Salt Lake:Official development news thread

[Future Mayor]

There we go. While not adjacent to the Calvin L. Rampton Salt Palace Convention Center it is within a block and would provide some sight lines to the entrances. I think it's a great spot for a hotel.

Maybe they could incorporate Ginza into the hotel and expand it from the Ferrari Color location all the way to the corner of 200 S and 200 W.

[RFPCME]

Originally Posted by delts145

^^^
I'm glad you mentioned Beekman, It's been quite a while since I looked at that Gehry project. Gehry's designing both Beekman Place, which is in Brooklyn, and the Beekman Tower in Manhattan. I posted some of that work and related articles over on the Utah Valley thread, along with this post.

Gehry's Beekman Tower - Manhattan - Under Construction


You're right RFPCME, Anderson is a little young perhaps (I would emphasize perhaps) for this size of a development. What he might lack in experience is being made up by many who are much older and wiser behind the scenes. Every great entrepreneur, especially younger ones should have wise mentors. Frank Gehry of course, but also his team understand and have access to many people who understand the nuances of such a project better than most. The Gehry networking opportunities that come into play once Gehry is passionate about a project are enormous. From all indications, Gehry is very passionate about this project, and infact has oft-repeated that he views Traverse Ridge as a statement of his legacy. Also, as has been repeated often , "this is a project that will evolve over a probable ten year period, if the economy so dictates"
What will be extremely interesting, is the Gehry label as a selling point. Who will be those committing in the upcoming announcements? I agree with Anderson that the name will go a long way with cachet appeal. I also think that it will bring in a significant amount of first time discovery to the Wasatch Front, in many of the same ways as the olympics, particurlarly downtown. This Gehry tower effect, will reap tremendous rewards over the next ten years for our downtown skyline. I just can't be more enthuriastic about the current 'perfect storm' that continues to gather momentum for the Wasatch Front.

Delts: Great catch! In my enthusiasm to write about the Frank Gehry Beekman Tower project in lower Manhattan, I referred to it as Beekman Place. No matter. Below is a link to the NY Times article concerning Beekman Tower, with a few more pictures are mockups of the exterior and interior, which are what really caught my eye.

Again, if the Frank Gehry/Lehi project approaches Beekman Tower in design, usability, and innovation, it will be a hallmark for the entire state and region. Thanks also for the encouraging remarks about the developer and the team around him. "It could happen!"

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/31/arts/d...=1&sq=Beekman%20Tower&st=cse&oref=slogin

[RFPCME]

"I just can't be more enthuiastic about the current 'perfect storm' that continues to gather momentum for the Wasatch Front." Delts (see above post)

I had a chance today to walk around the CBD in Salt Lake for the first time in 5 months, seeing first hand what all the pictures and discussion have been about on this thread since I began reading it about 6 months ago. Impressive!

In fact, this whole week has been impressive. First, I had a chance to speak with some senior people at Hill AFB who are actively involved in attracting the USAF's Cyber Command to Utah. Although I am actively involved in this effort, until this week, I did not fully realize the impact Cyber Command would have on Utah. Probably the best way to sum it up is that if the command is located at Hill AFB, approximately 5,000 new, very high paying jobs will follow in a very short time frame. Utah will jump from being a minor player on the IT stage, to a lead character in the worldwide IT theater.

Second, the importance of Utah in this nation's energy future becomes more apparent each day (the $10 per barrel jump in crude prices yesterday is just another piece of evidence pointing toward the obvious).

Third, the smaller factors, such as the Gehry project in Lehi, the remake of downtown SLC, the enormous expansion of mass transit in Utah and so forth, are all contributing to what Delts so accurately expressed as "the perfect storm." The conditions are just about ideal for an enormous economic cloudburst in Utah.

True, nationally and internationally economic conditions are terrible and getting worse. But a worldwide economic slow-down only intensifies the growth potential in Utah. Why? Because when capital is short, investors focus their attention and look to minimize risk, often putting their money in projects that are directly or indirectly funded by the Government, which is exactly the scenario at Hill AFB and the most likely scenario with oil shale development.

