Salt Lake:Official development news thread

[delts145]

I agree with you on State Street. I would like to see a lot more housing. I know they were planning on doing something across from the new Marriott finally, and of course part of the City Creek will flow around State. Continuing south around Washington Square and also the Grand America would be a great area for development. I guess it is coming as a result of the new library etc. we just can't do it fast enough as far as I'm concerned.



I'm thinking as I look at this photo, it would be great to get going on West Temple also. We could really use some great housing around Pierpont and Market Street. What are some of the specific plans for that area other than the new Courts Complex, and of course City Creek across from the Salt Palace? Anything, coming up soon for the West side of West Temple? SOMEONE PLEASE DEMOLISH AND REPLACE THE SHILO INN!!!!!!!!!!!

[SLC Projects]

Originally Posted by delts145

I agree with you on State Street. I would like to see a lot more housing. I know they were planning on doing something across from the new Marriott finally, and of course part of the City Creek will flow around State. Continuing south around Washington Square and also the Grand America would be a great area for development. I guess it is coming as a result of the new library etc. we just can't do it fast enough as far as I'm concerned.



I'm thinking as I look at this photo, it would be great to get going on West Temple also. We could really use some great housing around Pierpont and Market Street. What are some of the specific plans for that area other than the new Courts Complex, and of course City Creek across from the Salt Palace? Anything, coming up soon for the West side of West Temple? SOMEONE PLEASE DEMOLISH AND REPLACE THE SHILO INN!!!!!!!!!!!

What salt lake really needs on west temple or even south temple is a new BIG hotel. Right by the salt palace would be a good idea.

[delts145]

Originally Posted by SLC Projects

What salt lake really needs on west temple or even south temple is a new BIG hotel. Right by the salt palace would be a good idea.

Dido ta that SLC Projects, I'm kind of amazed it hasn't already been announced.

[delts145]

This is exciting stuff, so lets give it a plug here as well as the UDOT Thread!

Salt Lake County Council, mayors approve funding for transit

By Nicole Warburton and Leigh Dethman
Deseret Morning News
Within the next seven to 10 years, Salt Lake County residents should see a doubling of transit in the valley, with four new TRAX lines and commuter rail.
The Salt Lake County Council and county mayors today gave their OK to spending money, from a recently approved quarter-cent sales-tax hike, on the following projects:
• commuter rail in Salt Lake County;

• two new TRAX lines, Mid-Jordan and West Valley;

• and improvements to Interstate 80 from State Street to 1300 East.

Based on the council's and mayors' approval to spend the money on transit, Utah Transit Authority officials said today that they would be able to shuffle money already allocated to the Mid-Jordan and West Valley lines, to build two additional TRAX lines. A line to the Salt Lake City International Airport and the line to Draper will be built in the next seven to 10 years, UTA general manager John Inglish said this morning.


Salt Lake County voters in November approved the sales-tax hike, which will raise $2.5 billion for transportation projects over the next 30 years.
The Salt Lake County Council is scheduled to meet this Thursday to both approve the projects picked for funding today as well as possibly declare its intent to levy the tax.

[delts145]

Just hit the National Evening News with Brian Williams. Of Course, Rocky put himself front and center. Are you guys starting to get the feeling that this big snowball has started down the mountain and its gathering speed and size? Kind of like the old cartoon. Man, I'm getting hyper-excited!

[delts145]

New design for the Leonardo makes it 'an exhibit itself'

Heritage Foundation Newsletter,


Artist's rendering of plans for The Leonardo shows how banners and light projections will be used.

