:previous:
Yeah, I guess they're calling it 'SOSALA' now.. kind of a play of SoHo or something I guess. :cool:

That's actually pretty catchy. Watch out Sandy a serious new urban player has entered the ring. SOSALA Representin'!

Market Station
 

yeah SOSALA it is. I just got that same e-mal leerjet. Very cool! ... I can't wait until The areas from 2100 S. to DT are urbanized so we can start calling the 2100 S. area "Downtown" because it is and the 1300 S. area "Midtown" and the current DT area "Uptown" ... :cheers:

South Salt Lake will definitely benefit greatly from the project, but from the standpoint of most any ordinary person, I think the project will be perceived to be in Salt Lake City. Not many people realize that South Salt Lake's borders extend to 2100 S. in this part of town. If the project is going to create 'spill-over', a fair amount of that could happen in SLC; I'm certainly hoping for that effect in my neighborhood, just a few blocks to the north. 'Spill-over' benefits for South Salt Lake may end abruptly at I-80 to the south.

Strip bar stripped of lease - high court ends 10-year fight over site owned by Intermountain Healthcare

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1...236697,00.html

http://www.deseretnews.com/photos/midres/5672433.jpg
Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

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http://www.willieholdman.com/images/...kpano0407F.jpg
:banana: :banana: Relocation and Expansion in the Boomin Wasatch Front :banana: :banana:

Cementation USA moving United States Headquarters to Salt Lake County

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1...1,00.html?pg=1

- Cementation USA's move from Nevada will result in 422 new full-time jobs paying more than twice the county median wage...

- EBay looking to Salt Lake County for expansion and location of $334 million data storage center...

- Oracle building $285 million data center in West Jordan

- Frensenius USA looking toward third expansion in Ogden... an additional 500,000 square feet of space to existing operations... 1,111 additional jobs paying at least 50 percent above Weber County median wage...
.

Impressive!
 

Delts: Thanks for the post on Cementation and Oracle moves, and the expansion of Frensenius and Ebay. I've been thinking if this is a trend. I'm not sure. The companies are all dramatically different. Although Oracle and Ebay are building data centers, their core businesses are dramatically different.

I guess I'm trying to figure out if their is a unifying thread in this activity, something that would portend more relocations and expansions, like a highly skilled workforce in a particular area. That would be true for Oracle and Ebay, but not the other two. Maybe it's purely the economic incentives, but I doubt that since I read that Boise had promised Oracle the moon if they located there. I think Boise lost out because it is just too hard and time consuming to get in and out of Boise.

I guess if we could figure out what it is that drives companies to relocate or expand in certain areas, economic development would be a breeze. I used to think that is was all related to money. But with the development of the service economy we are in, the notion has grown stale. Service companies, like Oracle (Yes, I know Oracle does make products, but I also know most of Oracle's revenue comes from installation and support of these products, which is a service) depend primarily on attracting and keeping good employees. And I'm guessing that the ability to attract and keep employees is the primary reason where a company decides to locate or expand.

I am very interested in hearing other contributors opinions on what drives a company's decision to locate or expand, which is the essence of development.

The reasons companies relocate or expand can vary extensively. The most interesting one that I think is simply because the CEO wants to. This reason is the only reason we know have the wonderful Well Fargo Tower. American Stores was headquartered in the east, Pennsylvania I believe, the CEO decided he wanted to move to Salt Lake so wham, bam, they moved and built a new headquarters.

Other factors related to managements desires can range from lifestyle choices, do they like to ski, do they enjoy attending theatrical, musical, or sporting events. While economic incentive are a major part, simple things like these can tip the scale to a city offering less of those amenities.

Often times it is monetary reason, such as incentives that were mentioned. Convenience of travel to and from, if it's the headquarter or simply a regional office. The ability of executive, buyers, and vendors to have easy access is often times critical. SL Int being a hub is huge factor, this is one of the many reasons cities fight to retain hubs when airlines merge.

