Provo MSA Development Thread

[leebuddy]

Think i'm going to be sick. Those buildings look like they are about to fall down at any givin time. Don't like this work, but buildinggurl LOVES his work. LOL

[BuiLDing GuRL]

Originally Posted by leebuddy

Think i'm going to be sick. Those buildings look like they are about to fall down at any givin time. Don't like this work, but buildinggurl LOVES his work. LOL

ha ha ha..... Lee only says this because I HATE FRANK GEHRY!!! When Lee showed me that post I spent like 20 minutes going over why I hate him so much. His style just goes against mine a full 180 degrees.

[leebuddy]

Some of renowned architect Gehry's projects.



Come to think of it Gehry's face looks melted in that pic just like his builidings. LOL. Maybe that's how he get's his ideas is just looking at himself.

I wounder what he's going to design in Lehi? Office space? Hotel? Retail? Condos? What?

[Viperlord]

being an architecture student, and having studied Gehry a ton. I can honestly say that I do not agree with his work. It's just not my cup of tea. But many people love his work, however I am not too fond of it. I'll take a frank lloyd wright, or an I.M. Pei creation anyday over a gehry.

[Viperlord]

Brandt is also the general partner and owner of a real estate project for which he has employed the services of world-renowned architect Frank Gehry of Frank O Gehry and Associates. When completed, this Gehry collaboration in Lehi, Utah promises to become an architectural icon of the Western United States and marks the first time Frank Gehry has agreed to work on a project in the State. The project will include a wakeboard lake, high-end lifestyle shopping and restaurants, as well as a five star hotel and residential community.

[delts145]

I have to admit, I do like the Disney Concert Hall. But I think we could only deal with one downtown as a part of our eclectic collection. I do understand why he has an adoring following though.


Okay, so call me old fashioned, but this is my idea of a great concert hall.

[leebuddy]

Originally Posted by Viperlord

Brandt is also the general partner and owner of a real estate project for which he has employed the services of world-renowned architect Frank Gehry of Frank O Gehry and Associates. When completed, this Gehry collaboration in Lehi, Utah promises to become an architectural icon of the Western United States and marks the first time Frank Gehry has agreed to work on a project in the State. The project will include a wakeboard lake, high-end lifestyle shopping and restaurants, as well as a five star hotel and residential community.

Is that the same new Hotel that is being planned for Thanksgiving point?

[BuiLDing GuRL]

Originally Posted by Viperlord

being an architecture student, and having studied Gehry a ton. I can honestly say that I do not agree with his work. It's just not my cup of tea. But many people love his work, however I am not too fond of it. I'll take a frank lloyd wright, or an I.M. Pei creation anyday over a gehry.

I'm with ya Viper. I have also studied architecture and had the great honor of doing a report on Frank Gehry. Needless to say, I almost killed myself trying to find nice things. My field is on the historical preservation side so I like a more classic feel to things. I LOVE I.M. Pei! Not only are his designs beautiful but he is such a charming man.

[delts145]

IM Pei is definately one of the Greats. I would like to see him design a new tallest for Downtown Salt Lake.

One of my favorite towers is IM Pei's Bank of China in Hong Kong

[delts145]

Okay, so back to the less glamorous world of Happy Valley. Of course, I guess Sundance sounds pretty glamorous to people in Hong Kong.

By Sara Israelsen
Deseret Morning News
LINDON — What used to be farmland is now a well-landscaped road that slices through west Lindon providing quick access to the freeway and, as of yet, undeveloped land.


Stuart Johnson, Deseret Morning News
A worker removes covers and adjusts the stoplights at 700 North and Geneva Road in Lindon.

City officials and construction managers uncovered the traffic signals and removed orange blockades Thursday afternoon to officially open the new section of road in Lindon at Geneva Road that runs west from 700 North for just over a mile.
The two-lane road with a landscaped median is expected to carry about 20,000 vehicles per day, city engineers project, eventually joining up with a Pleasant Grove connection near the I-15 freeway entrance.
It's all zoned commercial, which will add to the future marketability of the land.
"This gets the gateway on the north side of our city opened up," said Lindon mayor Jeff Acerson.
Alongside the road is more than 100 acres of commercially zoned land. Painted turn lanes were included in the project to accommodate the anticipated commercial development along the road.
The 40 mph road will eventually become two lanes in each direction, said Mark Christensen project manager for J-U-B Engineers, who designed the project.
"The city will see increased convenience for Lindon and Pleasant Grove residents, as well as (increased) tax revenue from growth, "Christensen said. Construction was by Condie Construction.
The project, which came in $150,000 under budget, cost $4.7 million and includes more than 10,000 feet of sewer pipe, nearly 340,000 square feet of asphalt, an at-grade railroad crossing and a traffic signal.
"In a day where things are constantly going over (price), it's nice to know that we went under," Acerson said with a chuckle.
The road has been on the city's master plan for about eight years, and ever since the I-15 interchange at Pleasant Grove and Lindon was completed four years ago, the road has been a big priority, said city planning and zoning director Adam Cowie.
Pleasant Grove is scheduled to finish its quarter mile of the road in the spring.
The right-of-way for the road was donated by property owners on both sides of the road with the understanding that the city would build it, Cowie said.
The eight-light intersection includes cameras that will eventually be connected to the Utah Department of Transportation monitoring system because Geneva Road is a state-owned road.


