Salt Lake:Official development news thread

[Viperlord]

thought i'd post this article in this forum as well.

Petitioners seek to nix soccer stadium tax law
Private group says it has an 'awesome task'; referendums historically have rough going in Utah
By Matt Canham
The Salt Lake Tribune

Article Last Updated: 03/06/2007 12:43:33 AM MST


Five co-workers have banded together in a long-odds attempt to eliminate a new law that would spend taxpayer money on a soccer stadium in Sandy.
Referendums in Utah are rarely attempted and even more rarely successful. The last to make the ballot was a land issue in 1974. Voters rejected it.
Salt Lake City resident Doug Q. Kitt recognizes the effort is "an awesome task," but he said he and his co-workers at a biotech company are fighting against government intervention in private business.
"The Legislature is not representing the majority of the people in this case," Kitt said. "I don't think that is an appropriate use of government funds."
Polls have shown that the public doesn't like the public assistance for Real Salt Lake. Peter Corroon, the mayor of Salt Lake County, nixed the deal before lawmakers and Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. revived it, saying a stadium and a professional soccer team will help Utah's economy in the long run.
"I guess I'm just a little bit perplexed," said Syracuse Republican Sen. Sheldon Killpack, who sponsored the bill, HB38, in the Senate. "The funding doesn't really affect anyone's taxes locally."
The bill would spend $35 million in taxes collected by people staying in Salt Lake County hotels on a parking structure and the land for the stadium.
Kitt's co-worker, Brad SwedÂlund, is leading
the referendum effort. He could not be reached Monday evening, but Kitt said none of the petition sponsors had experience in such efforts.
The referendum petition filed Monday afternoon is the second this year, and came in just a few hours before the deadline.
Another petition, filed last week by the education establishment, seeks to overturn Utah's new private school voucher program.
The differences between the two attempts are stark. The anti-voucher group has the backing of the PTA and the state's largest teachers union, providing an instant volunteer group to collect signatures. Kitt said the anti-RSL group is hoping that public outrage will spur involvement.
[email protected]

[Joe Gardner]

I walked past the 222 main location today, Jr's Tacos has a 'store closed' sign on the window, and all signs on the little strip building were off. Looks like some major action will take place there soon. The wireless store has re-located south a half a block, big city soup looked open, but you could tell that changes are coming.

[SLC Projects]

Originally Posted by Joe Gardner

I walked past the 222 main location today, Jr's Tacos has a 'store closed' sign on the window, and all signs on the little strip building were off. Looks like some major action will take place there soon. The wireless store has re-located south a half a block, big city soup looked open, but you could tell that changes are coming.

That's good news.

[delts145]

Originally Posted by Joe Gardner

I walked past the 222 main location today, Jr's Tacos has a 'store closed' sign on the window, and all signs on the little strip building were off. Looks like some major action will take place there soon. The wireless store has re-located south a half a block, big city soup looked open, but you could tell that changes are coming.

Could it really be possible? No dancing bananna's yet, but maybe this time something is actually about to happen.

[i-215]

Sounds like win-win to me.

1. We're getting a new skyscraper. Dancing smilie DJ emoticon!

or

2. We get to have another "I hate Hamilton-Partners" love fest.

Sounds like fun, either way.

[Scraperdude801]

Originally Posted by i-215

Sounds like win-win to me.

1. We're getting a new skyscraper. Dancing smilie DJ emoticon!

or

2. We get to have another "I hate Hamilton-Partners" love fest.

Sounds like fun, either way.

haha. that is good news. I really hope this goes up this year.

as for the sugarhouse ordeal I am keeping my fingers crossed that the council steps in and puts a stop to the madness. If worst comes to worst I hope I will be seeing those businesses along broadway in downtown. Which would really make downtown a cool place to be.


On a different note, has there been anymore news about the wasatch partners tower on state street and 400 south? Last thing I remember reading was a post here saying the tower is seperate and unique from the proposes WTC tower.

haha screw it might as well play 21 questions.

Is March the month the downtown alliance is releasing the downtown rising plans?

[delts145]

Sugar House shops forced out

By Jenifer K. Nii
Deseret Morning News
They're kitschy, eclectic, and they've started saying their goodbyes to one of Salt Lake's beloved liberal business enclaves.