While SLC is not a major city in the county or the world, people have heard of it and know where it is. And what is the image of that city, is it a city that the best a brightest in that industry would be willing to move to. No offense to Boise but I'm sure there are many people around the world, maybe in the country that either haven't heard of it or don't know exactly where it is.

Another reason can be logistical, where are the companies customers located and were are the suppliers located. Being at the crossroads of I-80 & I-15 and within a few hours of 84 and 70 can be important as well.

Workforce is huge! Is there enough people in the area to fill new jobs being created by a move or an expansion. Are these people trained and is there capacity for education and training in close proximity.

The reasons are numerous and that is why cities employ entire economic development departments, not only to develop incentives but to know all the random data that may be requested.

posting error.

Future Mayor presents a lot of good points. But from my experience in the corporate world, most major corporations, incentives and tax breaks are the main reasons why companies will relocate. Take Boeing for example. They had it good in Seattle, but once their tax breaks were up, they went looking for a new city. Seattle offered some new ones but Chicago gave Boeing what they wanted. Although your view of a CEO moving a company because he/she wants to, I think this can be misleading. Some CEO’s might be able to do this but not the majority of them can because they have to answer to the board of directors and shareholders. And if they don’t agree with what the CEO has proposed to them, then they wont let the move happen. Just my 2 cents…

American Stores Tower/Wells Fargo
 

Future Mayor:

If I remember my history correctly, American Stores was already headquartered in SLC before they built their tower. The founder of American Stores was Sam Skaggs, who's father began with a small store on 3rd W. and about 5th No. I believe it was Comrade who wrote earlier, the original location for the AS Tower was going to be WVC, until SLC made them a better offer. For years, AS was headquarted in the International Center, just west of SLC Int.

Sam was a character, and the family continues to be very influential in SLC.

What Boeing Reported in the Press
 

Anyiliang: When Boeing made the move from Seattle to Chicago, they reported in the press that they were making the move to be closer to financial markets. Of course, a corp. staff, even for a company the size of Boeing, is not large, probably a few hundred. I still think for service companies, like the IT side of Boeing, the primary consideration is the ability to attract and hold employees. I know when SAP established their US headquarters, just west of Philly, the primary considerations were access to an international airport, inexpensive land, and an area where engineers, lots of engineers, would live. I do know, however, when CIBER Systems, a pretty good sized IT services company (over $1B in revenue) relocated from Detroit to Denver, the primary reason was because the CEO wanted to be closer to skiing. The same was true in the late 80's, when Ziff-Davis (the publishing giant) was considering moving to Sandy. The boss loved Snowbird. They backed out of the deal, however. Rumor was that many of their key people did not want to relocate from Boston to Sandy.

I stand corrected on the American Stores headquarters. I know there was something involving one of the high executive in the company that moved to UT when the tower was finished. The restaurant that was on the second floor of the building when it was built was originally located in Philly and when that particular executive moved to SLC, he was the restaurants best customer and the owner decided to move along with the executive.

I am figuring that they must have had the headquarters in SLC and continued to have some operations in Philly until the tower was built and the must have consolidated. I guess I was assuming that this particular executive moved when the entire company relocated but I was mistaken.

That would of been crazy and stupid if the 24 story AS Tower ( Wells Fargo ) would of been built in WV.

Quick housing market recovery predicted for Wasatch Front.

Downturn 'in many ways good'

http://davisclipper.com/default.asp?...rtoday&he=.com

He cited an article in the May issue of “Professional Builder” that highlighted the Salt Lake City area, and four other markets, as among those it believes “will come back fast.”

“Our (overall) inventory is relatively new. We have a little extra, but not as much,” Wilson said. “We have one of the strongest economies.

.

:previous:

Yup Utah pretty much kicks @$$ (butt!)

:previous: Here's that article from Professional Builder

http://theherringinstitute.com/News/.../TBC-Cover.jpg

By Susan Bady, Senior Editor, Design, Professional Builder

Population Explosion - Salt Lake City

http://a330.g.akamai.net/7/330/2540/...t_saltlake.jpg

Salt Lake City is in a housing slump right now. "But when the light turns green, there's going to be squealing of tires," predicts Curtis Dowdle, executive officer with the Salt Lake Home Builders Association.