[delts145]

U. unveils bold new master plan - At least 40 new buildings and a more intimate, pedestrian-friendly campus are planned for 2025

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_9525790


seamus 2008

"The thought is to make campus more dense, so it has a greater sense of intensity, more cohesion to make it more pedestrian friendly," Dryer says. "It's designed to develop a greater sense of community and concentrate human interaction."




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[delts145]

SLC hopes face-lift, more visitors will redeem Pioneer Park's shady rep

http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_9525793?source=rv

Police and city planners now say crime eradication will come through gentrification as more park visitors, improvements and events push criminals out.




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[delts145]

Downtown Salt Lake City's condo market was on fire, but it may be slowing


Project architect Mark Stonehocker takes a look at the Metro Condominiums at 350 South 200 East, which are nearing completion. In recent years, the downtown condo market had improved as more people have been drawn to downtown living and the proliferation of attractions, but a downturn threatens that boom. Metro Condominiums, at 350 S. 200 East, are nearing completion with interior finishing underway. (Al Hartmann/The Salt Lake Tribune )

Although prices haven't fallen yet, sales have, and if the latter continue downward, prices could follow...

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[Scraperdude801]

I don't think the demand is falling away, I think people just can't afford it, and those that can are holding off for city creek. ... This should be a major hint to the developers that DT needs some more apartments being planned for DT. Most young people who aactually make a DT lively can't afford a mortgage.

[Future Mayor]

I guess it all really depends on your definition of lively. Some might argue that vibrant downtowns are actually made up of a diverse group of individuals. I would say that a downtown with restaurants, bars, cultural attractions and the like are made up of people in their late twenties and into their 30's that are finished with school, don't yet have kids or maybe only one or two, and have the disposable income to frequent downtown establishments on a regular basis.

I do agree thought that downtown needs more apartments for those in their mid 20's that can't afford or don't want a mortgage. The problem however is that the value of land in the downtown area and the cost of construction, even apartment are out of a lot of young peoples prices ranges.

I am working on a proforma as we speak to figure out financing on a project that would be a nice infill project, would include 1st floor retail and between 30 and 40 apartment units. The rent is looking to average out at about 1,300, so while it's not a mortgage payment on a 300,000+ condo, you could still buy a house in the liberty park area for less a month.

[delts145]

Future Mayor, So are you talking about Downtown Salt Lake City? What then exactly does 1300.00 a month get you?

[delts145]

University of Utah - Carolyn Irish Tanner, College Of Hummanities - Opening Soon



As one of the most beautiful academic spaces on campus, and anchoring the University’s planned academic quad, the new 50,000 sq. ft. Carolyn Tanner Irish Humanities Building will be the symbolic and spatial center of the University of Utah campus, and the dynamic hub of the many departments, programs, and centers of the College of Humanities.

Appropriately, the site of the building at the heart of campus reflects what the College has become ­— a thriving growth center of disciplinary, interdisciplinary, and international programs. Active learners, vibrant researchers, and an involved public will find enhanced opportunities to participate in the ongoing process of dialogue and connection essential to the Humanities.



With a construction budget of $16.5 million, the building will be home to the Departments of History and Philosophy, the College’s International, Asian, and Latin American Studies Programs, and the Obert C. and Grace A. Tanner Humanities Center. The Tanner Humanities Center (est. 1988) fosters scholarly inquiry and dialogue on issues critical to the human condition by supporting the work of distinguished Fellows.



The Carolyn Tanner Irish Humanities Building is designed to induce lively collaboration and discussion among faculty, students, and community members, while also allowing space for contemplative distance. There will be two large lecture halls, several seminar rooms, conference rooms, and group study rooms. For more reflective moments, faculty, students, and visitors can relax in reading rooms and secluded courtyards, or walk the outdoor labyrinth. (A labyrinth is a circular space with a meandering path that one walks purposefully to the circle’s center. This meditative space signifies harmony and is intended to help bring clarity to life and learning.)

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[Future Mayor]

Originally Posted by delts145

Future Mayor, So are you talking about Downtown Salt Lake City? What then exactly does 1300.00 a month get you?

It gets you an apartment in the Central Business District, in a restored historic LEED certified building, one block from a trax stop, with one of the hottest new hangouts in the city on the first floor, some apartments in the historically renovated portion, some in a new taller portion. The average size of the unit is 891 sq ft.