The fledgling Leonardo at Library Square is being touted by organizers as the cutting edge in museums, an arts-science-culture amalgam filled to the brim with interactive, constantly changing exhibits.
Associated PressArtist's rendering of plans for The Leonardo shows how banners and light projections will be used. But the biggest showcase of all may be the building itself.
Leonardo executive director Mary Tull, after winning approval for the design from the Salt Lake City Council Thursday, said the plan is to "make the building an exhibit itself."
The Leonardo has finally settled on a seismic retrofitting plan for the building — the former main branch of the city library at the corner of 200 East and 500 South — after scrapping two earlier plans.
One of those plans was too costly, at $18 million and growing, and the other was aesthetically unpopular, with large exterior concrete braces buttressing the building on each corner.
The new design calls for four heavy-duty walls inside the building, tucked in the corners so they don't close off the interior atrium. It comes in at $13 million and changes nothing on the outside of the building.
So instead of changing the look of the exterior, organizers will change its use.
The concrete panels on the building's north, viewed from Library Square, will become canvases, covered in banners, light projections and other visually dramatic displays.
From the south, passers-by on 500 South will gaze through the large glass windows at artists participating in the museum's workshops and classes.
And as visitors enter the building, an evaporative tower will give the building functional, energy-efficient cooling while showcasing the science behind sustainable practices — as well as the cultural elements of environmental consciousness and some artistic flourishes to boot.
Inside, exhibits will vary from displays of Utah's history and cultures to the latest traveling shows. Tull suggested the Leonardo could one day host such exhibits as Bodies ... The Exhibition, a controversial showcase of real human bodies preserved to show how they work inside and out.
"We're developing a whole new model in the museum world," Tull said.
The City Council, acting Thursday as the board of directors for the city's Redevelopment Agency, approved extending the terms of a $750,000 grant it approved six months ago. That grant was approved when the design was still up in the air, and the debate centered over whether to go with the cheaper corner buttresses or a more expensive new north wing that would stabilize the building.
At the time, the council sent Leonardo staff on an intense fund-raising drive to see if they could come up with the shortfalls in funding. When it was clear that would not happen, "We went back to the architects and said, 'You've got to have an Option C,"' Tull said.
The new design allows for the addition of a north wing in the future if money becomes available, but it would be entirely for expansion as it is no longer needed for seismic stability.
The Leonardo is also being funded by a $10 million voter-approved bond and $10 million more in private donations, which will go toward programming rather than the building renovations.
A time line unveiled Thursday calls for architectural schematics to be finalized in March, construction to begin in October 2007 and the Leonardo to open in spring 2009. Tull said she hopes the opening can coincide with the April 15 birthday of Leonardo da Vinci, the famed Italian artist and scientist for whom it is named.
And a new Web site, www.theleonardo.org, will become operational first thing this morning.
— In other business Thursday, the RDA board approved the design of midstreet parking and pedestrian walkways on 300 South between 400 West and Main Street.
The project will make the midstreet parking currently there permanent by replacing the painted stalls and crosswalks with raised sidewalks and landscaping.
Mayor Rocky Anderson has pushed for the change since he took office in 2000, hoping the feature will give the area a distinct feel and increase pedestrian activity.
Councilwoman Nancy Saxton was the only board member to vote against the design Thursday, saying it will interfere with the possibility of future bus routes along 300 South that are being considered as city officials hash out a transportation master plan.
"Once we have committed to this it has limited our options," she said.
The project is being paid for by about $1.3 million the RDA approved in previous meetings.

[trolleyman]

There will be a public meeting to discuss developments of the Sugarhouse trolley Jan 9th, 7 pm at the Pioneer Craft House, 550 E. 33rd S,
more details at
www.sugarhousetrolley.org

[delts145]

Trolleyman, welcome back and I hope we will hear from you more often. Great website that you recommended!

[trolleyman]

Thanks,

hope to see you at the meeting, bring some friends.


I will be showing info about a hybrid 35 passenger streetcar that I will be renting for $1 per year. Just have to get it to Utah.

[SLC Projects]

Originally Posted by trolleyman

Thanks,

hope to see you at the meeting, bring some friends.


I will be showing info about a hybrid 35 passenger streetcar that I will be renting for $1 per year. Just have to get it to Utah.

That's cool. I wonder what a streetcar looks like after hearing about it. Not bad. So what part of town or what roads i should ask are we going to have those street cars on?

[trolleyman]

IF approved and IF we get funding, it would run from the TRAX station at 21st South, then east bound to 11th E. It would be running on the old freight spur on 22nd South.

more details at
http://www.utahtram.blogspot.com/

and

http://www.sugarhousetrolley.org/

[SLC Projects]

Originally Posted by trolleyman

IF approved and IF we get funding, it would run from the TRAX station at 21st South, then east bound to 11th E. It would be running on the old freight spur on 22nd South.

more details at
http://www.utahtram.blogspot.com/

and

http://www.sugarhousetrolley.org/

I see. Looks like a good plan. Thanks for the links.

[delts145]

I would say once again that the state demographers are right and Utah has actually broken the 2.6 million mark and is at a 2.6 and higher growth rate for the past year. They have challenged the Census Bureau several times as of late and proven correct every time.

