Highland's Commercial Core Is Small and Getting Newer
Highland's 2026 General Plan describes "a family-oriented bedroom community," and its land-use numbers agree: commercial uses cover only 52.52 acres, under 1% of the city, and offices another 36.88 acres. The plan notes that Highland is not on a major interstate and that about $709 million in taxable sales leaks to neighboring cities.
That small footprint is growing. Town Center, home to the Civic Center with City Hall and the library, is the city's commercial focus, and Highland Marketplace at 5300 W 11000 North holds 40,000 square feet of retail. Current city projects include Highland Business Park, with four office buildings, Highland Grove Plaza in Town Center, and Highland Mains, with four commercial buildings. For a small office or retail building, a simple master key system usually does the job: one key for the owner, one for each tenant, and no need for a corporate facilities department.
Restaurants are changing too. Highland was one of Utah's dry communities from 1977 until January 2024, when the council voted to allow four liquor licenses for food-serving restaurants. A restaurant that adds alcohol has a new reason to control who can open the storeroom.