Scott G. Winterton, Deseret Morning News
Andy Fletcher is the owner of Orion's Music in Sugar House. His business and others in the area have been evicted to make way for a new development.

In the past few weeks, merchants in the Sugar House shopping district near the corner of 2100 South and Highland Drive have received eviction notices, possibly to make way for more standard, upscale fare.
And though it's probable that not much can be done at this point to keep the neighborhood the way it is, there are lessons and alternatives and actions to consider, merchants and city officials said this week.
"Having received these eviction notices, the situation is becoming very real," said Salt Lake City Councilman Soren Simonsen, who lives in Sugar House. "I saw the writing on the wall 15 months ago when the rezoning went forward. My opinion now is that we kind of created this issue for many of these merchants, and maybe we ought to be a part of the solution."
The Salt Lake City Council voted in December 2005 to change zoning on the block bordered by 2100 South, Highland Drive, Sugarmont Drive and McClelland Street to allow for buildings between seven and eight stories. When Simonsen took his post on the council, he tried to revisit that decision, unsuccessfully.
The zoning change paved the way for proposals now coming forward from landowners in the area — including Craig Mecham Management and California-based Red Mountain Retail Group — that indicate redevelopment is on the way. Red Mountain's plans reportedly call for loft-style condominiums, and Simonsen said Mecham is considering a mix of residential, retail and office development on his property, which includes everything from the Blue Boutique to Zions Bank.
Repeated attempts by the Deseret Morning News to contact Red Mountain and Mecham were unsuccessful.
Sugar House Coffee owner Bob Evans was among the merchants served with a 180-day eviction notice.


Scott G. Winterton, Deseret Morning News
Several businesses near 2100 South and Highland Drive are being booted to allow a proposed mix of residential and retail space.

"It's traumatic, but we're going to move on," Evans said. He said he will move his shop to another Sugar House location, though no leases have been signed.
Orion's Music owner Andy Fletcher said he's been through the relocating process before, when the 9th and 9th area of Salt Lake City was redeveloped, and doesn't think he has the energy to do it again. Fletcher is looking for a buyer for his business. He's set a tentative close date of May 1, though he adds that could be extended.
Both Evans and Fletcher, who share space at 1100 East, say that though it's regrettable the Sugar House neighborhood they love is changing, there are lessons to be learned.
"You know, if the patrons in this neighborhood had wanted it to remain the way it is, it would have happened," Evans said. "Obviously, that energy and that desire hasn't manifested itself. ... And if you look at it from the perspective of the landlord, if they were doing more business, if they were being supported, maybe this wouldn't have happened.
"Most people are so anxious to go to the chain stores, Utah is so anxious to be like someplace else, it's sad. Salt Lake is very apathetic to any type of heritage preservation."
Fletcher voiced similar concerns and frustrations but added there's still a lot patrons can do to save local businesses.
"Rather than having a funeral for Sugar House and bemoaning the fact that it's going away — because it is going away, and there's nothing anyone can do about it now. The decisions have been made, and the wheels are in motion — I'm advocating a 'buy-cot,"' Fletcher said. "We're inviting the public to come down, and we'll have live music and information available so that people understand not just what happened, but where people are moving. It'll be a festival, not a funeral.
"If people want to help, if they want to do something, they should come down and buy that CD they've been wanting. They should buy that cup of coffee or that Italian ice, or that card from Blue Boutique. Because if it's not financially a possibility for these businesses to move, they'll close. But if they have some money in their pocket, and they know that the people around them will support them when they move, I'd say that most of them will continue to look very hard at finding a solution."
Fletcher said he hopes the festival will be held one weekend a month, starting later this month. Details are still being formulated.
On Thursday, Simonsen will hold a meeting of merchants, community activists and others at 8:30 a.m. at Sugar House Coffee, 2102 S. 1100 East, to discuss the latest happenings and courses of action.
"We'll be looking both at short-term ideas and issues and also long-term solutions," Simonsen said. "I am still interested in possible changes in the zoning code. I don't think that the City Council will approve a downzone to an area they've previously upzoned. But there may be some specific historic properties that could have some added zoning provisions or accommodations, a handful of small buildings on 2100 South and Highland and 1100 East that could be seen as contributing historical significance.
"Or, it may be that we want to create some mini-historic districts that may have some additional protections. These are all ideas to consider."
Simonsen said he also will look at funds that may be available via the city's Redevelopment Agency and at ways to identify programs and money that might be used to help businesses relocate.
"I don't know what the solutions are at this point," Simonsen said. "But it's my intent to have a conversation with the merchants, the tenants on these blocks about what the city can do to help them out."