Brad Wilson of Destination Homes thinks Salt Lake City will rebound in early 2009. "We have a very strong economy and one of the lowest unemployment rates in the United States," says Wilson. "A lot of companies are relocating here. For the long term, we're bullish."

Salt Lake City trails the national market by 12 to 18 months and didn't begin to experience a slowdown until 2007, says Eric Allen, director of the Utah/Idaho division of MetroStudy, a housing research firm. However, he thinks prospects for a quick recovery are good. "Our housing inventory has always been very low," says Allen. "We're not a spec market."

Salt Lake City's construction sector accounts for approximately 25 percent of its job growth. Commercial construction is at a record level and absorbed many workers who were sidelined by the residential slowdown. Other job sectors, including business services and education services, are also healthy, says Allen: "We're creating 40,000 jobs a year just in the greater Salt Lake market."

Single-family attached housing has picked up in the last few years because it's more affordable than detached — under $220,000, says Allen. Some of that product is being built downtown, where redevelopment projects continue at a steady pace.

Allen forecasts approximately 7,000 single-family starts in 2008. They'll slowly begin to increase in early 2009.

Utah's birth rate is almost double the national average, so there are many large families. According to a University of Utah study, 30,000 new households will be created in 2008. Yet the fastest-growing demographic in the Wasatch Front (the three-county area in which most of the city's population resides) is 60- to 69-year-olds. "We have a kind of mecca mentality," says Dowdle. "Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints like to retire in Salt Lake City after living and working elsewhere."


.

This just irritates me...... but I cant help but laughing at it...:haha:

http://sandy.utah.gov/fileadmin/down...grams_6-08.pdf

Ok lets pull every parking spot within 5 miles, even though we dont even own it. What a freakn joke.... shoulda seen that one coming a mile away.....idiots.

btw, anyone been keeping tabs on the attendance of the games lately.... The RSL are having a decent season...and attendance has been rather low, they are doing well overall in the league as far as attendance goes, but as far as filling up a stadium lacking big time... And I'm not talking at Rice Eccles that seats a crap load. I am talking about filling their new stadium..

btw, the bidding for a 6 story selecthealth building in murray on the west side of the freeway at 54th in that "towers complex" went out for bidding today. looks very similar to the current tower on site.

I told myself I would not post anything on development in Sandy anymore, but I guess I can repent later tonight...Forgive me father for I have sinned.

found these posted back in April on the site below.

http://prosceniumutah.files.wordpres...pg?w=400&h=269

http://prosceniumutah.wordpress.com/

way large scale...

http://prosceniumutah.files.wordpres...ndy-city-7.jpg

Your right
 

Future Mayor: You're right. The restaurant was called Il San Savio, after the owners home town in Italy. It was wonderful. I was distraught when it closed. By the way, the executive in question was Sam Skaggs.

Thanks for that new rendering Viper. Is it me or do these towers in that new rendering look like they got downsize a few floors. They don't seem to be at 30-stories any more. :{

:banana: :banana: Stadium nears completion - Construction crews are praised for quick work:banana: :banana:

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1...237428,00.html

http://www.deseretnews.com/photos/midres/5686636.jpg
Alan, left, and Adam Jones, the first season ticket holders for the new stadium, check out the view from their front-row midline seats with Leo the Lion. (Kristin Murphy, Deseret News)

Crews have done extraordinary work to get the stadium ready to go within about 18 months, Rindlisbacher said. Last summer, temperatures on the work site reached 130 degrees, when the hot sun reflected off fresh concrete. Conversely, over the hard winter, men had to use propane torches to melt ice off the stairs.

Audio slideshow

http://www.deseretnews.com/photo/sli...7,5077,00.html

.

