Salt Lake City: Official Development News Thread - Part 5

[Utah_Dave]

Now that you mention it. It looks like they intentionally left that west face of the DA building unfinished with the forethought another building would be built right up against it. Hmmm, the plot thickens

[Makid]

Originally Posted by Utah_Dave

Now that you mention it. It looks like they intentionally left that west face of the DA building unfinished with the forethought another building would be built right up against it. Hmmm, the plot thickens

Originally when the County purchased the land from CCR, they had the thought to put the DA office on the corner. A few in the County mentioned that it would be better to leave the corner for a future office building and move the DA office to where it is located today.

The DA office was built to accommodate the future tower to the West. This is why there is a lack of windows on the west wall.

Here is a link to information from 2016 about the DA office and possible tower:

https://www.buildingsaltlake.com/da-...-construction/

In October of 2013, the county purchased the 500 South parcel from Property Reserve, Inc. (PRI), the real-estate arm of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The original plan for the parcel was to include the new DA offices into a public/private partnership that would maximize the sites downtown and TOD (transportation oriented development) potential with a signature tower.

After failing to find the right partner, in 2015 the county decided to move forward on building the office building but to build it mid-block and ensure it has a smaller footprint so the remainder of the property could be sold to a developer.

According to David Hart of MOCA, a development consultant firm that worked on the DA office project, the undeveloped portion of the property could accommodate a highrise and parking structure. The undeveloped portion is a corner parcel and fronts both 500 South and Main Street and is direct across the street from the Courthouse TRAX station.

The property is in the Central Business District (D-1 zone). Buildings on a corner parcels in the D-1 zone can build outright up to 375 feet (about 30-stories). Developers can go taller by going through the Conditional Building and Site Design Review (CBSDR) process.

[SLCLvr]

Originally Posted by Orlando

Does anyone know what this "Copper Yards" is? (see the note on the Sears block in the image below)

Based on the SLC Planning Commission discussion today, Copper Yards is the official moniker for the project formerly known as the redevelopment of the Sears Block. The Jetty is the first element of Copper Yards.

[Wasatch Wasteland]

Originally Posted by Makid

Originally when the County purchased the land from CCR, they had the thought to put the DA office on the corner. A few in the County mentioned that it would be better to leave the corner for a future office building and move the DA office to where it is located today.

The DA office was built to accommodate the future tower to the West. This is why there is a lack of windows on the west wall.

Here is a link to information from 2016 about the DA office and possible tower:

https://www.buildingsaltlake.com/da-...-construction/

Interesting, it appears they are preserving land for a corner building. However, the project I’m talking about is directly in the middle of the block between the two parking garages, directly in line with the courthouse

[Orlando]

I thought the city had protected view corridors for the City/County Building tower and the Salt Lake Temple. UtPlanner, do you know? I would hate to have a building block the view of the tower from the west side. You can see it along the freeway. In London, they have a view ordinance to preserve sight lines to historic landmarks, such as St. Paul's Cathedral.

Maybe the new tower, referenced to be like the angled & faceted facade of the Bank of America Tower in NYC, is going to be like the Scalpel tower in London where it angles away to preserve the view towards the City & County Bldg. tower.

[Rileybo]

Gasp! We might lose a view of something we can see from another angle! :O

[Makid]

Originally Posted by Wasatch Wasteland

Interesting, it appears they are preserving land for a corner building. However, the project I’m talking about is directly in the middle of the block between the two parking garages, directly in line with the courthouse

Ah, very cool. Maybe this will speed up the corner tower and we can keep expanding the skyline.

[Orlando]

Here it is with the project taking the entire half of that block, but just for the podium. I'm hoping the tower is tight to the south corner, though. SLC zoning wants towers to be on the corners of the blocks anyways.

[UTPlanner]

The new DA's Office was purposefully set back from the corner to create developable space. The County created an RFP for the area through a public process and the successful development group is a partnership with Hines and PEG. PEG is to build a residential building directly on the corner of 500 S. and Main St. and Hines would build an office building in the center of the block between 400 to 500 S. on Main St. Both projects were pushing ahead fairly quickly prior to the COVID slowdown. I think they will start moving forward in the near future. PEG's design is fairly basic but the Hines design is very modern and interesting.

Regarding the view corridor to the City & County Building. The master plan discusses those views from east of the building. The state courthouse has already essentially blocked the view from the west.

