Salt Lake:Official development news thread

[delts145]

Theater 'unparalleled' asset

http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,705255844,00.html


Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker, left, and Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. announce plans for the Utah Performance Center on Main Street in Salt Lake on Thursday. August Miller, Deseret News

Video Link: http://deseretnews.com/video/1,5563,585,00.html

This is a momentous day for us in Salt Lake City," Mayor Ralph Becker said, officially announcing the former NAC site as the theater's future home. "The Utah Performance Center on Main will be an asset that is unparalleled in our region."

...Bishop Burton applauded the downtown theater project, saying it will work together with the LDS Church's $1.5 billion City Creek Center mixed-use development on the north side of 100 South to bolster the vibrancy of downtown.

An expected boost to economic development is one of two ways Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. said he believes a downtown performing arts center will significantly improve quality of life for Utahns.

"The second part is we have some great young people in this state who are wonderful performers," he said. "To think they're going to have a world-class outpost that will allow them to elevate their capabilities is an awesome thought."

The Utah Performance Center on Main is the working title for the estimated $81.5 million project, which is expected to also include rehearsal space and black-box theaters. Complementary retail and even residential space also could become part of the project, city officials said.

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[arkhitektor]

Originally Posted by delts145

What is the new color?

Its kind of a marron-ish shade.
I'm still pretty horrified by it. Maybe it will grow on me, but it hasn't yet.

[DENrising]

Even without a wall of high rises stretching for miles, we still have a hard time seeing the mountains today on the days of hazy, inversion, pollution- greyish skies that do appear frequently along the W Front. Let's worry more about transit, cutting back on driving, and other realistic things we need to do now to enhance our air quality, instead of worry about the possibility of having a few super-tall buildings.

Apart from a 1000 room Convention Center hotel, which I favor (Denver has just done that with the Hyatt), there will not be office buildings taller than WF or 222 until SLC becomes home to more larger Corporations. I don't know that will happen in this business climate.

Originally Posted by SLC Projects

The mountains are huge. Even with the SLC skyline we can see the mountains. We would have to build a wall of 80+ story towers all the way from North Temple to 13200 South before we couldn't see the mountains while driving.
So what are you saying we should sprawl out and fill up the valley first then built up?
I don't get some of you guys on here. Some of you guys say you hate "Sprawl" but yet you don't want cities to built up either.
Ummmmm we can only build up or out.

Having cities with a 1-5 story limit is just stupid. Having limits like that would just create even more Sprawl in the long run.



we don't need lowrise sprawl either.

[NYC Rick]

[QUOTE=TANGELD_SLC;3858591]Ok I've got a GREAT idea. Let's fill downtown with dozens of new short, stubby, nondescript 200-400footers with humongous footprints, LOTS of parking lots and empty plazas.

I mean, what's the point of building UP when you can just build OUT? Why build ONE ICONIC 1,000ft tower when you can build several midrises wasting WAY more space?
We should be thinking about the PRESENT and not the FUTURE, and waste as much as possible, right?

THAT WAY when it comes time to build a supertall, we can waste money, energy and resources demolishing one or two stubbies for the supertall that should have just been built in the first place.
Yep. BRILLIANT IDEA.

Cities are very individual. Each downtown core evolves. It never evolves from the fact of "hey, we need an iconic 1,000 foot building".

The very high rise buildings are either built by space limitations...NYC, Chicago, SF and on and on or they are built because of a dire need to anchor a city. NEED is the key word.

SLC, had the downtown core of 90 years ago remained the focus, would or could have been a vibrant and powerful area. Yet SLC spread out. It spread out because it could. Here in NYC, you have a basic 20sq mile island (Manhattan) that ran out of space and thus went vertical.

SLC, because it has finally rediscovered the viability of a downtown focus has a real future to be the energy hub of the whole CSA... not to mention dominating the entire area.

This does not equate with building a 1,000 ft building just because it is a cool idea. If you know that it can pay for itself, then that is another issue. Charlotte built the Wachovia bank tower because it was the focus of one of the largest financial institutions in the world. It is now being turned into The Bank of America tower due to its absorbing Wachovia.

Charlotte is lucky that it became a banking center for many banks because they are saying that the collapse of Wachovia is killing many aspects.

