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Housing, commercial property and open space intended to turn blight into bustle; neighbors weary of more traffic problems

By Heather May
The Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated: 01/18/2007


The East Side Market at 1234 S. 1100 East has been vacant since October 2005 - and an eyesore to the surrounding Salt Lake City neighborhood.
Now, a plan exists to tear it down and replace it and an adjacent parking lot with new retail, six housing units and open space.
Mike Polich, through his company McP Investments, has gained approval from Salt Lake City to build a mixed-use project that he hopes will boost the neighborhood.
"It's a transition area between residents and commercial uses," Polich said of his property. "I wanted to put a slightly higher-impact product on there, something that [will give] that area a sense of place. That area was in dire need."
The corner where Polich's Harvard Yard will sit is adjacent to single-family homes and shops such as Liberty Heights Fresh and Kyoto Japanese Restaurant. Polich praised the shops and the homeowners, but noted his property is "blighted." He bought it a year ago from a company owned by the polygamist Kingston family.
Polich's project, which could be under construction this summer and finished late this year, will include 1,257 square feet of commercial space, three town homes and three lofts. One of the lofts already has sold, though Polich declined to disclose the price.
He described the units as "luxury-type products." Two town houses will boast 3,200 square feet, with four bedrooms and three bathrooms. Another will have 2,200 square feet. The lofts will range from 1,300 to 1,800 square feet. The lofts will have rooftop gardens.
Polich says the retail space could be filled by a coffee, flower or sandwich shop, interior decorator, or other office uses.
The small lot - it's 0.28 acre - also will include two bits of open space, he said. A small grassy lawn will be for the residents' use. And Polich plans to extend the public McClelland Trail, which now stops to the west, through his property to Liberty Heights Fresh.
Liberty Heights owner Steven Rosenberg calls Harvard Yard an "exciting project," praising the mixed-use design and the open space. He noted the 100 percent commercial lot will become 86 percent residential. And those new homeowners probably would shop in his market.
"It's an extremely exciting project. We're just excited to see the dirt turning."
Rosenberg may be turning his own dirt. He owns the vacant lot east of Liberty Heights and expects to start building a yet-to-be-announced retail project later this year.
Sarah Lovett rents the house to the north of the future Harvard Yard and wasn't familiar with Polich's plans. She doesn't like living next to a vacant lot.
"Sometimes it's a little creepy," Lovett said. "In the summer, I'll hear people in the parking lot. Doing what? I don't know."
She would be pleased if the commercial space houses a locally owned retailer. But she fears six residential units will be too much for a neighborhood already plagued by traffic. And she hates to see every parcel developed.
"I grew up in Heber where everything has been built up. I'm for open space."