In defense of the parking plan that seems to be how it works with professional sports arena's and stadiums that are built in somewhat developed areas. To create a slighly more dense development they need to rely on nearby parking. I'm pretty sure the Delta Center had to do a similar analysis when it was built, showing that there were enough available parking spots for the anticipated crowd, non of which were owned by them. The E-Cetner is a different story, it was built on an empty field. If RSL had provided enough parking that they owned then everyone would be complaining that they were a bunch of idiot beause they surrounded the new stadium with a sea of parking lots.

RSL Stadium is in Sandy, we need to move on and accept it.

:previous:
Agreed. :tup:

I am not an expert at the history of the stores, but at some point the stores owned by Skaggs and the Alpha Beta chain merged (My father worked for Skaggs Alpha Beta in the International Center), which was later bought out by American Stores (when my Dad's job ended and the company moved out), at which point AT&T Universal Card moved into the building.

30 story towers down to 25 story towers?
 

Downsizing already?

http://prosceniumutah.files.wordpres...pg?w=400&h=269

:previous:
Looking at this rendering more it looks like the tower in the middle will be office space and the other towers on the side look more like housing units. :tup:

The first tower on the far left looks to be around 24-25 stories
The middle tower in the rendering looks to be the tallest at around 26-28 stories
The far right towers looks to be the shortest at around 20-21 stories.

Downsizing already?

http://prosceniumutah.files.wordpres...pg?w=400&h=269

:previous:
Looking at this rendering more it looks like the tower in the middle will be office space and the other towers on the side look more like housing units. :tup:

The first tower on the far left looks to be around 24-25 stories
The middle tower in the rendering looks to be the tallest at around 26-28 stories
The far right towers looks to be the shortest at around 20-21 stories.

^
I hope they didn't downsize. Even though they will be in Sandy.

I am so conflicted with this project. On one hand I don't see that "DT :haha: " Sandy has the demand for 40+ floors of residential but who knows, and incase anyone is wondering I am a HUGE Homer for SLC and want to see it grow. On the other hand I like the look of the development I do like the idea of having more overall skyline in the valley and maybe new "DT" Sandy becoming more urban in the next couple of decades.

I like the idea of the towers being different heights, I think it would give it a little more character and dimension than three identical heights.

With the state of the Utah and Wastach Front economy I would like to see this project come about, less the theater of course :yuck:. If this or the Gehry project eclipse SLC for the tallest I think it will be only a matter of a couple of years before DT SLC once again has the tallest. It will be some business owner or developer (what I hope to be really soon) that LOVES SLC and will figure out a way to build one that is even taller. It won't the typical battle of ego's like two banks in the same city saying "Mine is bigger than yours" but rather the one city (SLC), saying to Lehi or Sandy. "How dare you even have the thought that yours is bigger than mine". :yes: I honestly see DT SLC breaking the 35 story mark in the next 10 years possibly even the 40.

The architect of the LDS Church Office Building must have had the "mine is bigger than yours" mentality, since it's even shaped like a cock and balls. :haha:

I agree Future Mayor big time. I have felt for some time that the Gehry project or even perhaps the Sandy project will give downtown leaders a bit of the competitive bug. I remember well when one of the city council exclaimed in so many words, that she had felt that 222 south main should be a little more creative. Hamilton responded that it was more than good enough for Salt Lake City. While I like the 222 project, that remark has always left me a bit offended. I would like to see the Gehry project kick butt in a few of the right places, meaning certain egos.

These developers certainly know more than I do about current market conditions and proposed absorbtion rates so I do not question whether or not they can fill those towers. I'm just a planner not a developer.

I do agree that having competition in life is a great thing. It reminded me a bit of LA. I visited LA very recently and downtown LA is finally full of activity and life. There is a night life and lots of residents. There are new towers and projects developing all over. This is something you don't see in their suburbs as much as you did the 1970's and 80's.

LA has created an environment that is pro development and has been granting much higher densities. Maybe SLC needs to follow suit. This doesn't mean that the city abandons its principles of good urban design, what it does is reinforce those principles by rewarding developers for following suit. That creates a win-win situation. Higher density generally equates to greater heighth and then we have some decent downtown growth. That should make us all happy.