Utah ranks 6th in U.S. with 2.4% growth rate



By Deborah Bulkeley
Deseret Morning News
With a one-year growth rate of 2.4 percent, Utah is the sixth-fastest-growing state, with a population of 2.55 million, according to estimates released today by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Deseret Morning News graphic Utah's population still exceeds Nevada's, but barely, according to the estimates, which show Nevada's population at just under 2.5 million. And Arizona has surpassed Nevada as the nation's fastest-growing state with a growth rate of 3.6 percent.
"What the data shows to me is Utah continues to be one of the fastest-growing states in the nation," said Robert Spendlove, the state's top demographer. "We've been in the top 10 for the past several years. ... Utah is at the center of a dynamic area of the country."
However, Spendlove and other demographers believe the Census Bureau is undercounting Utah's population by about 65,000 people.
The Utah Population Estimates Committee contends the state's population broke 2.6 million people this year, with a growth rate of 2.7 percent, said Spendlove, manager of demographic and economic analysis for the Governor's Office of Planning and Budget.
The state now has six months to decide whether to become the first state to officially challenge the census estimates, Spendlove said. He is encouraged that the population gap between state and federal estimates has lowered from 3.2 percent last year to 2.6 percent this year.
"They are still different, but the difference has narrowed," Spendlove said. "One of the reasons it has narrowed ... is migration is much closer to what we think migration should be for the year 2006."
It's important for the census estimates to be accurate, in part because they're tied to federal funding in areas such as transportation and health care, Spendlove said.
If there is a disagreement about the population count, it's common for cities and counties to submit challenges, but Spendlove said it is difficult for small areas, and yearly local challenges can become tedious.
"The theory is that if the state can essentially act in the interest of all areas within the state to ensure all the estimates are the best they can be, it would take the burden off some of our local areas," Spendlove said.
Provo has spent about 40 work hours on three successful challenges to its census estimates, said Gary McGinn, director of community development for Provo.
The city would appreciate the help from the state but would still want to make sure it agrees with the state estimates, he said.
"An accurate picture of what's happening in your city... is invaluable to have," he said. "It really does affect the distribution of tax moneys."
The growth estimates released Friday are based on state estimates for 2005 that were revised after several Utah cities challenged their census estimates. The 2005 estimate was boosted by more than 20,000 people to 2.49 million.
That boost is part of the reason why the population gap is closing. Another is that the Census Bureau has seen more domestic migration to Utah, said Greg Harper, a demographer for the U.S. Census Bureau.
"It could just be that our method is catching trends they saw previously," Harper said.
Utah demographers have long believed the Census Bureau is undercounting migration into Utah. Following local challenges, the Census Bureau doubled its estimate for Utah's gain from migration from 13,000 to 31,000, Spendlove said. That number is still below the state's estimate of 40,000 people.
The migration estimates are closer this year than in the past, but the census' estimate of births is off from the state's by about 3,415, said Pamela Perlich, senior research economist at the University of Utah's Bureau of Economic and Business Research.
"We hit record births again this year," Perlich said. "They are still underestimating us."
Perlich added that both the state and federal estimates are likely undercounting migration into the state this year.
The census estimates for 2006 show that Utah gained more people through domestic migration than international, unlike prior years. However, Perlich said much of Utah's domestic migration comes from California, with people who were originally from Latin America.
"We get a lot of our foreign-born population from California. That's the circuit they are coming through," she said. "That doesn't mean they are native born."

[SLC Projects]

