Salt Lake:Official development news thread

[Future Mayor]

[Urban_logic]

Originally Posted by cololi

You are wrong about SLC having more traffic than the suburbs....

I was simply pointing out how SLC makes its fair share of air pollutants. There are still lots of cars on the road every time I have driven through any part of SLC. It is not in any way exempt, like Camrade seems to think it is. There is plenty of pollution coming out of SLC, as there is in any suburb.

Originally Posted by Future Mayor

The hopeful thing about the west side is that it is owned by one land owner, which has at least attempted to make their first development more walkable. Having them able to develop with a long range goal(plan) in mind will hopefully allow them to accomplish just that.

Yes, I agree that will help. I do think that "at least attempted" is a bit of an understatement. I have been able to walk the length of what is built to date in Daybreak in a half hour or less without ever not having a sidewalk to walk on. There are plenty of trails and pedestrian walkways. It is much more than an "attempt". With TRAX and the commercial centers, it will be much more than an "attempted" walkable community.

Originally Posted by Future Mayor

While the suburbs have plans in place, I don't think they really had the type of zoning regulations to require connections between different developments, and commercial centers. Most cities across the country don't have a big enough set to say "no culs-de-sacs," in an attempt to at least create some sort of connection pattern. I guess they fear the developers will build in the neighboring city if they pass those regulations. This is something that needs to be addresses at a state level, or municipal level if a city will step up and have the balls to do it.

Virginia recently passed transportation regulations eliminating culd-de-sacs state wide, North Carolina and Portland, OR also have them along with a few others. They cite improved safety, accessibility, and connectivity as the reasons behind the regulations.

I agree, though more so with Comrade. Not all culd-de-sacs should be made illegal. In hilly areas like in Sandy and Draper, I don't see a problem with them because people probably won't be walking anywhere anyway. Also, I think they are ok in areas by rivers, other bodies of water, or by freeways/highways. For instance, I have noticed that along Bangetter, there are culd-de-sacs up against the highway, which I don't see a problem with. I think it really has to do with the area. Cities should work together with neighboring cities to zone certain areas for culd-de-sacs, zoning them out completely in other areas.

[i-215]

I'm for requiring a tough variance to permit cul-de-sacs and dead-end streets, unless they are stubs for future connectivity.

And I'm a car guy. I agree: Nearly all cul-de-sacs are bad.

[TANGELD_SLC]

Anybody with a brain knows that the new civic center needs to be ACROSS THE MOTHER EFFING STREET!!!!!!!


If they put it on the square it will RUIN the iconic status that our library currently has, of this I am now convinced and unless Sadfe HIMSELF designs the new buildings to complement the library they will have no right to be on the square.

[Comrade]

That's just it. Let's be honest, it's unlikely the civic center can live up to the iconic library, so putting it on that block would be like putting a general LDS meeting house in Temple Square, right next to the Temple.

It just doesn't work.

[DMTower]

If they end up across the street then I hope they put them right up to the sidewalk. I'm so tired of developers treating downtown like a suburb and squandering space. There are so many lots downtown where the buildings have a parking area between them and the sidewalk.

[utahboozer]

I've been trolling through the forum, trying to find out wtf is going on with 2nd South between State and 3-4th West.

Any ideas? I can't seem to get information about why the street is being torn up...tia

[Orlando]

hopefully, it's a landscaped/parking median like 300 south.

[Future Mayor]

It looks to me like they are doing some utilities replacement along that corridor.

While it would be nice to see a landscaped median that isn't it. The eastern section of 300 S along with 300 E will be the next section to get the permanent landscaped parking median.

[utahboozer]

Originally Posted by Orlando

hopefully, it's a landscaped/parking median like 300 south.

I was thinking that would be visually pleasant, but it would be hell for traffic. Here's to hoping that 2nd South semafores are being modernized and synchronized.

[goldcntry]

Wow... Salt Lake must be the most happening construction project place outside of Dubai... We're just about to hit post 10,000 and page 500! Time to start the "Salt Lake: Official Development News Thread, Vol. II" soon!!

[Comrade]

[John Martin]

That walker tower... so bright.

[ue]

Hi SLCers ...

I have a question, I'd been looking at SW American cities on Google Earth, but SLC was the first one I saw so I thought I mind as well ask you guys.

Why are your blocks in the street grid (especially downtown) so big? they're like 2 times the size of reg blocks up here? It's probably a regionalism or something but I was just curious as to why they're so big (from my standpoint) ... maybe there is a story to it but I was just wondering.

pardon my ignorance.

[Future Mayor]

A very quick definition is this.

When the city was laid out by Brigham Young in the late 1840's the streets were designed to be able to do a U-turn with a team of Oxen and a wagon, and the blocks (10 acres) were designed to be homesteaded so that each family had room to raise some livestock and produce on their property.

[ue]

^Interesting, thanks.

One other question - it probably seems silly cause you live in SLC - but why do many of the roads just use a number Eg 200,etc. and no street, avenue, or name at the end for the type, and it goes by hundreds which is weird.

Here in Edmonton most of our roads are numbers since 1914, and since the 50s I think the heart of Downtown would be 101 st and Jasper Avenue - jasper = 101 ave (or 1st st and 1st ave essentially), it also works because east of 100 st, they go into 90s, like 97 street, etc. 156 street would be 56 street for example or 124 street would be 24th street for example. Is there that sort of similarity in SLC?

[Future Mayor]

Again it was how it was originally laid out. It all works in a complete grid system. Even the named streets have a corresponding number, in relation to the grid. Once you get into the city neighborhoods a large portion of the roads are named, except the 100's (ex 200 East, 300 E, etc). Avenues run east and west and Streets run north and south.

[ue]

^Same here. Each road also is a #, but diagonals can be multiple #s.

Jasper Ave - 101 Ave (1 Ave)
Stony Plain Road - 101 Ave/102 Ave (1 Ave/2 Ave)
Whyte Ave - 82 Ave
Alberta Avenue/Avenue of Champions - 118 Ave (18 Ave)
Calgary Trail - 104 street (4th Street)
Winterburn Road - 215 street (115th Street)

Those are examples. So is it like that I assume?

Thanks.

[T-Mac]

[MetroFanatic]

Would you look at that, I predicted wrong on the Oddfellows Hall.