The key words are that it became a banking center.

SLC has been a kind of self sustaining city. I do not live there now and I cannot really talk about what changes in the real infrastructure are going on.

When I was growing up it was the LDS church and Kennecott. Kennecott now seems like a secondary player, Someone tell me if SLC has become a center for any new and powerful business focus.

The 1,000 foot tower is a total vanity concept. Not to mention a totally non unifying one. Building something to say look at us is not practical. The cost alone is something that very few cities, of any size, even want to think about.

SLC is doing the right thing. Build and focus on establishing a total DT are vibrancy. Spreading the wealth of design across the area.

[SLC Projects]

Originally Posted by SLCrising

Even without a wall of high rises stretching for miles, we still have a hard time seeing the mountains today on the days of hazy, inversion, pollution- greyish skies that do appear frequently along the W Front. Let's worry more about transit, cutting back on driving, and other realistic things we need to do now to enhance our air quality, instead of worry about the possibility of having a few super-tall buildings.

Apart from a 1000 room Convention Center hotel, which I favor (Denver has just done that with the Hyatt), there will not be office buildings taller than WF or 222 until SLC becomes home to more larger Corporations. I don't know that will happen in this business climate.

Bad air quality is one thing, having tons of highrises a whole another thing.
I think we are worring more about transit. Otherwise we wouldn't be hearing about UTA breaking ground on five different lines. I do favor having highrise next to or near transit lines.

[SLC Projects]

Downtown Theater Plans.


Map of downtown. The red shows where the new theater will go.



This is the building on Main that city leaders want to turn into a broadway theater.

[Justnslcsugarhood.]

Originally Posted by SLC Projects

Downtown Theater Plans.


Map of downtown. The red shows where the new theater will go.



This is the building on Main that city leaders want to turn into a broadway theater.

OHHHHH hurray I'm sooo excited!
I think that if Ralf Becker doesn't get full funding for a arts district this will definitely lead to the developing of one over time.
I'm sooo happy for this you guys have no IDEA!

[Justnslcsugarhood.]

The $1.5 billion residential, retail and office project calls for Regent Street to be extended to the north side of 100 South and be lined with restaurants when complete in 2012. The potential for Regent Street to become a pedestrian link between City Creek Center and the Gallivan Center also has been cited as an advantage of the former NAC site."

thank god the Mormon church realized what the gateway didn't and thats that if they built the malls like a box to hold people in when their malls became more successful they would have a harder time expanding.

[urbanboy]

While I was at the press conference yesterday I spoke with both Bill Becker and Bob Farrington. They both said that no layouts or architectural drawings have been created yet, and that they are not sure whether the auditorium will run North to South, or East to West. As of now the project does not include any of the Old Tribune building although the property is up for sale. Bell Becker confirmed that the back end of the Tribune Building is not historic and was a later addition. Also they are not sure whether the MUAH, and Metro Buildings will be incorporated into the new theater, It depends on what the architects and structural engineers can come up with. Bill Becker however, did share his appreciation for the Interior of the MUAH building, and expressed a hope that the building could be incorporated into the theater, if not, that some of the architectural elements could be saved. Bob Farrington thought it possibly could still be used as an art gallery if the auditorium is set back. William Becker did mention that if the theater ran East-West, the possibility for retail on that portion of Regent Street would be diminished. I for one hope they will somehow be able to acquire the back end of the Tribune Building. This is the only way I see it being possible to incorporate both the Metro and MUAH Buildings into the project and still have enough room for Retail on both Regent and Main streets.

BTW the new color on the Peery Hotel is almost an eggplant.

[wrendog]

I hope the include residential towers in the full plans for the theater. Like we saw in earlier plans.

[urbanboy]

That's still a possibility.

[RFPCME]

I caught the blurb in the on-line SLC Trib today on the site selection for the SLC "Broadway" Theatre was made. Saw that the State, City, and the LDS Church joined forces to launch the idea. Like the decision, hate the process.

To me, the site selection is typical Utah decision making: a deal is cut among principal stakeholders, with very little input from whom will ultimately pay for the project--tax payers! It's almost as if the general public is considered too stupid to make an informed decision, or there is something shady about the deal so that the principal stakeholders don't want the decision examined too closely, and it's all too typical in Utah.