Tax to build 3 rail lines, fix highway

But problems may arise in upcoming Legislature
By Nicole Warburton and Leigh Dethman
Deseret Morning News
Come April, a new tax will be imposed in Salt Lake County to build three new rail lines and fix an interstate highway.
The Salt Lake County Council on Thursday voted to impose a quarter-cent sales-tax increase throughout the county, finishing a chapter in a six-month-long battle between state and local leaders over how to spend the money. County mayors endorsed the imposition of the tax earlier this week.
But Thursday's vote is not the end of the story. There could be problems in the upcoming legislative session, because some lawmakers believe the county is spending too much on transit and ignoring roads.
The governor's budget includes $449.7 million in new money for transportation, but lawmakers have the right to add or subtract funding from that budget.
Utah Department of Transportation officials said Thursday that top needs for funding include small projects such as widening 5600 West in Salt Lake County — something that costs little to fix but has a significant impact on congestion, said UDOT deputy director Carlos Braceras.
More expensive priorities include improving I-15 in Utah County and funding the proposed Mountain View Corridor.
But House Speaker Greg Curtis, R-Sandy, said that because Salt Lake County is spending 95 percent of the sales-tax money on transit, lawmakers may be reluctant to give more money to the county and the UDOT to fix, widen and improve roads.
"It will be very, very difficult for legislators when they (the county) come up and say, 'We need to meaningfully address transportation: Find us another funding source,"' Curtis said Thursday.
Over $2.5 billion of the Salt Lake County sales-tax money will be spent to build commuter rail, extend TRAX to South Jordan and West Valley, and fund improvements to I-80 between State Street and 1300 East. Construction of the transit lines is expected to start next year and finish within 10 years. Work on I-80 could begin as early as 2008, UDOT said.
By approving the tax money to fund the two light rail lines, Utah Transit Authority officials said that other tax dollars would be freed to finance new TRAX lines to Draper and the Salt Lake City International Airport. Those lines are also expected to be built within 10 years.
Members of the Salt Lake County Council said they were pleased that all four TRAX lines would be built, although they admitted that the process of getting authorization for the tax increase was ugly. By law, the county needed legislative approval to impose the sales-tax hike.
In September, during a special Legislative session, Salt Lake County was given authority to impose the tax. But lawmakers put restrictions on how the county could spend the tax money. A bill passed during the session required lawmakers to approve a process that county leaders used to pick projects to be funded by the tax hike.
"It, in my mind, was a big win," councilwoman Jenny Wilson said of obtaining funding for transit. "What guided me and the rest of the people in this process was the will of the public. And they wanted transit."
But Sen. Sheldon Killpack, R-Syracuse, said Thursday that county officials misinterpreted the legislation that authorized them to implement the tax hike and instead manipulated the process to fund their transportation priorities. The legislation was clear that roads should be funded in addition to transit, Killpack said.
"There's been a lot of hot air and little substance, because if you go back and look at the history of this and read the legislation, it's clear what the intent was," Killpack said. "I guess I'm disappointed, but not surprised in the least that they are couching this so incorrectly."
But councilman Joe Hatch said that Salt Lake County residents voted this November in favor of the tax increase with the assumption it would go to transit. County leaders delivered what residents wanted, he said. And they did it within the bounds of the legislation.
"At some point, we've got to say, 'It's what the public wants.' It's not what some individual legislator wants, who isn't even a part of Salt Lake County," Hatch said, referring to several legislators involved in the tax issue, including Killpack.
But Hatch on Thursday praised House Speaker Curtis for his role in allowing Salt Lake County to impose the tax. His praise came after Hatch and Curtis traded political jabs throughout the funding process.
"But for him, none of this would have occurred," Hatch said. "We got there on the process that he authored and he promoted. From my perspective, that's kudos to everyone."





One thing that dugs me is that the airport trax line won't be built til at least 2014, while Road work is on top of the list. You would think a trax line to the airport would be on top of that to do list. Not on the bottom of the list.

[SLC Projects]

..................

[trolleyman]

It is a big stack of rubble .

[SLC Projects]

Originally Posted by trolleyman

It is a big stack of rubble .

Yea i know. LOL.

[SLC Projects]

The other day i went up to the "U or U" and notice a few new cranes. I found them to be at the University Hospital. As i got up there i notice alot of work has already been done with the ground out front is dug out to makeway for underground parking i'm guessing.
I don't know much about this project other then there will be two wings added on. One on the eastside to be 5-stoies and the other on the westside to be 6-stories. And that the new expanison will open in 2009

Below are some pics of this project.



This is what the Hospital used to look like during the 90's.






















And this is a rendings of what the building will look like once it's finish in 2009.

[jedikermit]

Wow--that's a bigger expansion than I expected. All of the work up there over the last several years has been impressive--the Moran Eye Center, the Huntsman Cancer Institute, and now this. Great stuff happening up there.

[SLC Projects]

Originally Posted by jedikermit

Wow--that's a bigger expansion than I expected. All of the work up there over the last several years has been impressive--the Moran Eye Center, the Huntsman Cancer Institute, and now this. Great stuff happening up there.

You know i was just thinking that when i was posting those pics, looking back these past few years of all the projects going on up there as you listed. While downtown has been slow during these past few years there's always been a few cranes up at the U of U building somthing new.