Salt Lake City: Official Development News Thread - Part 5

[RC14]

Originally Posted by jedikermit

but i waaaaaant a zions bank tower

We have Zion's Bank Tower at home.


Zion's Bank tower at home:

[Comrade]

Wild to say but I really miss the original pre-clad Kennecott Building. It was dated but the new version, while modern-ish initially, just looks bland as fuck now.



Definitely changed my feelings on it over the years because I initially liked the reclad.

And it's not like I hate it ... but eh

[bflatflat9]

Originally Posted by Comrade

Wild to say but I really miss the original pre-clad Kennecott Building. It was dated but the new version, while modern-ish initially, just looks bland as fuck now.



Definitely changed my feelings on it over the years because I initially liked the reclad.

And it's not like I hate it ... but eh

I prefer the reclad, but do kinda miss the old Albuquerque lookin version just for nostalgia.
And I don't think Zions is puttin anything up at 100 South Main anytime soon, seeing as they re-upped their lease til 2037.
Would be nice if they did double the current buildings height of 267 ft., and plunk it there tho.

[RC14]

I think the reclad looked cool in the 00s but now it feels like a typical suburban office building. Maybe in 20-30 years it will be retro and cool again.

[EPdesign]

I still wish they would have saved the old KeyBank tower. I liked how the skyline looked with the KeyBank and Gateway Tower West next to each other. In general I always like the box towers next to the non-box (world trade center included) towers and how clustered they looked. I think it’s nostalgia from my West High days, when we’d go to cross roads mall and I’d look up while riding the multiple escalators and I could see the corner of the tower through the glass ceiling…wow. 23 years ago. Anyways. I do love how the skyline has evolved.

[nushiof]

https://www.ksl.com/article/51462598/wes...lding-new-headquarters-in-salt-lake-city

1,000,000 sq feet and 5000 employees?! How tall do we think this will be?

[Atlas]

Originally Posted by nushiof

https://www.ksl.com/article/51462598/wes...lding-new-headquarters-in-salt-lake-city

1,000,000 sq feet and 5000 employees?! How tall do we think this will be?

1 million is definitely a lot! Isn't the Wells Fargo like 550k? I wonder what their plans are for the existing buildings too.

That side of downtown has always been the weakest in terms of urbanism, but having that many people working in the area will be a game changer.

[Makid]

It will depend on the overall design. One thing of note is that they do also plan to include some mixed-use elements to the block. The mixed-use segment(s) are not included in the 1,000,000 sq ft office space.

While a single building with a million sq ft would be large, I think it is more likely that we will see multiple office buildings and 1 or 2 mixed-use buildings.

My thought is that we will see 1 tower around 500,000 sq ft, another around 300,000 sq ft, and a third around 200,000 sq ft. The mixed use will likely be a hotel/apartment combination, possibly 2 of these.

From what was said previously, they want to have a courtyard of some sort (open space), a place to hold on-site graduations (ballroom or something similar) and have space to grow. So, we should expect it have thinner buildings to allow for future additions over time.

There has been some digging happening near the NW corner on the block recently. I think they want to go quickly on the construction. We should hopefully begin to see some early renderings and site layouts soon as they start going through the planning process.

[bflatflat9]

Originally Posted by Atlas

1 million is definitely a lot! Isn't the Wells Fargo like 550k? I wonder what their plans are for the existing buildings too.

That side of downtown has always been the weakest in terms of urbanism, but having that many people working in the area will be a game changer.

My daughter told me all this this morning, as she works from home for WGU.
She's been there 6 years, doing pretty well.
My guess is that they'll build a few mid rises, campus style, although there is potential for good heighth.

[wrendog]

Originally Posted by Makid

It will depend on the overall design. One thing of note is that they do also plan to include some mixed-use elements to the block. The mixed-use segment(s) are not included in the 1,000,000 sq ft office space.

While a single building with a million sq ft would be large, I think it is more likely that we will see multiple office buildings and 1 or 2 mixed-use buildings.

My thought is that we will see 1 tower around 500,000 sq ft, another around 300,000 sq ft, and a third around 200,000 sq ft. The mixed use will likely be a hotel/apartment combination, possibly 2 of these.

A 400 fter and a couple 250 fters would be aight

[Makid]

The BSL article does provide some additional insights:

https://buildingsaltlake.com/western-governors-university-confirms-plan-to-move-hq-to-slc/

...
The redeveloped site would not only serve as the primary office for WGU’s staff, the primarily online university would also include student spaces, the news release says. The redeveloped campus would also include space for its research and development wing, WGU Labs, as well as “the expansive technology teams foundational to WGU’s tech-native model and leadership and administrative groups,” the news release says.