I currently have a negative ATCF, based on very roughly estimated costs. I am working on more exact cost as we speak. I am also recalculating my rent per sq ft to adjusting my rents. I am currently basing market rents off research done last fall.

[Scraperdude801]

Originally Posted by Future Mayor

I would say that a downtown with restaurants, bars, cultural attractions and the like are made up of people in their late twenties and into their 30's that are finished with school, don't yet have kids or maybe only one or two, and have the disposable income to frequent downtown establishments on a regular basis. .

Is that not young? Just because somebody is in late 20's and early 30's and doesn't have kids yet it doesn't mean that they should or will spend their savings on a down payment and mortgage for an overpriced condo DT that they will most likely vacate when they have kids. Apartment living makes more sense if you are trying to attract some of these people. ... Especially considering that Utah as a whole is highly family oriented. Raising families in the burbs is the trend for a lot of people. Maybe this trend will change in the future and we will see families live DT, but right now there is not a lot of families looking at DT as their neighborhood. Apartments make more sense to the single person with disposable income who wants to live DT, but is planning on a family one day.

Originally Posted by Future Mayor

I do agree thought that downtown needs more apartments for those in their mid 20's that can't afford or don't want a mortgage. The problem however is that the value of land in the downtown area and the cost of construction, even apartment are out of a lot of young peoples prices ranges.

I am working on a proforma as we speak to figure out financing on a project that would be a nice infill project, would include 1st floor retail and between 30 and 40 apartment units. The rent is looking to average out at about 1,300, so while it's not a mortgage payment on a 300,000+ condo, you could still buy a house in the liberty park area for less a month.

Yeah I agree that is very expensive for rent. Is that for a one bedroom? ... I am well aware of DT land prices having some family who own some. More apartments in DT surrounding areas would be a smart move though. .... I feel that DT is becoming a playground for millionaires. Look at NYC and what has happened to the soul of the city. It is still beautiful and great, but yuppies run the city and charm is lost to generic brand names. ... I feel strongly that Urban cores and DT's should have lots of diversity in income, race, religion, interests, political views, art, musical tastes, etc. ... With every one bedroom condo costing as much as a 5 bedroom house in Daybreak I see a problem. People who would move into DT if it was a little more realistic find there dollar means more in the suburbs with light rail extensions, commuter rails, etc. DT still appeals because of its history, but people can't justify paying so much for so little. ... I mean DT is great, but it is not a boston or NYC. It doesn't even have a fully serviced gymn. No fully serviced grocery store yet (unless you consider smiths market place DT), and people in salt lake just plain aren't friendly to pedestrians. crossing state street is a joke. I say this because I've been a DT resident for 4 years now and almost get hit by a car everyday when I have the right away and am running across the street LOL. ... Construction costs are high, but so are DT land prices. ... The solution is building up, and smarter urban planning.

[delts145]

Well, thats not a bad rate for 891 sq.ft. I would think it would be manageable by urban professionals. Say a single person or d.i.n.k couple. A good location like you described should do well. Will you have any two bedrooms in the project?

[i-215]

Originally Posted by delts145

SLC hopes face-lift, more visitors will redeem Pioneer Park's shady rep

http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_9525793?source=rv

Police and city planners now say crime eradication will come through gentrification as more park visitors, improvements and events push criminals out.

Am I just cynical, or are any of you thinking what I am: This ain't gonna work!

It seems like over the course of my whole life they've been dumping money into that park, and it never does any good because it never fixes the problem.

As long as there are homeless people, the park is going to be trashy. No offense, I'm not trying to rag on them, but it's true. Until the shelter moves, the problem won't move. The trouble is, which area of town would welcome a homeless shelter?

[Scraperdude801]

Originally Posted by Future Mayor

It gets you an apartment in the Central Business District, in a restored historic LEED certified building, one block from a trax stop, with one of the hottest new hangouts in the city on the first floor, some apartments in the historically renovated portion, some in a new taller portion. The average size of the unit is 891 sq ft.

I currently have a negative ATCF, based on very roughly estimated costs. I am working on more exact cost as we speak. I am also recalculating my rent per sq ft to adjusting my rents. I am currently basing market rents off research done last fall.

