Salt Lake City: Official Development News Thread - Part 5

[DCRes]

According to Todd Nuk'em with X96, the old Zephyr Club is going to be torn down. He doesn't think that anything is immediately going to replace it, but hopefully there is something cool in the works.

[jedikermit]

Yeah, the Tribune published this three hours ago:

https://www.sltrib.com/news/2020/04/...citys-storied/

Crews take down the old Zephyr Club at 300 S. and West Temple in Salt Lake City on Thursday. Sources say the building had substantial roof damage, unrelated to the recent earthquake, and will be replaced for now with landscaping.

[UTPlanner]

Unfortunately, there is nothing cool or interesting planned at the Zephyr site at the moment. All that they've submitted is a landscaping plan. The owners have been trying to build a parking lot there for years but have been denied as it isn't allowed by zoning.

[stayinginformed]

Originally Posted by UTPlanner

Unfortunately, there is nothing cool or interesting planned at the Zephyr site at the moment. All that they've submitted is a landscaping plan. The owners have been trying to build a parking lot there for years but have been denied as it isn't allowed by zoning.

I am so glad it cannot become a parking lot.

[bob rulz]

I wonder about all of the luxury apartment complexes going up right now. How much demand is there really going to be for these in the short-term? I can't imagine this won't affect that market for a time even after it passes. I would be really worried about projects like Kensington right now.

Originally Posted by UTPlanner

Unfortunately, there is nothing cool or interesting planned at the Zephyr site at the moment. All that they've submitted is a landscaping plan. The owners have been trying to build a parking lot there for years but have been denied as it isn't allowed by zoning.

And thank god for that.

[bflatflat9]

Originally Posted by UTPlanner

Unfortunately, there is nothing cool or interesting planned at the Zephyr site at the moment. All that they've submitted is a landscaping plan. The owners have been trying to build a parking lot there for years but have been denied as it isn't allowed by zoning.

There's 3 (almost), separate full square blocks downtown with nothing but parking owned by The Church. Hmmmm…..

[Atlas]

After coming across a beautiful picture of Edmonton on the forum, I am curious which city or cities you all think SLC should emulate in its growth.

This is the image I'm referring to:

In the past, some have lamented the idea of an 800ft tower being built in SLC. The usual example that's brought up is OKC, where the Devon Energy Center dominates the skyline and, to some, looks awful. However, that picture of Edmonton makes me reconsider the thought. The new Stantec Tower is 250 meters but the rest of Edmonton's skyline (except the also-new JW Marriott) is fairly comparable to SLC height-wise.

With a few more years of infill, I think SLC could do well with a taller tower in the mix.

[Makid]

Originally Posted by Atlas

After coming across a beautiful picture of Edmonton on the forum, I am curious which city or cities you all think SLC should emulate in its growth.

If the growth in SLC were to emulate another city, the first one that comes to mind is Cincinnati OH.

There are 5 towers taller than the tallest in Salt Lake. The heights would not be as jarring as a single 800' or taller tower.

This gradual increase, upwards towards the height of Cincinnati's Grand American Tower (655'), placed around the SW corner of 4th and Main, would bring a nice balance to the City while also further increasing density.

SLC overall doesn't really take drastic leaps in height. It is more gradual and balanced. This makes it not altogether unreasonable to think that this may be a likely path for SLC's growth over the next 10 to 20 years.

[Rileybo]

With Covid-19 taking a bite out of everything, as well as the recent steel tariffs, I’m very concerned for the future of Salt Lake. Many bars, restaurants, venues, and long lived hole-in-the-wall businesses that are unique to our city’s urban and cultural fabric will be wiped out. Sadly, I don’t have faith in the current federal or state government to provide enough support for smaller businesses. I fear that after this horrible crisis has relaxed, the big chains will buy up the spaces for pennies on the dollar and vast swabs of the city will begin to resemble 400 S in central city.