Betting on Gehry
 

Delts: As more time passes and I learn more and more about the potential impact the Gehry_Lehi project could have on the whole state, the more anxious I become to see the renderings of the project...No, forget the renderings. I want to see the project built...even if it is in Lehi, which I used to consider the first town you meet in the foreign country directly south of Salt Lake. The positive impact of the Gehry project on the whole region could be impressive, possibly giving pause to the Hamilton Partners people before they make smug remarks about areas outside of Chicago. I don't want to get my hopes too high. Come on Frank!:worship:

Greek maker of wireless ISP equipment brings U.S. operations to Draper
By Debbi Olson
The Enterprise

A Greek manufacturer of outdoor wireless networking equipment for the wireless ISP market has opened its first U.S. operations in Draper.

E-zy.net's presence in the U.S. market currently consists of a warehouse and manufacturing facility located at 693 Draper Heights Way and is under the direction of Scott Parsons as chief operating officer.

The company opened in Draper primarily because of Parsons, founder and former owner of Pacific Wireless.

"E-zy.net was one of our customers when we were manufacturing and designing microwave antennas," Parsons said. "They wanted to bring their products to the U.S. and I had just sold my company so I was available to do something. So that's how it ended up here in Utah."

While the company currently has several customers in the United States, its new facilities in Draper will allow it to serve its growing customer base west of the Mississippi River.

"This latest manufacturing and distribution center will allow us to better serve our customers throughout the United States," said Dimitrios Sidiropoulos, chief executive officer of E-zy.net. "The Salt Lake City location is a great centrally located and low cost location with rapid shipping capabilities to the western and central states."

Since February, Parsons and his staff have been working with their Greek counterparts in research and development of new products that will be introduced to the U.S. market in August. At that time the company is planning to add a sales department to the Draper office and begin assembly-line manufacturing.

"We're a small business in a niche market," Parsons said. "By the end of the year we'll have about eight to 10 employees. We expect to grow to about 20 employees and expect to move to a larger location by the end of the year."

Parson's said that Sidiropoulos sought him out to run the U.S. operations because of his knowledge and contacts within the industry, and his success with his Pacific Wireless business.

"After you start up one company it's been easier to do another one," Parsons said. "E-zy.net has been around for about five or six years in Greece, mostly selling into the Middle East, Europe and Africa areas. The CEO has wanted to do business in the U.S. for a long time but he didn't have any way to get it going. I am facilitating that for him."

All of the products manufactured in the Draper facility will be distributed throughout the United States, primarily in California, Colorado, Texas and Arizona. E-zy.net designs and manufactures both short and long range high speed wireless communications products. The company's indoor and outdoor WLAN products are standard-based to insure interoperability. The company also develops customized wireless products to meet specific OEM customer requirements.

Speaking of Draper, for those of you that haven't checked out the new Harmons yet at Bangerter Crossing, take a few minutes and run by if your in the area. I was very impressed. It was like a hybrid cross between Gelson's in L.A.,(high-end grocery store in the Century City Center,) crossed with a large Whole Foods market, again in a tony Hollywood/L.A. location. Hopefully, they'll be following much of the same pattern with their new downtown SLC location.

The Junction @ Midvale
 

This is probably the largest TOD under construction right now.
It's located between 7200 So. and 8000 So. from 700 west to the Jordan River. It's being developed By Wasatch Residential (same as Wasatch Prpoerties). The first phase is scheduled to be completed in early 2009. Phase one has 390 residential units. Total residential for the entire project is 1200 units.
It also has loads of retail and office space all centered around the new Bingham Junction light rail station. I dont have any pics but the first 5 buildings are under construction. I've been working on this for a while sorry I couldn't tell you guys about it until now.:cheers:

We talked about this ages ago, but no one has brought it up for a long time now. This has me also wondering about the reclamation site (Bingham Junction) Give us some more insights SLCdave, if you can. How do Bingham Junction and the Junction at Midvale relate? Are they both part of the same cleanup site?