[delts145]

Draper IKEA on track for a May 23 opening

By Jenifer K. Nii
Deseret Morning News
Shoppers, mark your calendars.
IKEA, the popular Swedish home furnishings retailer, announced Tuesday that work on its Draper store is on track and it will open for business at 9 a.m. May 23.
"We're excited. Our construction manager went there yesterday, and we got the final check-offs," said IKEA spokesman Joseph Roth. "We now control everything as part of our build-up process and there's no holding back."
The 310,000-square-foot Draper store, located along Pony Express Drive at the northwest corner of I-15 and Bangerter Highway, will include 10,000 items for sale, 50 different room displays, three complete model homes, a children's play area and a 300-seat restaurant.
IKEA broke ground on the store in April. The Draper IKEA is the company's first store in the Mountain West and its 30th in the United States.
"Due to the progress made during the fall and the snowy winter, we are confident the remaining construction milestones and interior build-up process will be complete by late May," Paul Janzen, IKEA Draper's store manager, said in a statement.
"Now our primary objective is to continue hiring and training the nearly 350 Utahns who will be joining the IKEA coworker family before we open."
About 100 people have been hired, leaving 250 jobs still to be filled, Roth said. Applications are being accepted for various jobs, including sales, interior decoration, customer service, security, cashiers, maintenance, receiving, warehouse and stock replenishment. There also are opportunities in IKEA Draper's restaurant, Swedish Foodmarket, Cafe Bistro and employee cafeteria.
For more information, go online to www.IKEA-USA.com.

[delts145]

Wednesday, March 7, 2007

Merchants meeting Thursday morning

What: Salt Lake City Councilman Soren Simonsen will meet with merchants, community activists and others regarding changes and possible courses of action for the area around 2100 South and Highland Drive.
When: 8:30 a.m. Thursday
Where: Sugar House Coffee, 2102 S. 1100 East

[wrendog]

Yay to IKEA news, BOOOOO to sugarhouse news.

[rodan]

MAN I AM PISSED ABOUT THE SUGARHOUSE THING! I won't shop at any of the new stores there if they do that. So dumb. It's like the only cool (calssy imo) spot left in salt lake!

[SLC Projects]

Sugarhouse: Why can't they just build the Condos behind the storefronts? That way there's new taller development but yet the old mom and pop stores can stay. There's a win win right there.

[delts145]

Wannabe workers flock to IKEA

By Lesley Mitchell
The Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated: 03/07/2007 11:12:14 PM MST



Construction work continues Wednesday at the new IKEA location in Draper. The store is slated to open May 23. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune )

