Salt Lake:Official development news thread

[Northernlad]

Originally Posted by RFPCME

Projects: I share the same bad feeling. There is something wrong with this project. Don't know what it is, but I suspect the project has hit a financing snag. How did this project get approved in the first place. Pardon my stupidity, but I assume in order to get demolition and building permits for the city there must be some financial statement that must be approved. How else would a city prohibit purely speculative development that may result in vacant eyesores for years to come. Does someone know the answer?

This is the talk among developers in the valley. A lot of us think this may sit vacant for a long time as the national and state economy continues slumping.

[delts145]

Originally Posted by delts145

Gentlemen, I wouldn't be at all overly pessimistic about this little piece of development. This is probably one of the hottest pieces of potential in one of the nations hottest markets. At the very worst we'll see a phased-in schedule.

My gut tells me that this project will commence in the near future. It won't be in perhaps one fail swoop, as would have been the case, if the national economic trend were more stable. However, the SLC market is still among one of the nations most comparitively sound investments. We'll see respectable chunks of this project up and going within the next year, if not three to six months.

If the local economy resumes it's former hyper-growth by early to mid 2009 as many have predicted, then the Sugarhouse project will be fully completed much sooner than later. Again, this is a plum project in a plum area, with little at this point to discourage already committed financiers. It's just a matter of proceeding with caution, and a bit of a speed adjustment.

The odds are much better that this particular location will see phases of development within the next year rather than sit empty or be strung out for years like a Boise Place, etc.

[T-Mac]

My general contractor clients have said that recently they have been bidding on many commercial projects. They said that they have bid on more projects so far this year than all of last year. Hopefully, this is a good sign of things beginning to turn around.

[SLC Projects]

Originally Posted by T-Mac

My general contractor clients have said that recently they have been bidding on many commercial projects. They said that they have bid on more projects so far this year than all of last year. Hopefully, this is a good sign of things beginning to turn around.

Hopefully this would lead to more new Office Towers in downtown.

[delts145]

You are soooo right T-Mac!! Increasingly, the Wasatch Front is separating itself as one of a handful of the brighest commercials prospects in the nation. One only need look at the business section of a major newspaper recently to understand that major names are moving in and not in a small way. These are typically thousands of new residents, who will be earning above average income and are going to be in the market for either a purchase or at least to rent. Again, this recent development with the Rockefeller Group is but the tip of the pending iceburg.

[T-Mac]

The building on the northeast corner of 300 East and 100 South is fenced off and looking like it is getting ready for demo. Anyone know what is going on there?

[Comrade]

Is it the old Odyssey House? If it is, that's where Providence Place is planned, so hopefully this means they're getting ready to start construction!

[blazefirelight]

So, I saw Hancock last night, and they're in some Hospital. It looks like it's in downtown Los Angeles (but it could've been made up, who really knows?) and when I saw this hospital, the first thing that struck me was "Borg Cube." AKA, new Salt Lake Courthouse. I think that it didn't really look THAT bad. It looked pretty ok.

If anyone else has seen the movie, do you know what I'm talking about?

[SLC Projects]

Main Street 2005



These were the same photos to ballardphotograhix.com that viperlord posted last night. I just went ahead and posted all the main street photos together.

check out his main street section
http://ballardphotographix.com/PortfolioMainSt.htm

Main Street West side June 2005





Main Street East side June 2005

[arkhitektor]

The old malls certainly looked terrible didn't they?
I'm glad that they are just a distant, horrible memory.

[T-Mac]

Originally Posted by Comrade Reynolds

Is it the old Odyssey House? If it is, that's where Providence Place is planned, so hopefully this means they're getting ready to start construction!

It is the old Odyssey House building. I think that it is coming down soon from the looks of it.

[delts145]

Originally Posted by arkhitektor

The old malls certainly looked terrible didn't they?
I'm glad that they are just a distant, horrible memory.

Ditto!!

[RFPCME]

I just read over the D-News article, posted on the Ogden thread, about the Falcon Hill development taking place near the west gate to Hill AFB. It strikes me as odd that this development, mainly office space, is receiving such little attention. The project seems to be moving forward with out a lot of hoopla, positive or negative, which is odd in this day and age and which is why I am beginning to believe something significant is going on behind the scenes.

The project is breaking all kinds of new ground--e.g., the first time the Department of Defense has traded land in return for free office space, which is remarkable and is being replicated at DoD installations across the country. The size of the develoment is staggering, literally 100's of thousands of sq. ft., most of it office space.

Even to a person like me, who knows very little of development, the high concentration of office space at Falcon Hill tells me both the Air Force and the developers expect major expansion at Hill. Oddly, the high concentration of office space across the development, which seems to fit Air Force expectations exactly, also points to a very different mission for Hill rather than its traditional role as a logistics, repair, and maintenance facility. You don't need a lot of modern office space, with state of the art utilities (such as fiber optic cabling) if your job is to maintain and repair aircraft.