[Wasatch Wasteland]

Originally Posted by Orlando

Here it is with the project taking the entire half of that block, but just for the podium. I'm hoping the tower is tight to the south corner, though. SLC zoning wants towers to be on the corners of the blocks anyways.

Move it in the middle between the parking garages directly in line with the courthouse and then you’re spot on with what the proposal looks like haha.

[UT_Presto]

It looks like a tower crane will be going up directly south of the SLC Temple. Yet ANOTHER tower crane to bless our crane skyline.

[Orlando]

Originally Posted by UTPlanner

The new DA's Office was purposefully set back from the corner to create developable space. The County created an RFP for the area through a public process and the successful development group is a partnership with Hines and PEG. PEG is to build a residential building directly on the corner of 500 S. and Main St. and Hines would build an office building in the center of the block between 400 to 500 S. on Main St. Both projects were pushing ahead fairly quickly prior to the COVID slowdown. I think they will start moving forward in the near future. PEG's design is fairly basic but the Hines design is very modern and interesting.

Regarding the view corridor to the City & County Building. The master plan discusses those views from east of the building. The state courthouse has already essentially blocked the view from the west.

Thanks UtPlanner. Are there any images or renderings available to the public? Since it is through a pubic RFP process, I would think there would be something for the public to view.
Also, is the PEG project just a mid-rise 7 to 8 story building?

Would this be in city or county records? Anybody else care to dig?

[Orlando]

[Rileybo]

4th South is screaming for a skyscraper at least the height of the Wells Fargo tower, but as it’s been said before, that site across from the courthouse is cursed. Fingers croooooosed.

[Boz]

Just looking at the London photo from several posts ago and I realize more and more how weird London's skyline looks. I don't like it at all. I'd sure take some of those buildings for SLC but something about the London skyline throws me off. Just seems like there's no rhyme or reason to it at all.

[Atlas]

Fingers crossed for both of those towers in the massing. Those would really move the center of mass southward! Now we just need to get something built on those huge parking lots all around downtown.

The next PC meeting on October 14 includes time extension requests for the Union Pacific Hotel and the Edison House, so those projects are still alive but have presumably been delayed. There are also design reviews for 800 S. State and the Kozo House Apartments, so assuming those pass they might be starting construction rather soon.

I also saw on the Sugar House construction website that Sugar Alley should be starting this week.

[Schmoe]

Originally Posted by Rileybo

4th South is screaming for a skyscraper at least the height of the Wells Fargo tower, but as it’s been said before, that site across from the courthouse is cursed. Fingers croooooosed.

Originally Posted by Orlando

The parking lot in the foreground of this photo from Orlando on SE corner of 4th South and 200 West is in play. InterNet is shopping it, and developers are circling.

[Utah_Dave]

Originally Posted by Boz

Just looking at the London photo from several posts ago and I realize more and more how weird London's skyline looks. I don't like it at all. I'd sure take some of those buildings for SLC but something about the London skyline throws me off. Just seems like there's no rhyme or reason to it at all.

I was thinking the same thing. I clicked on a few other links, perhaps you saw them too, where some new buildings either proposed or built were all crowded together so the silhouettes of the different buildings were lost. Particularly the “Shard” building. It pretty much blended into the other buildings. It was definitely too dense in my opinion. However I’m not sure if the image was current or just an image of some proposals all crammed together.

On a side note, this tower we speak of would be a mid block high rise. Would that put a ceiling on it of 375’ or could it go through a review process to go taller?

[Makid]

Originally Posted by Utah_Dave

I was thinking the same thing. I clicked on a few other links, perhaps you saw them too, where some new buildings either proposed or built were all crowded together so the silhouettes of the different buildings were lost. Particularly the “Shard” building. It pretty much blended into the other buildings. It was definitely too dense in my opinion. However I’m not sure if the image was current or just an image of some proposals all crammed together.

On a side note, this tower we speak of would be a mid block high rise. Would that put a ceiling on it of 375’ or could it go through a review process to go taller?

Mid-block has a height limit of 100' but with design review, there is no limit.

You may remember the original version of The Cascade with CCC was originally going to be 415'.

I would expect that the City will approve the height provided it isn't just a tall box with a flat roof.

[Ironweed]

Originally Posted by Orlando

You're welcome everyone. You can begin drooling now

If we get to this point, along with the developments outlined by Mr. Amazing, downtown will finally reach 'legit' status in my opinion.

More excitement for the city than I have seen in decades. (I'm 50.)

A couple of 500+ footers would be icing on the cake.