Up to 750,000 people could someday live in the Goshen Valley now accessed by U.S. 6 and state Route 68, Utah County Commissioner Larry Ellertson said. "Right now, your only neighbors would be jackrabbits and occasionally Mormon crickets."

County leaders maintained their silence Thursday regarding an apparently planned paper plant for southwestern Utah County, while calling a press conference to instead explain how the area has been planned for future growth.

Officials focused on how they were planning the area for future growth rather than reacting to it -- a departure from the county policy to have development occur in cities, not unincorporated areas. That is still the policy, but the county has an opportunity now to plan for growth. Utah County's population could approach 1 million people in 10 to 20 years, compared with about 550,000 now.

Rather than allow residential communities to develop on their own, county officials said they're taking the opportunity in the Goshen Valley to plan an industrial base and let residential communities follow. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints owns much of the 60,000 acres in the planning area.