Potential amenities at the new site include, “a collaboration space for shared R&D, an auditorium, simulation centers, showcase hubs for convening WGU and cross-sector innovation, a WGU welcome center, dining and refreshment options for employees and the surrounding community, an employee cafeteria, an on-site childcare center and ample open space for connection,” according to the news release.
...

The move puts Downtown in an interesting position, as WGU is likely not the only college to move into the area in the coming years. In 2024, the University of Utah bought the City Centre building at 175 E. 400 South, which consists of 236,000 square feet of office space. The university will likely move faculty into the building once existing leases expire, according to previous BSL reporting.

The conversion of the Sheraton Hotel into WGU’s mixed-use office hub is sure to be a boon to Downtown, as Salt Lake City’s office market has largely seen new developments put on hold amid current market conditions. Though demand exists for Class A office space, proposed projects in the area have largely stalled, with many office developments shifting south toward Silicon Slopes. However, the WGU move could shift the tide.

[RC14]

Here is the link to the press release. It says that construction will happen in phases and the 1million square feet will be at full build out.

Also, in the YouTube video they link to, it says that construction will start this fall and is anticipated to be completed in 2030.
https://www.linkedin.com/redir/redirect/...95oxUyK9XW-lBQdpSj2DvVIaacmQ&isSdui=true

[wrendog]

Originally Posted by RC14

Here is the link to the press release. It says that construction will happen in phases and the 1million square feet will be at full build out.

Also, in the YouTube video they link to, it says that construction will start this fall and is anticipated to be completed in 2030.
https://www.linkedin.com/redir/redirect/...95oxUyK9XW-lBQdpSj2DvVIaacmQ&isSdui=true

Excited to see actual plans. I mean with that much office space, mixed use space etc, there has to be some "tall" elements

Of course I remember being excited for the IHC downtown plans with much speculation of 20+story hospital buildings and the actual proposal was a massive dud of a few 8-10 story bland buildings. Lol

[airhero]

Built out over a full block, a 1,000,000 sq ft campus could look like a bigger Triad Center, which spreads ~450,000 sq ft (I think) over not even half a block. Depends on how extensive the non-office components are. No mention of a parking garage but I've got to assume that will be a component.

[wrendog]

Originally Posted by airhero

Built out over a full block, a 1,000,000 sq ft campus could look like a bigger Triad Center, which spreads ~450,000 sq ft (I think) over not even half a block. Depends on how extensive the non-office components are. No mention of a parking garage but I've got to assume that will be a component.

Well, that's not encouraging

[Makid]

Originally Posted by wrendog

Well, that's not encouraging

It could be though, if the WGU has close to a similar layout as the Triad Center, with parking garages and open space, the WGU block would contain 20+ story buildings.

The Triad Center has 10 and 12 story buildings with a total area of around `450K sq ft. At 1 million sq ft, we would need to at least double the heights of the Triad Center.

I think it will ultimately come down to how much open space is included in the project, and how much space is set aside for additional growth over time.

I do wonder how much parking will be included and how it will be structured.

I am still hopeful of a 30+ story tower with some smaller towers maybe around 20 or so stories.

Outside of the WGU talk, I should note that it might have been missed in the UofU taking over the Rio Grande Depot, the city is looking to rezone the land west of the depot to allow heights up to 600'. This is a 200' increase from the previous plans, so something may be brewing there.

If the land is controlled by the UofU, I wonder if we may see a height competition between the UofU, Smith Entertainment, and WGU.

[Rileybo]

I think we’ll be lucky to see anything over seven stories on that campus. WGUHQ in downtown Salt Lake is still good news.

[Boz]

I don't care about how tall any of the buildings are in that development. Really not important. More people walking around, spending money on things and bringing more life to the area. That's important.

[delts145]

Despite the hotel, that block has always been a bit of a waste of space. Mid-rises or taller will be a big improvement and should stimulate that area for more good infill. Admittedly, I would like to see one or two taller developments there, but I'll be glad to see the much improved density.

I hope May will usher in some lower and attractive interest rates along with other incentives leading into Summer. Something that will help developers to pencil out those 500-600 footers.

[Boz]

Originally Posted by Comrade

Wild to say but I really miss the original pre-clad Kennecott Building. It was dated but the new version, while modern-ish initially, just looks bland as fuck now.

Definitely changed my feelings on it over the years because I initially liked the reclad.

And it's not like I hate it ... but eh

Somewhat similar vibes to the Worthington; the pre-clad.