Perhaps it's the cool furniture, or maybe it's the benefits that come from working for a European company lauded for its employee-friendly attitude.
Whatever the reason, popular Swedish home furnishings retailer IKEA is having no problem filling the 350 positions needed to open its mammoth new store in Draper - even with Utah's extremely tight labor market.
That's quite a feat in a state where job growth is a stellar 4.5 percent and there is virtually no unemployment. Employers in a variety of industries are having a difficult time convincing people to leave other jobs to come work for them.
But in the case of IKEA - with its almost cult-like status - many people don't need much convincing.
Annie Sonnenberg, for example, had a good job working in catering and convention services for a higher-end hotel in Salt Lake City.
"I wasn't actively looking for another job," she said.
But after hearing that IKEA was coming to town, she immediately sent over her résumé. She was hired to oversee a restaurant, concessions area and food market housed in the store.
The company's family-friendly policies were a big draw, she said, noting that she likes IKEA's product line. "In Utah, it also is new and exciting and I wanted to be part of that," she said.
Claudia Gneiting also had a good job, in finance, working for Salt Lake City company.
But then she heard one of her favorite stores was opening its first Utah store.
Gneiting, who shopped at IKEA for the first time in Germany, thinks a lot of the company's chic line of furniture and home-related products.
"I'm a real fan," said Gneiting, who will serve as financial controller of the Draper facility.
With more than two months yet to go before its May 23 grand opening, IKEA has hired 250 of the 350 people it needs to open, spokesman Joseph Roth said.
The 100 positions IKEA must still must fill in the coming weeks are a mix of positions, including sales, food service, customer service, administrative and warehouse jobs. The employees will work at IKEA's 310,000-square-foot Draper store located at the northwestern corner of I-15 and Bangerter Highway.
The store, which will include three food outlets, will be IKEA's 30th U.S. store, part of a 254 store-chain operating in 34 countries.
IKEA closely guards its pay scales in Utah, although staffing companies say the company pays comparably to other employers in the area.
Utah Department of Workforce Services economist Mark Knold said the fact that IKEA extends benefits to all of its employees, however, sets it apart from other employers.
Any IKEA employee working at least 20 hours a week is eligible for the same benefits afforded those who a traditional 40-hour workweek, including employer-subsidized health coverage. Employees working less than 20 hours a week are eligible for benefits too, but do not get as extensive of a benefit package as those working more than 20 hours.
"The opportunity to work part-time and get benefits is pretty enticing in any industry," Knold said.
What else does the company offer? There's the match for participants in its 401(k) program and two weeks of vacation for employees in their first year. For those fans of low-priced European-style furniture, don't forget the employee discount: 15 percent.
IKEA Grand Opening

* Where: Northwestern corner of I-15 and Bangerter Highway, Draper
* When: 9 a.m. May 23
* What to expect: IKEA's 310,000 square-foot store will be one of the biggest stores in the West. It will employ 350 people and operate three food outlets within the store.
* Information: www.IKEA-USA.com.

[delts145]

Sugar House merchants discuss fate of their businesses Update:Thursday, March 8th

By Jenifer K. Nii
Deseret Morning News
Merchants affected by a proposed redevelopment packed Sugar House Coffee Thursday, eager to discuss the fate of their businesses and a beloved shopping district.


Tom Smart, Deseret Morning News
Soren Simonsen, Salt Lake City Councilman, left, talks to merchants about the proposed redevelopment of their businesses.

At a morning meeting moderated by Salt Lake City Councilman Soren Simonsen, merchants expressed frustration at a lack of information regarding plans for the block bordered by 2100 South, Highland Drive, Sugarmont Drive and McClelland Street, and a desire to do what they can to save their business and preserve the area.
"We have an identity here," said Cynthia Osmun, owner of Luna's Italian Ice cafe. "If they tear it down, the remnants of this neighborhood, we might as well be another Fort Union."
But with little information available about the proposed development — which is said to include retail, residential and office components — Osmun and other Sugar House tenants were frustrated. Little has been submitted to the city in the way of plans or permit applications, Simonsen said. Few know precisely what's in store for the block, when it will happen, or what can be done to help businesses relocate when it does.
On Thursday, Simonsen proposed the formation of a public/private task force to track what's happening, look into what might be done to help merchants — redevelopment aid for relocation, perhaps, or assistance in finding new locations — and find ways to minimize the economic and construction-related impacts of development in the area.
City staffers will be in touch with interested businesses in the next few weeks, Simonsen said, and the task force likely would meet for the next six to 12 months, depending on the need.
Martie Bond, owner of iPaw, a pet boutique located at 2146 S. Highland, said she will sign on for the task force.
"I'm new to Utah, but even I know that Sugar House has always been a draw," Bond said. "It's just a fun place to be. So when I found that space (on Highland Drive), I was thrilled. It was the perfect spot — there's walk-by traffic, it's the center of the city, there's small businesses, and I wasn't going to be sandwiched in between two huge buildings with a Starbucks on the corner and an Urban Outfitters on the other side. It was perfect for what I wanted to do, and I put my whole life savings into it."
Bond says she doesn't want to move, but she has been forced to look for another location because the area will become steadily more vacant in anticipation of demolition, then vacant again when the area becomes a construction zone, and then unavailable once the project is complete because rents will be too high.
"I have to look," Bond said. "I have employees, and I have created something that's unique to Salt Lake. And this breaks my heart. I don't want to leave Sugar House. I love what I've done. But what choice do I have? I have to look."

[alphawolf]

Could someone post some pics of this neighborhood?

