SLC Rocks:
Your point about sustainable development is fundamental. While you may not want to run for political office at this point in your life, your grasp of the economics of develop is spot on.
Possibly why so many of us reacted emotionally to the proposed Proscenium development, somewhere underneath in our psyches, we realized the obvious--a project of that size in that area is not sustainable. The same is probably true of the proposed Gehry tower in Lehi.
What made me realize this was a quick look on the Boise thread to read about the ill-fated Boise Place tower, which is now nothing more than some concrete beginnings with rebar randomly poking out at awkward angles.
Even if the Proscenium and Gehry projects were built, there are not enough reasons to believe they are sustainable. Are there really 500 buyers of expensive condoms out there to buy homes who biggest attribute is a view of I-15 on one side and Target on the other. I don't think so. Are there enough business travelers out there who really want to be stranded on Traverse Ridge to keep nightly occupancy of a high-rise hotel at 60% or higher. No, although the Micron/Intel plant some miles east will blossom for some time because its function is to produce our almost insatiable need for flash drives. That plant alone is not enough to sustain a hotel of that size.
The point is neither of these projects is sustainable, which offends our sensibilities even if we cannot put that into words. At best, they will blow away into memories, like the plan for the original tower on Social Hall Avenue. At worst, hopeful investors will pour money into them that at some point will be lost, and we will be stuck with some eyesore that will remind all of us of what happens when egos run a muck.