Also, the amazing cooperation between the Air Force and the private sector in this development suggests the Air Force may be leaning toward Hill as its location for Cyber Command, which is exactly the opposite of what I wrote on this thread a couple of days ago because I didn't think Utah could supply enough engineers to support the command. Not the first time I've been wrong about something.

As I read more, the joint Air Force and private sector development has been in the works for over two years, just about the same time when the Air Force created the temporary Cyber Command at Barksdale AFB in Louisiana. Very interesting.

[delts145]

This is extremely interesting RFPCME. When will there be a definitive announcement on whether Utah is chosen or not, and how many jobs again did you say this would generate? Was it in the 5000 range? I was also curious as to the supply of engineers. Wouldn't it be easy enough for Hill AFB to glean engineers from nearby areas such as California? I was thinking that the Airforce would prefer to operate in Utah, over say a place like New England or California, and it seems it would be easy enough to attract engineers from around the country. Hill has never had a problem attracting personnel before, and I think the local universities have also proven an ability to expand quickly their programs.

This seems like a really big economic development for the region. Sorry for all the questions, but now you really have me interested in the prospects that this could generate.

[UTPlanner]

RFPCME-- you are right that there has been little attention paid to the Falcon Hill Development though the repercussions could be huge. The lack of attention is not surprising though. The SLC based media does not like to leave the county to report on items. I have a good friend that is a camera man for KSL and they're are encouraged to find stories in Salt Lake County because it saves them money. If this project was based in Salt Lake County it would have more coverage than it would like. I live in SLC and work in Davis County and I'm always shocked at things that do not make the news that occur in Layton or Ogden but if a cat gives birth down in Murray, well that's front page news. (Perhaps I am exaggerating just a bit.)

Anyways just a pet peeve of mine.

[arkhitektor]

Originally Posted by UTPlanner

RFPCME-- you are right that there has been little attention paid to the Falcon Hill Development though the repercussions could be huge. The lack of attention is not surprising though. The SLC based media does not like to leave the county to report on items. I have a good friend that is a camera man for KSL and they're are encouraged to find stories in Salt Lake County because it saves them money. If this project was based in Salt Lake County it would have more coverage than it would like. I live in SLC and work in Davis County and I'm always shocked at things that do not make the news that occur in Layton or Ogden but if a cat gives birth down in Murray, well that's front page news. (Perhaps I am exaggerating just a bit.)

Anyways just a pet peeve of mine.

Its no exaggeration, especially if you get news from KSL or the Deseret News.
Here are just a few of the "newsworthy" gems that are featured today on KSL.com:



Many of the stories on KSL's websites are so irrelevant and poorly written that I wonder if their online editors are high school students.

[IFtowner]

Canning in Utah?

No way.

[delts145]

Hey, don't laugh!! I have to learn how to can/bottle tomatos, or I'm going to be overwhelmed by them pretty soon from the garden. LOL

[Viperlord]

rather unfortunate

After 35 years in same location, deConde's to leave downtown SL

After 35 years in same location, deConde's to leave downtown SL

High-end interior design and home furnishings retailer deConde's is leaving downtown Salt Lake City after 35 years at 270 E.100 S.

Ken deConde, a partner in the business with Harry Warrick, said parking woes - are driving him from the site where he "planned to stay forever."

A moving sale is under way, and deConde's plans to be up and running at its new, approximately 10,000 square foot location at 3130 S. Highland Dr., Salt Lake City, in July or August. It will be near a sister deConde's Accents store, which sells high-end home accessories, at 3000 S. Highland Dr.

deConde said the city's removal of many parking meters along 100 South has hurt his business. While some might argue that free parking is good for retail the previously metered spaces are used, day and night, by nearby apartment dwellers, leaving little or no parking options for his customers.

"I just got tired of fighting it," he said. "So I'm saying, 'goodbye, downtown.' I would think after 35 years, downtown needs places like us. What have we got left? OC Tanner, deConde's, Bennion and the Oxford Shop. The City Council is paying too much attention to what's going on with all the new construction and they're not paying attention to those that they need to realize are important too."

deConde's leased its new space on Highland Drive with the assistance of Commerce CRG.

Copyright Enterprise Business Newspaper Inc. Jun 9, 2008

[i-215]

Originally Posted by arkhitektor

Its no exaggeration, especially if you get news from KSL or the Deseret News.
Here are just a few of the "newsworthy" gems that are featured today on KSL.com:



Many of the stories on KSL's websites are so irrelevant and poorly written that I wonder if their online editors are high school students.

Cut KSL some slack. It's a slow day. You also missed the real news (which can be found at the top of the page):