors and employees alike throughout the warmer months.

Dining & Amenities for Corporate Entertaining: The Cottonwood Heights dining scene supports high-level corporate entertainment and client hospitality. Standout venues include La Caille (Utah's premier luxury dining estate on Little Cottonwood Canyon Road, set on 20 acres with a French château, vineyards, and canyon views), Saola Restaurant & Lounge (upscale Asian-inspired cuisine at the base of the canyons), Porcupine Pub & Grille (a beloved après-ski institution and social hub), and Franck's (one of the most acclaimed fine-dining restaurants in the Salt Lake Valley, just minutes away in Holladay).