For most of Eagle Mountain's history, residents accepted a simple tradeoff: affordable homes, great community, and a long drive to everything else. Groceries, restaurants, and retail meant getting in the car and heading to Saratoga Springs, Lehi, or American Fork. That tradeoff is ending — fast.
Eagle Mountain, Utah is one of the fastest-growing cities in the entire country, and businesses are finally catching up. The city's population reached an estimated 76,695 residents as of January 2026, growing at roughly 6.4% annually. With that kind of growth — and a resident base that skews young, educated, and family-oriented — national and regional brands are paying serious attention. The result is a commercial development wave that is bringing more new businesses to Eagle Mountain right now than at any point in the city's history.
Here's a complete guide to what's confirmed, under construction, and officially in the pipeline for Eagle Mountain in 2025 and 2026.
The anchor that started it all: Macey's and McDonald's
Before getting to what's coming next, it's worth understanding what cracked the commercial dam open in the first place.
Macey's opened at 1557 Eagle Mountain Blvd and became the anchor of the Town Center Marketplace — Eagle Mountain's first full-service grocery. The 42,500 sq ft store includes a full deli, bakery, pharmacy, Beans & Brews coffee shop, and an in-store Dairy Queen. Macey's didn't just give residents a place to grocery shop. It gave national co-tenants a proven reason to follow.
McDonald's is already in Eagle Mountain, and a second location was proposed for the City Center area along Pony Express Parkway — reviewed by the Planning Commission in March 2025 at approximately 4248 N Pony Express Parkway, south of City Hall. Two McDonald's in one city is a signal of commercial viability that brands pay close attention to.
These two anchors are what made everything below possible.
Four new restaurants confirmed for City Center
In November 2025, Eagle Mountain City officially announced that four popular restaurants had confirmed locations in the City Center area along Pony Express Parkway, all expected to open within six months of the announcement.
Panda Express — one of the most-requested restaurants in Eagle Mountain Facebook groups for years — is finally confirmed. The American-Chinese chain brings its fast-casual format to City Center, and given how long residents have been asking for it, expect a packed opening week.
Costa Vida — the Utah-born fresh Mexican grill with a devoted following across the Wasatch Front — is setting up in Eagle Mountain. If you've been driving to Saratoga Springs or Lehi for your Costa Vida fix, those trips are numbered.
Papa Murphy's — the take-and-bake pizza chain — will give Eagle Mountain families a simple, convenient dinner option without leaving the city.
Melty — a growing fast-casual concept — rounds out the four confirmed restaurants.
Economic Development Director Abby Ivory said it clearly when the announcements were made: "I like that this offers more choices for our residents. Closer proximity so there's less travel to Saratoga Springs."
All four restaurants are located in the Town Center Marketplace area, reinforcing City Center as Eagle Mountain's primary commercial hub.
Anytime Fitness is here
Eagle Mountain City's Rumor Stop page confirmed that Anytime Fitness opened its Eagle Mountain location off Eagle Mountain Blvd just north of the Brandon Park subdivision — a significant win for a city where residents have long had to leave town for gym access. For the active families that make up the vast majority of Eagle Mountain's population, this one matters.
The biggest development on the horizon: Smith's Marketplace
The most significant commercial announcement in Eagle Mountain's history may be the proposed 60-acre retail development anchored by Smith's Marketplace in the City Center area.
In June 2025, Eagle Mountain City confirmed it was in active discussions with a national grocer for a grocery-anchored development located east of Pony Express Parkway between Mid-Valley Road and Old Airport Road — directly across from the city's planned future downtown district. The Daily Herald reported that the anchor tenant is a Smith's Marketplace — a 120,000–130,000 sq ft full-format grocery that combines traditional groceries with general merchandise, pharmacy, a fuel center, and more.
Economic Development Director Evan Berrett called it "a major opportunity for Eagle Mountain," noting that the development could "significantly accelerate needed infrastructure improvements in the area" and would serve as a gateway to Eagle Mountain's future downtown district.
The numbers are significant. The 60-acre site — acquired from Ivory Homes — is being called a city-shaping development by local officials. A development of this size doesn't just bring a grocery store. It brings a commercial ecosystem.