[SLC Projects]

I would like to see some renderings of the "sugarhouse" project once they come out. I just hope at least the designs of these new 8-story buildings will go with all of sugarhouse. Better not look like the buildings at the Gateway.

[SLC Projects]

Walker Center building to get a little bit taller?


I found a rendering of the Walker Center building that is being renovated right now. Here are the pics.


The first one shows that building as it is now...






Now this next pic is the rendering that I found off of Downtownrising.com.





As you can see there is a big "Walker" sign on the very top in the 2nd pic. Are crews going to put that big Walker sign on the top of the building as part of the project? This is new to me.

[i-215]

I don't know why it needs a sign, but it looks darn cool!

If they light it up, that'll be WAYYY COOL!

[delts145]

Keeping Sugar House Area's Funky Ambience Is The Goal

Edit, Moving this post to the Sugar House thread.

By Jenifer K. Nii
Deseret Morning News
Specific details of planned redevelopment of the "Granite Block" in Sugar House are scarce, but one of the block's landowners said Thursday he is most interested in preserving the area's funky feel.
Eric Nelson of Red Mountain Retail Group, a Santa Ana, Calif., company focused on redeveloping retail properties, told the Deseret Morning News that plans for Red Mountain's properties should be ready to show the public in a few weeks.
The company's properties are the Granite Furniture building, 1050 E. 2100 South, and the Leisure Living building, 2208 S. 900 East.
Red Mountain is one of a handful of landowners in one of Sugar House's beloved shopping areas, bordered by 2100 South, Highland Drive, Sugarmont Drive and McClelland Street. Craig Mecham Management owns the property from the Blue Boutique around to Zions Bank to the south. Another family owns The Rockwood Studios, 1062 and 1064 E. 2100 South.
"We're still working through a couple of minor issues," Nelson said. However, he said, Red Mountain shares the concerns voiced by many Sugar House merchants Thursday about preserving the area's identity and keeping as many of the existing structures as possible.
"Our plan is actually to preserve everything that's already there and to reuse the buildings that we're buying," Nelson said. "One of my concerns is that we're tied to other issues going on with other landlords. And we aren't a part of those."
Red Mountain is in discussions with its neighbor-landlords about making the developments cohesive, but it is not the landlord that recently began issuing six-month eviction notices, Nelson said.
"Our plan calls for turning these buildings (the Granite and Leisure Living) into places where we can actually add more retail, and not get rid of it," Nelson said. "We'll be removing portions of the existing structures, but I'd say 90 to 95 percent of the buildings that are there today will remain, and we will just rehab them and keep them consistent with the Sugar House look, feel and style.
"The only reason we're buying in here is because we believe in what Sugar House is. We don't want to be another Gateway, or another Trolley Square, or any other development. We want to preserve the bohemian feel and what's already there."
In the near future, Nelson said, Red Mountain wants to present its plans to the Sugar House community — its merchants, residents and concerned citizens — to solicit feedback and hear concerns.
"We want to know what they like, and what they don't like, before we get into the final approval process," Nelson said. "We want this to be a collaborative effort. We probably have the same belief they do, that Sugar House is what it is for a reason and that it shouldn't be dramatically changed. Our goal is not to do that. Our goal is just to fix it up. We're in the business of redevelopment, not new development, and we think that the current feel there is critical to the success of what we're going to try to do."
As for those tenants facing displacement, Nelson said Red Mountain "isn't in the business of taking tenants from other landlords," including Mecham.
But, Nelson said, "if they have nowhere to go, and if we've got a place to put them, we'd absolutely love to speak with them.
"Our hope would be that Mecham's plans would afford them a place to go and they could stay with him. But our belief is that the tenants who are there are what makes Sugar House what it is. Getting rid of everybody doesn't do anybody any good. In fact, it somewhat ruins what's there."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wow, I'm really liking what this Red Mountain developer is saying. Hopefully this will force Mecham to step more in to line with the same goals!!

[delts145]

^^^
I was planning on catching the new 300 movie out today. I think I'll make it a point to go to Salt Lake and see it and also hit the Sugarhouse area. This should become a very interesting and anticipatory project for all of us to discuss. We should contact Red Mountain and find out where we can E-mail them comments on their anticipated architectural style. We DON'T want another Barnes and Noble element added to the picture.