As much as it pains me to say, projects like Kensington will likely be pushed much further down the road. I believe we’ve all learned to take these large proposals with a gain of salt to begin with; in this new 2020 reality, we should probably prepare to be even more patient. I’ll still keep my fingers crossed that one day soon... that dinky ass Carl’s Jr. will be dust under glass and steel.

[Marvland]

I'm sort of sticking to my guns that this will have a disastrous near term effect and that we will rebound fairly quickly later this year. Nothing will ever be the same as the cream got cut off the big spenders tops. I'll say that as a small business person who was effected early on, I'm glad I'm not medium to large. We can move swiftly to reopen if we are careful and take advantage of the tools given to us. Small business people are very resilient and basically never ever stop. The bigger players? The ones with five to fifty locations will be decimated. Reorganizing one or two locations us a simple task compared to 10. Remember that when people are hunkered down, they tend to be much more efficient because they've stopped spending excess cash. The sheer pent up demand is something we have never seen in our lives. The rebound out of the back end of this thing will be a thing to behold and will make us all proud. It will take time but the boost in manufacturing and raw materials alone because of the move away from our disastrous reliance on China is a massive spark. Much more of our elective spending will be in our country too. We will be fine.

Any project under construction will be completed. There will be a gap before non government capital will be very shy. There will be a pause but I think we will get back to it. This market was getting fat and retail was already in its death throws. The current conditions for small mom and pop are temporary. Many will not make it unfortunately. A good chunk will and will be way wiser for it.

[Makid]

Originally Posted by Rileybo

With Covid-19 taking a bite out of everything, as well as the recent steel tariffs, I’m very concerned for the future of Salt Lake. Many bars, restaurants, venues, and long lived hole-in-the-wall businesses that are unique to our city’s urban and cultural fabric will be wiped out. Sadly, I don’t have faith in the current federal or state government to provide enough support for smaller businesses. I fear that after this horrible crisis has relaxed, the big chains will buy up the spaces for pennies on the dollar and vast swabs of the city will begin to resemble 400 S in central city.

Please don't take this the wrong way...

When I read this, the first thing I thought of was this scene from demolition man:

• Video Link

Now, I personally have been doing what I can to help local restaurants. I still get orders from local restaurants roughly 9 times a week. This is up from 3 times a week prior to the COVID-19 situation.

I like to think that there are others that have also stepped up to help as well.

[Rileybo]

^^^

Classic.

[delts145]

HEY GUYS, If any of you are simply passing by in your car any number of major projects Downtown, SLC proper, or Metro please take a moment to snap a couple of pics. There are so many projects which are still ongoing even now, and they haven't been photo updated for quite some time. Under the current circumstances, even many of you who are local are now spending a good deal of your time homebound. It's as if we're all living outside the area in many ways. I'm sure your few seconds of taking a photo will be hugely appreciated by and cheer up many here on the Wasatch Front Forums.

Design-rich adaptive reuse on 900 South adds more mixed-use to Maven District

Luke Garrott Reports @ https://www.buildingsaltlake.com/des...aven-district/


Huddart Lofts, at 156 East 900 South, will complement the growing Maven District in Salt Lake City's lower downtown. Image courtesy Sapa Investments.

.

[SL,UT]

Originally Posted by DCRes

Really bummed to hear that In The Venue will be gone. So many good memories of shows there over the years (I even performed there a couple times). All those buildings along 200 W are a loss IMO.

Wow this is news to me. Is In The Venue really going to be torn down? So many fun Drag shows and parties there. I am guessing this is where the new UTA HQ is being built?

[Atlas]

Originally Posted by SL,UT

I am guessing this is where the new UTA HQ is being built?

Nope, there's an apartment complex going in there.

https://citizenportal.slcgov.com/Cit...howInspection=

[SL,UT]

Originally Posted by Atlas

Nope, there's an apartment complex going in there.

Wow, Bummer

[Stenar]

Originally Posted by FullCircle

Totally agree. My wife and I were gearing up to make a big move (purchase a new property and sell the old) when this virus hit. Now we are holding tight. Real estate prices may drop dramatically, and if so, we could get something cheaper, but then our sale would be less as well. So now we're thinking of different options. Maybe buy the new but hold on to the old and rent it out. Or more likely, just keep waiting until things clear up.