Smith's Marketplace centers in Utah typically attract strong co-tenants. The Cedar Valley Sentinel noted that comparable developments in Utah have featured national names like Ross Dress for Less, Petco, Ulta Beauty, Hobby Lobby, and fast-casual restaurants. If Eagle Mountain's development follows that pattern — and there's every reason to expect it will — this single project could bring a dozen or more additional businesses to the city simultaneously.
No final approval or opening timeline has been announced, but the city indicated it anticipated bringing the project before the City Council as early as summer 2025, with negotiations ongoing.
What about Chick-fil-A?
It comes up in every Eagle Mountain Facebook group, every neighborhood Nextdoor thread, every community survey: when is Chick-fil-A coming?
Eagle Mountain City's Rumor Stop has been direct about this: Chick-fil-A is not currently in the process of coming to Eagle Mountain. That said, it's worth noting that the same page confirmed Smith's Marketplace is actively considering the City Center location — and Smith's-anchored developments frequently include Chick-fil-A as a co-tenant. The Cedar Valley Sentinel specifically listed Chick-fil-A as a brand that commonly follows Smith's Marketplace into Utah markets. It's not confirmed. But it's not impossible either.
Intermountain Health: a hospital is coming
The most meaningful long-term development for Eagle Mountain isn't a restaurant or a retail center — it's healthcare infrastructure. Eagle Mountain City's Rumor Stop confirmed that Intermountain Health owns 40 acres of land off Eagle Mountain Blvd and is actively pursuing additional property to construct a community hospital.
No construction timeline has been announced. But the land is owned, the intent is confirmed, and for a city of nearly 77,000 people without a local emergency room, this is arguably the most consequential development announcement in Eagle Mountain's history. Families choosing between communities often put healthcare proximity near the top of the list. Eagle Mountain is going to have an answer to that question.
Infrastructure growing to match
The commercial wave isn't happening in isolation. Eagle Mountain is simultaneously investing in the roads and infrastructure that make sustained commercial development viable.
Pony Express Parkway is being widened from Eagle Mountain Blvd to the Public Works Building, with construction targeted for completion by Fall 2026. A UTA Park & Ride is under construction. Traffic signals are being added at key intersections across the city. And UDOT's regional plans include expansion of SR-73 into a freeway with frontage roads and an extension of the Mountain View Corridor — projects that will dramatically improve Eagle Mountain's connectivity to the broader region over the coming years.
The roads are being built for the commercial density that's arriving. That's not a coincidence — it's a city deliberately preparing for its next chapter.
What this means if you own a home in Eagle Mountain
Commercial development and residential property values are directly linked — and Eagle Mountain is living proof of that right now.
When Macey's opened, it wasn't just a grocery store. It was a signal to every other brand that Eagle Mountain had crossed a threshold. Panda Express, Costa Vida, Papa Murphy's, Anytime Fitness, a second McDonald's, and a potential Smith's Marketplace with a full co-tenant ecosystem followed — all within roughly 18 months.
For sellers in Eagle Mountain: the commercial story is a genuine selling point that didn't exist a few years ago. You're selling access to a city where residents no longer have to drive 20 minutes for groceries, sit-down dining, or a gym — and where a 60-acre shopping center anchored by Smith's Marketplace is on the way. That changes how buyers evaluate Eagle Mountain relative to other Utah County cities.
For buyers considering Eagle Mountain: you're buying into a city that is still in the early stages of commercial maturity. The friction — the driving, the errand trips outside the city — is being systematically addressed. The families weighing Eagle Mountain right now are making that decision while Panda Express, Costa Vida, and Smith's Marketplace are confirmed or in active planning. That's a very different conversation than it was three years ago.
Eagle Mountain is no longer the city you move to despite the lack of amenities. It's becoming the city you move to because of what's coming.
Sources: Eagle Mountain City Economic Development, Eagle Mountain Rumor Stop, Eagle Mountain — Four New Restaurants Confirmed, Eagle Mountain — Grocery Development Announcement, Cedar Valley Sentinel — Smith's Development, Daily Herald — Smith's Marketplace Report, Cedar Valley Sentinel — Growth Report 2026