Junction at Midvale
http://junction.gardneradvantage.com...ial-Design.jpg

Architectural Design

The majority of historical referenced and eclectic architectural buildings of The Junction are oriented along central boulevards with key intersections containing a high level of activity and detail. The commercial, office and retail centers of the development will designed to create a walk-able retail experience, varied storefronts and elevations reference new urbanism with a main street appeal, at the pedestrian scale. Exterior finishes for the buildings in the Commercial/Business District, for example, are to be finished with the following materials, colors as selected from the enclosed color palette:

Brick
Trenwyth Prairie Stone (used predominantly at the Base)
EIFS - (used predominantly on the Upper Stories)
Standing Seam Metal at Roof overbuilds and Canopies
Fiberglass/Metal panel
Glass/Alum. Storefront
Metal frame shading devices (shop-applied paint finish)

The Junction at Midvale also seeks to achieve excellence in the design and implementation of site landscaping. The guidelines describe minimal acceptable standards for site development. Guidelines have been prepared for the three private districts and public rights-of-way within The Junction at Midvale. It is required that landscape plans include the use of plant species that are drought tolerant. Xeriscape principles are to be used in plant selection to create a sustainable landscape that promotes water conservation

Bingham Junction
http://www.stantec.com//PublishingIm...mJunction_.jpg

Midvale, Utah,

Stantec was retained by a developer to provide environmental and engineering services to assist in the development of a transit-oriented development (TOD) land use plan and feasibility analysis for this 221-acre Superfund Site formerly occupied by a mining processing plant. Stantec completed a master plan and feasibility study and created Design Guidelines to a guide the developer in optimizing potential land users, and provide a road map to achieve a final design.

The Bingham Junction project will orient a mix of parks and trails, residential, retail, office, and research park uses around the proposed Mid-Jordan Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line and Station. The master plan and feasibility study will guide the developer in optimizing potential land uses and provide a road map to achieve a final design.

Stantec is assisting the client to gain LEED Certification for the office buildings within the first phase of this project. Stantec is preparing engineering, landscape and irrigation construction documents. This area will be xeriscaped throughout; the design includes low maintenance plants and a centralized climate-based control system. The majority of the irrigation will be drip, which will reduce water use 50% based upon conventional irrigation and conventional landscape. Limited turf areas will have drainage liners placed beneath to convey any runoff to the storm drainage system to prevent infiltration through contaminated substrata.

Over 40 acres have been dedicated as open space and are planned to include a trail system, a boardwalk in a wetland area, and thematic elements throughout.

Site, Bingham Junction
http://www.midvalecity.org/img/image.../BJ%20Clip.jpg
http://junction.gardneradvantage.com...es/map1_lg.jpg

Looks like a pretty big undertaking. Just found the website: http://junction.gardneradvantage.com/ourTeam.cfm

It's gonna have a lot more residential units than some of the other TODs.

Just comparing with Market Station; 600-700 residential units, 160,000 sq ft retail, 250,000 sq ft class A office space and $500 million budget; do you know how this will stack up? Looks like it'll be 2,000 residential units but how many sq ft of retail/office? Any idea what their budget is?

The reclamation area you are talking about is where they are building right now. Rough address is 850 west 7800 so. The residential buildings are 3 stories tall and they are being built on the reclamation site. In total there will be 50 residential buildings with anywhere from 20-30 (all 3 stories) units per building. They are very high end condos. Lots of stone and hardie board siding.
Right now because of the market they are planning on renting them out, but Delloy said the decision can be made overnight to market them as condos. As I said the whole area is Called The Junction ( or Bingham Junction) and the website referenced by leerjet is one component. I have not seen plans for the retail and office, but I have seen the project plat map that shows them.

Thanks for calling this to our attention SLCdave. This is one very exciting project that we just kind of lost track of. Midvale/Gardner and whoever else, hasn't hyped this development for a couple of years now. I'm especially intrigued by what sounds like a very cool style and quality of vintage architectural design.