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[keltose]

There is some vacant land there that I guess they want to put in a little restaurant park. That area could use some more dining, everywhere I go for lunch or dinner is packed!!!

[Wasatch_One]

That would be nice in and around the PTC... It looks like there has actually been quite a bit of development in the area...

I would also like to see more restaurants go in around Center St. in Provo. For Example, Tepenyaki needs to build a new building!!! I like that place, but it has a horrible building. It would be nice to see them build a new location either downtown or around the Provo Towne Centre

[leebuddy]

Originally Posted by keltose

There is some vacant land there that I guess they want to put in a little restaurant park. That area could use some more dining, everywhere I go for lunch or dinner is packed!!!

Welcome to the forum keltose. That does look like a cool looking project.

[i-215]

I don't care how famous this Gheary dude is...



If I were a city councilman and shown that I'd vote a solid "NO."

[delts145]

Originally Posted by Viperlord

Brandt is also the general partner and owner of a real estate project for which he has employed the services of world-renowned architect Frank Gehry of Frank O Gehry and Associates. When completed, this Gehry collaboration in Lehi, Utah promises to become an architectural icon of the Western United States and marks the first time Frank Gehry has agreed to work on a project in the State. The project will include a wakeboard lake, high-end lifestyle shopping and restaurants, as well as a five star hotel and residential community.

I-215, I agree with you as far as the squeezed tootpaste tube look. I would like to see the rendering of the project for Lehi though. I can't imagine it would be designed along the same theory as the, "Squeeze Look".

[jedikermit]

I think the Gehry idea is fascinating...and it will certainly make for a unique building in Utah. I'm more of a classicist myself, but my curiosity is certainly piqued. Gehry. In Lehi. Didn't see that one coming.

[delts145]

Originally Posted by jedikermit

I think the Gehry idea is fascinating...and it will certainly make for a unique building in Utah. I'm more of a classicist myself, but my curiosity is certainly piqued. Gehry. In Lehi. Didn't see that one coming.

Man, I just would not have imagined Lehi being so strongly progressive as it has been over the past 10 or 15 years. I mean, look at the way they have grabbed all that land from the top of Suncrest and consolidated it in to Lehi proper. Then their many coop's with the likes of Micron, etc. I think that the Ashton's helped to get the ball rolling with their big committment of Thanksgiving Point. And then it doesn't hurt to have Lehi's geographic location.

[delts145]

This is such a cool town hall. I was so glad to see them restore it to its original glory. Right next to it is an incredible old school just waiting for it's big restoration day.

By Rosalie Westenskow
Deseret Morning News
AMERICAN FORK — The peals of a historic bell will once again ring out over American Fork, city officials announced at the rededication ceremony Tuesday for the original City Hall.


Tom Smart, Deseret Morning News
Holiday lights adorn the exterior of the renovated American Fork City Hall.

The ceremony celebrated the resurrection of one of the city's oldest buildings and had so many attendees that people lined the stairways leading up to the historic building's top floor, where the ceremony was held.
The newly renovated building, constructed in 1903, displays the bell that originally hung in the building's bell tower more than 100 years ago. Purchased for $211.17 just 36 years after the city's founding, the sound of the bell reflected the community's emotions, said Karen Adams of the Daughters of Utah Pioneers in a speech at the rededication ceremony.
"It acted as the very pulse of our community," Adams said.
Sorrow, joy and disasters were relayed to the citizens through the bell, Adams said. It rang to call the people to worship and to mourn the dead; its peals announced the end of wars and warned children of a 9 p.m. curfew in place decades ago.
After the City Hall began to deteriorate, the bell was given to the Daughters of Utah Pioneers, who kept the bell until the renovation was completed.
The restoration attempted to maintain the original building as much as possible, including its ornate, metal ceiling, said Allen Roberts, the principal architect for the project and former architectural historian for the state.
Restoring the ceiling, which had been hidden for years above a lowered ceiling, cost approximately $60,000, and about 60 percent of the tin and zinc panels are the originals, said Roberts, of Cooper Roberts Simonsen Architects.
The ceremony also celebrated the completion of "American Fork City The Growing Years," a history of the city that has been 33 years in the making.
Written by Betty Spencer, the 370-page book details the city's history, beginning in the Great Depression.
As a former journalist, Spencer covered American Fork City Council meetings for 10 years and, while conducting research for the book, spent three days a week for seven years reading archived City Council meeting minutes.
Once, while reading through a meeting's minutes, she came across the story of a family living in the city during the Great Depression.
"A mother, a father and eight young children had been evicted from their home and were living in a tent in a field," she said.
Citizens brought this issue before the City Council and a local LDS bishop said he would take care of the family. Spencer said this story is what prompted her to begin the history with the Great Depression.
Both the restoration and the book were praised by Mayor Heber M. Thompson.
"With the right vision and the right skill and, of course, some money, you see this is a beautiful heritage restoration," he said. "I think it's a wonderful legacy that we have preserved.