Interesting thoughts on the house flipping industry and VRBOs. I really have no idea, but it will be interesting to watch.

House prices may drop in some places, but they're not going to drop along the Wasatch Front.

[SLC PopPunk]

Got out and snapped some photos of projects around where I live.

The Hardison: https://imgur.com/tx1ZfYe

The Birdie: https://imgur.com/sdWpUQ9

The Magnolia: https://imgur.com/7Eams6I

The Cottonwood Broadway: https://imgur.com/Righrm7

5th East Apartments: https://imgur.com/STn02nl

[Rileybo]

Originally Posted by Atlas

Nope, there's an apartment complex going in there.

Enough of this blandness, please! There’s 20 of the same damn building being built right now.

[Makid]

Originally Posted by Rileybo

Enough of this blandness, please! There’s 20 of the same damn building being built right now.

Speaking of...

David Ross Scheer: Why do all the new apartment buildings look the same (and do they have to)?

https://www.sltrib.com/artsliving/20...tGtvja975ih0OI

You can hardly help noticing the boom in apartment construction in and around downtown Salt Lake City. If you look a little closer, you’ll see that they are very much alike, like the same doll dressed up in different outfits.

The buildings I’m referring to are five to seven stories tall and have a boxy shape. The ground floor is a parking garage, sometimes combined with shops. Four or five stories of apartments or condos sit on top of this concrete “podium,” so they’re often called podium buildings. They cover a large area compared to older apartment buildings, often taking up a considerable portion of a block face.

These buildings are prevalent because they maximize developers’ profits by balancing leasable floor area (more is better) with construction cost (less is better). The residential floors are built of light wood framing because this is much less expensive than concrete or steel. The building code restricts this construction type to four stories, five if special lumber is used. For structural stability, wood framing requires large areas of flat, uninterrupted walls from the foundation to the roof. This gives podium buildings their boxy shape.

Simply put, podium buildings represent a proven formula for creating marketable housing at a reasonable cost.

Podium buildings, which can achieve densities of 65-100 units per acre, are a response to the need for more affordable housing. Increasing density also contributes to sustainability by reducing the distance people need to commute to work and school, and making serving the area by transit more efficient.

So, bravo podium buildings, for playing an important part in solving our housing problems! But they could be even better if they were better designed.

Many podium buildings are street killers. Their ground floor parking garages come right up to the street edge of the property, creating a dead, blank wall (and no, windows into parking garages don’t help).

Their long street frontage worsens the problem. City planners have tried to avoid this by forcing some developers to provide commercial space along the street, with mixed results. Simply building commercial space doesn’t guarantee there is demand for it. In some cases, mandated commercial space has remained vacant or underused.

What can we do to ensure that their effect will be positive?

The answer is not to try to regulate design. Salt Lake City has design guidelines (rules, really) in its zoning regulations. They have not prevented podium buildings from diminishing the vitality of our streets and have been responsible for many overwrought designs that will look outdated in a few years (and make the buildings harder to maintain). The fact that the guidelines are written, interpreted and applied by city planners with little or no training in design may be have something to do with this. But my experience as an architect has shown me that trying to codify good design in written regulations doesn’t work. The cure is often worse than the disease.

A better solution is for designers (both architects and their clients) to create better buildings by following a few voluntary guidelines:

• Put active uses, not parking garages, on the street-facing sides of buildings.

• Think of these buildings as background buildings, not showpieces. Too often designers try to make their building stand out by virtue of its unique design, competing with each other to make their project more eye-catching than the rest. The result is the visual cacophony we’re starting to see on 400 South. Instead of seeing them as isolated objects, the designers of podium buildings should view them as background buildings that make up the fabric of the city. This should stimulate, not stifle, designers’ imaginations.

• Use only exterior materials that convey a sense of permanence as befits a major city. Materials like stone, brick, precast concrete and glass are appropriate. Materials like stucco and residential siding are not.