Let me describe a similar decision which took place in Utah not too long ago, which appears similar to what just took place with the site selection for the downtown "Broadway" theater, the Falcon Hill Development at Hill AFB: A developer approached the Air Force with a scheme to build buildings on the base, then lease them back to the Air Force at very cheap rates. Sound too good? It was. The development scheme relied on funds from Layton City, Weber County, UDOT, and many other governmental agencies to fund the necessary infrastructure. Hill AFB officials got caught up in the momentum of the scheme and leveraged the new facilities to attract other Air Force operations to the base (most notably Air Force Cyber Command). Remember these are private buildings on public land for Government use. The chances of them generating property tax revenue is negligible.

Before too long, the concept is announced. Public officials see an eventual economic gold mine, don't want to take on the economic engine which drives the northern third of Utah (the US Air Force), and commit enormous sums of money to the project.

Here are the problems. Public money has now been diverted from other uses to support this project, which is not necessarily bad, but will take public money away from other important uses. Other developers got screwed because they did not have a chance to bid on the project, or even provide input, which would have been healthy. The whole project decision-making process, which will be great for people like me who are already connected to the Air Force, was done below the radar, behind closed doors. Important issues and vested stakeholders were ignored. Somewhere down the line important issues are going to surface, which will cost the tax-payers even more money because they weren't addressed early on. That is my complaint with the whole project. It is also what I fear just happened with the downtown-theater, site selection process.

Sure, someone could argue there was no time for a prudent decision-making process because Sandy was racing to get their theater built. If I look at the conclusion, with the Governor, Mayor Becker, and the LDS Church all lined up behind the decision, there never was a race--it's a "Weapons of Mass Destruction" argument, which makes me suspicious about the final decision.

[RFPCME]

Two conclusions about the future seem inescapable:

(1) the current financial crises is far from over
(2) there will be a Democratic landslide in November

The Federal government is throwing just about everything into its fight to avert a complete meltdown of our economy. But I think the problems are too deep, too intractable to expect there will be much of a turnaround for at least 24 months...possibly a lot longer.

Like it or no, the economy will create a Democratic landslide in the upcoming elections. President Obama will have solid (probably veto proof) majorities in both houses of Congress. Certain Republican Senate victories in Georgia (Chambliss), North Carolina (Dole), and Kentucky (McConnell) are now toss-ups, with the momentum on the challengers' sides, creating a 60-seat-plus Democratic majority in the Senate.

What do these conclusions mean for all of us?

About the only thing I am certain of is that there will be SIGNIFICANT public works projects proposed in the next two years--highways, airports, Federal buildings, energy development (I hope!), just about anything that will put more money into the economy.

My question to forumers is what public works projects should the Wasatch Front and Utah in general be pushing? Where should Federal money go, realizing that Utah is the most Republican state in the union and will likely suffer in Federal spending for at least the next two years?

[Viperlord]

Downtown Rising updated site:
http://www.downtownrising.com/projects/performance_project.php

A rendering of the Utah Performance Center from the Downtownrising.com site

http://www.downtownrising.com/projects/images/performance1.jpg

A pdf showing the map
http://www.downtownrising.com/downloads/UPC_map_detail.pdf

The Utah Performance Center on Main is a Broadway-style theater built to host the biggest and most sophisticated productions. The facility will be constructed on the site of the old Newspaper Agency Corp. building at 135 South Main and will accommodate major productions with an anticipated seating capacity of approximately 2,500.

The selected site was announced by Mayor Ralph Becker's office October 16, 2008 and will also host special performances from existing performing arts organizations including the Utah Opera, Ballet West and other musical and comedy acts.

The Utah Performance Center on Main will serve as an anchor for the Arts and Culture District and draw visitors from throughout the intermountain west, further enhance the arts and culture in our state and strengthen our capital city.

[delts145]

It's that time of year again!

Vote for your favorite:

http://extras.sltrib.com/specials/aiacontest/

Westgate Fine Arts - Kohn Grocery Building - 1903

Salt Lake Tribune

The Utah chapter of the American Institute of Architects and The Salt Lake Tribune invite readers to vote on their favorite designs from state architects for 2008. The twenty entries come from this year's Utah Architecture Design Awards competition. A jury of experts will be choosing honorees in several categories, with the winners honored at an awards dinner Nov. 7 in the rotunda of the Utah State Capitol Building.