[i-215]

Deseret Towers Implosion Cancelled!

Use of explosives nixed for demolition of towers
By Joe Bauman
Deseret Morning News
The Utah Air Quality Board on Wednesday turned down a request by Brigham Young University to allow explosive demolition of two aging residence halls on campus.
Two of the seven buildings of the Deseret Towers — known as Buildings V and W — were to be blown up under a requested variance from air quality rules. If the board's decision stands, it would mean traditional methods like wrecking ball and backhoe would be used instead.
However, the board pointed out that its decision was based on concerns about "insufficient information and analysis of the project," Bryce C. Bird, manager of the Air Standards Branch, Utah Division of Air Quality, told the Deseret Morning News by e-mail.
If that uncertainty were cleared up, the board "would consider additional requests to allow explosive demolition in the future."
In a telephone interview, Bird said a requirement concerning air opacity caused by dust was the stumbling block. "With explosive demolition" the board "didn't think there was any way they could meet that requirement," he said.
The purpose of the requirement is to prevent exposure to too much dust.
Asbestos exposure was not considered a problem with the project because asbestos was identified in an inspection and it "will be removed prior to demolition," Bird said.
As reported earlier, the remaining five buildings at Deseret Towers were expected to be vacated and razed as well over the next few years. The project is part of a BYU overhaul of student housing facilities.


Oh my gosh! Are they flipping out over a little dust? I feel like I'm in Canada or something.

[delts145]

Mountain View Corridor plan pits homes, lake's wetlands

By Amy Choate-Nielsen
Deseret Morning News
LEHI — A plan that would protect an additional 42 acres of Utah Lake wetlands could add 45 new names to the list of homeowners who could lose their property when the proposed Mountain View Corridor road is constructed.
Because two of Mountain View Corridor's proposed alternative routes run too close to some of Utah Lake's wetlands, Utah Department of Transportation officials are looking at shifting the roads further north, into a rapidly growing area of new developments.
"We're trying to find something that minimizes impact all around, and it's hard to say how that all equates out," said Teri Newell, UDOT project manager for the Mountain View Corridor. "Wetlands do fall under federal law; we do need to pay a lot of attention to that, and there's certainly a need to look at the least-damaging alignment." Previously, proposals to run Mountain View along 1500 South in Lehi or 1900 South in Lehi as one possible connection to I-15 have been considered. UDOT began conducting an environmental impact study on possible roads in 2003.
If the roads remain where they have previously been proposed, UDOT estimates a freeway along 1900 South would impact 84.4 acres of wetlands and necessitate 132 relocations of homes or businesses. A freeway along 1500 South would impact 99.8 acres of wetlands and necessitate 97 relocations.
A proposed shift presented to residents Wednesday night would reduce impact to the wetlands to 57.7 acres but increase the number of relocations that will be necessitated by the shift to about 177 homes or businesses.
"Relocations is not meant to be a sly word," Newell said. "It actually means we would take a home or a business and relocate the person that is in that home to a new location. We've got some pretty heavy issues to weigh here."
But for residents who took one look at the new route map at an open house Wednesday and started to panic, Newell said it's not set in stone where the road will actually go. Lines on the map merely represent roads that have potential to be built, Newell said.
UDOT is expected to complete the environmental impact study by 2007 and officially make a decision by 2008. Further information on the corridor can be found on UDOT's Web site, www.udot.utah.gov/mountainview.
A definite timeline for the project is being held hostage by a lack of money to pay for the road, Newell said. Funding for the project is still up in the air, as legislators consider how much money, if any, to allocate to the road. Tolling has also been discussed as a possible funding option to help pay for construction costs.
Meanwhile, residents and city officials say the west side of Utah valley, Lehi in particular, needs a solution, and they need it now.
"Our need for transportation improvements are today, yet the improvements that are being suggested are solutions that could come to fruition eight to 10 years down the road," said Jamie Davidson, Lehi city manager. "Tomorrow's roads won't solve today's problems."
Davidson said the city has been sensitive to the potential of relocating residents who live in new houses, some of which are being built right now. But Davidson added that it is hard for the city to deny developers the right to develop in that area because the road might not go where they think it might.
"We do have residents that are very concerned about the highway and where that highway will be in relation to their home or farm, but right now we don't have the answers," Davidson said. "We want to mitigate the number of people that have to leave their homes."
Davidson said the city prefers the 1900 South option.
At the open house this week, residents who left comments on giant notes on the wall had a variety of preferences and suggestions like, "Save our houses!" as one note said.
"Wetlands should not rule the decision, people should," said another note.
But a majority of residents who attended the meeting recognized that the area needed a solution, if only it didn't have to be in their back yard.
"I'd rather (a road) not be there, but I'm not going to lay down in front of a bulldozer," said Holly Davis, a Lehi resident. "Sure, I'd like to leave that beautiful tree back there and watch the kids play, but that's not my decision."




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