:tup: Thanks SLCdave, definitely keep us posted.

The developer who hired Stantec to do the civil is Wasatch and they are the main developer for the entire site. They are sub contracting sections to others to get it done faster. We should see alot of movement there in the next 2 years.

There is something that is getting develop right now just north of 7200 South. Not sure if that's part of the over all Junction project. But there are a few buildings there that look to be townhouse and apartments. Those have been there for about a year now.

Just another observation on the new Harmon's at Bangerter's Crossing. This store represents a definite new trend for the Wasatch Front. Frankly, I think it even one-ups many of the newest and nicer markets in So. Cal. that I frequent. It's also pretty obvious that Harmon's is throwing down the gauntlet in regard to the forthcoming entrance of Whole Foods into the Wasatch Market. You will also understand a reason for perhaps why the new downtown location opted out of additional floors above it's store on the Social Hall Block. Check it out! :tup:

I remember growing up and occasionally my mom would go to the Old Harmons in Fort Union, where Smiths is now and it always seemed a lot lower end than the Dans that she normally went too. I too have noticed recenlty that Harmons has really started to step it up, they along with Dans and Maceys are the only "locally" owned stores anymore. I think as the Wasatch has matured and diversified Harmons has probably decided to go for the higher end niche of the market, I think alot of times it is that market segment that appreciates the locally owned businesses and if they are providing a higher end product or atmosphere they are more than willing to support it. Good move for Harmons. I have always felt that of the various grocery stores chains along the Wasatch that Harmons was the best fit for the CBD.

I'm not sure Delts how this comment relates "You will also understand a reason for perhaps why the new downtown location opted out of additional floors above it's store on the Social Hall Block". Why would Harmons throwing down the gauntlet regarding Whole Foods make them not want additional floors above the DT location? Maybe I'm not following the logic. :shrug: I would think that to create an even more urban, chic atmosphere they would want to be part of a more mixed use building.


Bingham Junction

I really like the reuse of a former brownfield site rather than a new swatch of greenfield for this project. This really is developing responsibly. I have also always thought that Historic Main St in Midvale had a TON of character. It has gone through it's phases of being really popular and having it's hard times as well, (currently). I think this development could really help Main St. revitalize. Yes the amenities that a mixed use center provide are great, but it seems that despite the new factor and the attempt to recreate Main Streets of days gone by, that the historic places still hold some allure to people.

I remember several years ago maybe 6-10, there was a proposal for a microbrewery on historic Midvale Main St, and the city did not approve the zoning to allow it, they didn't feel it was the right atmosphere for their city, I think that was the nail in the coffin of the street at that time. (apparently they thought that decaying and abandoned was a more appropriate atmosphere) :haha:

Bingham Junction being so close, with potentially a few thousand residents, and being a transit oriented development, this mix of demographics would be prime to transform Main St back into something exciting and vibrant. A place for clubs, restaurants, eclectic shops, maybe even a comedy club again. Hopefully Mecham doesn't own the buildings so that as soon as it become vibrant he rips it down.

I edited that portion above with a dozen or so added words, so reread it and hopefully it will make more sense. Basically, the height of the new Harmon's interior would be a much larger cost outlay than a much lower ceiling. When you consider that Cowboy Partner's is the developer, then you just have to hold your breath on whatever is being developed. Though, I do think the Harmon Brothers themselves have insisted that their downtown location will be very chic inside. The Harmon Brother's concept of what type of atmosphere should be an attractive and competitive alternative to Whole Foods, and what 'el cheapo Cowboy Partners' would be willing to contribute above Harmons, were probably two different planets.

.

I've always thought there little main street has so much potential! I hope this development will give it more lifeblood! If you get the chance, visit the little museum on Main Street. Its free!

Maybe I'll have to start exploring some development opportunities along Main in Midvale. :sly:

Both Main and West Center (close-in toward Main) I think will present some great opportunities.