East Bench Canyon Residence

Salt Lake Tribune

For this "People's Choice" award, voters are invited to choose their three favorite designs from any category. Readers can only vote once, and voting runs through Nov. 1. A list of the top 10 vote-getters are listed on the results page after you vote, and the final results from the online and overall contest will be published in The Tribune Mix section on Nov. 12.

Zions Bank Tower

Salt Lake Tribune

In keeping with guidelines for the juried competition, the entries do not include the names of the submitting architects.
Participants also are encouraged to share their views on the entries, by visiting The Tribune's TribTalk area devoted to the topic

University of Utah Orthopedic Center, pics by The Salt Lake Tribune




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[delts145]

Salt Lake City to Tokyo - Delta flight to Tokyo in "exploratory stages" - Influx of Asian visitors expected to be good for Salt Lake City Resort's Tourism

http://www.parkrecord.com/todaysheadlines/ci_10748421

Delta Air Lines may begin a flight between Salt Lake City and Tokyo that has the tourism industry excited...

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[Future Mayor]

Originally Posted by RFPCME

I caught the blurb in the on-line SLC Trib today on the site selection for the SLC "Broadway" Theatre was made. Saw that the State, City, and the LDS Church joined forces to launch the idea. Like the decision, hate the process.

To me, the site selection is typical Utah decision making: a deal is cut among principal stakeholders, with very little input from whom will ultimately pay for the project--tax payers! It's almost as if the general public is considered too stupid to make an informed decision, or there is something shady about the deal so that the principal stakeholders don't want the decision examined too closely, and it's all too typical in Utah.

I have to disagree with you on this one. The site selection was done by the committee that Bill Becker leads. I think the presence of the Presiding Bishop and the Governor were simply to show that they support the theater in Downtown. Yes the site has been selected however the sale of the property has not been completed and is only now being pursued by the RDA and the funding process hasn't even started. Yes they have some ideas as to were the funding could possibly come from.

To me, your comment makes it sound like the property deal has been finalized, all the funding sources have been identified and that there will be no public input on any of it.

I don't see how the site selection would be more effective as a public process. I think there are somethings that the public isn't capable of making an informed decision on. How many of us on here let alone the general public understand the logistics of a theater and some of the key factors that make up a good location.

I think the announcement is simply a trump card in the "race" with Sandy. The presence of Bishop Burton and Governor Huntsman, who both obviously have a lot of interest in the growth of the city as well as the state, is simply saying "We support Mayor Becker and the dt theater plan" Yes this could be considered a slight intimidation factor but I think sometime that is what Mayor Tom "db" Dolan needs.

I give Mayor Becker major credit. The idea of a new theater has been tossed around for many many years and within 10 months of taking office, a site has been selected and the LDS church and Governors office both are supportive of it. Here's to you Mayor Becker

[delts145]

Originally Posted by Future Mayor

I give Mayor Becker major credit. The idea of a new theater has been tossed around for many many years and within 10 months of taking office, a site has been selected and the LDS church and Governors office both are supportive of it. Here's to you Mayor Becker

Here Here.....Braaavo....Braaavo Mayor Becker!!!

[T-Mac]

Downtown Theater area currently. Pics from above.





Beautiful Fall Day

[RFPCME]

Future Mayor:

Your point about the property deals not being done in the site selection for the downtown theater is a good one. It isn't over yet. But you made a statement that bothers me a great deal:

"I don't see how the site selection would be more effective as a public process. I think there are somethings that the public isn't capable of making an informed decision on. How many of us on here let alone the general public understand the logistics of a theater and some of the key factors that make up a good location."

When public money is going to be committed, the public has to make a decision. All the site selection committee had to do was lay their selection criteria out, say what strengths and weaknesses each site had, then articulate why they made the decision the did. That's it. Nothing more.

But that takes time, effort, and a general respect for the public, which I don't see in Utah policy makers. Drives me crazy. I also see the whole Sandy theater as a stalking horse, no realistic chance, just enough credibility to get us wound up and take our eyes off scrutiny of the real decision.