That sounds very cool!

[Future Mayor]

I may readjust the total number of units, but I do plan on having both one and two bedroom units. I would like to include balconies on the new building, but that will all be in the details at a later date.

Scraper, you are correct in what you are saying. I guess I initially figured you meant early to mid 20's by young. I have several friends in the range we have talked about that do rent downtown and I agree that there needs to be substantially more apartments in and around the CBD. I think as the options are increasing we are seeing more and more people move downtown, options such as the gateway apartments. While I own a house in the city, it is not downtown and I am considering continuing to rent it out and rent something downtown instead, simply because I want to be downtown.

One other crucial piece for housing is mixed income housing units. Low income housing tax credits not only help to lower rents for specific units targeted at specific incomes, but is obviously a benefit to the developer. My goal on all projects that I hope to develop is to provide 20% of the units as low income units.

[Scraperdude801]

Originally Posted by i-215

Am I just cynical, or are any of you thinking what I am: This ain't gonna work!

It seems like over the course of my whole life they've been dumping money into that park, and it never does any good because it never fixes the problem.

As long as there are homeless people, the park is going to be trashy. No offense, I'm not trying to rag on them, but it's true. Until the shelter moves, the problem won't move. The trouble is, which area of town would welcome a homeless shelter?

I'll say it again. The only thing I see stopping crime at the shelter is to move it next to police headqaurters when they move. I don't think the drug dealers would be doing what they're doing in front of a police station.


Also, pioneer park needs basketbal, not volleyball. Has anyone ever been to Liberty Park or Sugarhouse Park to play basketball in the summer? It is packed, a lot of times you can't even play. ... Basketball courts a couple blocks down from where the Jazz play really makes some sense. Especially considering it would be the ONLY place to play basketball in the DT area. (currently there is nothing!) That would attract people.

[delts145]

It's an unfortunate symptom of society, but yes gentrification does tend to work. When money and development move in, this type of problem is dealt with. It's sad that it usually takes money for the politicians to take valid action.

Wouldn't it be interesting to see what would happen if that liquor store were moved next to Anne Taylor or Barnes and Noble. What if repeat offenders were entered in to a data bank along with valid i.d., and weren't even able to purchase liquor in the downtown area? Do you guys think it would be too intrusive to require all liquor purchaser's at the liquor store to show valid i.d.

I am almost always very leery about pointing the finger and yelling corruption. But in this case, what can we say??? A major liquor store next to the homeless shelter and social services.

[Scraperdude801]

Originally Posted by delts145

It's an unfortunate symptom of society, but yes gentrification does tend to work. When money and development move in, this type of problem is dealt with. It's sad that it usually takes money for the politicians to take valid action.

Wouldn't it be interesting to see what would happen if that liquor store were moved next to Anne Taylor or Barnes and Noble. What if repeat offenders were entered in to a data bank along with valid i.d., and weren't even able to purchase liquor in the downtown area? Do you guys think it would be too intrusive to require all liquor purchaser's at the liquor store to show valid i.d.

I am almost always very leery about pointing the finger and yelling corruption. But in this case, what can we say??? A major liquor store next to the homeless shelter and social services.

Yeah I totally agree that having the liqour store so close to the shelter and the park doesn't help the area. I drink myself, and don't think that alcohol is evil or anything like that, but I think the location is a little corrupt. ... Now in reply to your question. Don't we already show valid I.D.? Im confused? I think the database would be a good idea for the DT liqour store.

[arkhitektor]

Originally Posted by i-215

Am I just cynical, or are any of you thinking what I am: This ain't gonna work!

It seems like over the course of my whole life they've been dumping money into that park, and it never does any good because it never fixes the problem.

As long as there are homeless people, the park is going to be trashy. No offense, I'm not trying to rag on them, but it's true. Until the shelter moves, the problem won't move. The trouble is, which area of town would welcome a homeless shelter?

I remember last year during the mayoral primary listening to a debate between Nancy Saxton and Jenny Wilson. They were talking about Pioneer Park and I don't remember who, but one of them said this: "A scoundrel in a new suit is still a scoundrel" Basically, that new playground equipment isn't enough to fix the area's problems. Until the homeless are gone, that area is always going to have problems.