Salt Lake City: Official Development News Thread - Part 3

[Orlando]

Regarding the office building straddling the UPAC issue, take a look at this. This is a hotel straddling the new High-Line Parkway in New York. I am going to do a quick Setchup model of how the proposed office building can straddle the UPAC and have a semi-shared lobby space.

Btw, nice pics Tmac! I love the 222 shot! You should sell that one somehow! To SOM, Hamilton, Salt Lake Tourism, Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce, etc. It's gorgeous!

[gusam26]

new balance store moving in across mrs. backers pastry shop.

[delts145]

All aboard! University Station would house 464 students

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/55002279-78/university-campus-housing-station.html.csp

Brian Maffly - The Salt Lake Tribune

Salt Lake City’s 900 East TRAX station, now facing an often-vacant parking lot, could soon be serving a massive
student-focused apartment complex, the first of its kind near the University of Utah, under a proposal crafted by a
team of business students.

The group is seeking financing and approvals for its proposed five-floor University Station, housing up to 464 residents in
140 units on a 2.24-acre lot currently occupied by a sleepy Office Max store at the southwest corner of 900 East and
400 South.

Student apartment complex proposed for the southwest corner of 900 East and 400 South, next to the TRAX station.
The 177,000-square-foot, five-story building would have rooms for up to 464 students in 140 units. The backers are
three recent University of Utah business school graduates whose proposal, which addresses the dearth of student-
focused housing near campus, won the Utah Real Estate Challenge.

"The reason [students] aren’t moving close to campus is there’s no product. They don’t want a two-bedroom, one-
bath apartment. Four-bedroom apartments don’t exist," partner Justin Earl said. Housing is "catering to the general
market, not students." ...


scribassets.com


scribassets.com

Main Floor Plan
The mainfloor provides 25 units: sixteen 4-bedroom, two 3-bed-room, and seven 2-bedroom units. The leasing office
is centrallylocated across from the elevators. There are 2 lobby areas, one of which could potentially become an
exercise room or laundry facil-ity. As mentioned earlier, there are two locations to enter the site as dem-onstrated
below. There are 117 parking stalls on the upper level, and272 stalls on the lower level. The majority of the parking
is covered.Main Floor Plan

scribassets.com


The second floor provides 28 units: sixteen 4-bedroom, four 3-bed-room, and eight 2-bedroom units. Levels 3 through
5 are laid outthe same except they provide one additional 4-bedroom unit abovethe secondfloor common space. The
location above the of fice onthe mainfloor could have multiple uses, as either a common area,exercise room, or
laundry facility.As shown, the elevated platform is accessible from the second level.It provides plenty of seating and
green space, making it an excellentspace for socializing.

scribassets.com


Lower Level Parking

scribassets.com

Elevation

scribassets.com

Typical 4 bedroom unit

scribassets.com


scribassets.com

...Note: Student apartment complex proposed for the southwest corner of 900 East and 400 South, next to
the TRAX station. The 177,000-square-foot, five-story building would have rooms for up to 464 students in 140
units. The backers are three recent University of Utah business school graduates whose proposal, which addresses
the dearth of student-focused housing near campus, won the Utah Real Estate Challenge.


.

[Orlando]

I'm excited that we are finally seeing denser development along 400 south, and is designed to be more urban. However, I think it wouldn't hurt if this building stepped back another 5 feet or so. There's a good balance to sidewalk pedestrian scale and proportion. And, this building's scale next to the narrow portion of sidewalk, seems a little overbearing. IMO. Also, I'm not fond of the super strict symmetry of this building fronting 400 south. I think the corner glass thing should stay since it is fronting an intersection corner, but the duplicate of it on the other end is just not the same condition. Maybe it could be glass, but just not an exact duplicate of the other end.

[Old&New]

10 unexpectedly romantic U.S. cities

http://travel.yahoo.com/ideas/10-unexpectedly-romantic-u-s--cities.html?page=9

[SLC Projects]

Wow, love the idea of new housing on 400 South. I hope we see more and more of these up and down 400 South.

[scottharding]

That's great! I love that proposal. There's gonna be a lot of people on that corner. The RDA has a sign up on the abandoned building immediately south of the Office Max parking lot that says it will be redeveloped into housing in 2013. And just across the street to the North, the Phillips 66 gas station has closed down and has fencing around it. I seem to remember a housing proposal for that block as well. ?

[StevenF]

Originally Posted by scottharding

That's great! I love that proposal. There's gonna be a lot of people on that corner. The RDA has a sign up on the abandoned building immediately south of the Office Max parking lot that says it will be redeveloped into housing in 2013. And just across the street to the North, the Phillips 66 gas station has closed down and has fencing around it. I seem to remember a housing proposal for that block as well. ?

Any info on those? I really hope some of them are more than just 5 floors. I love the density but really all we seem to be getting these days are 4-6 floor buildings going in all over the place. Lets get some height going and see buildings actually rise higher than the trees.

[farmerboy]

Love the idea as a rough draft, could definitely use some design tweaking.

[arkhitektor]

Is the Office Max site for sale? Just wondering if this has any actual potential of being built on that site or if it's just a school project.

[delts145]

^^^

I understood from the article that the Owner of the property would like Office Max to be included in the street level of the apartmment building. I'll put the quote below...

...Birdoff’s New York City holding company controls 20 million square feet in retail space, but he said the Salt Lake City property is very much on his radar. Some of his properties have been developed for student housing, such as a new complex serving University of Florida students in Gainesville.

Birdoff would like to see Office Max accommodated in ground-level retail space. "Office Max is a great tenant," Birdoff said. "It’s important to have a mixed-use there."...

[T-Mac]

Here's a couple more from Main Street. I didn't get as many photos processed as I had hoped last night as I was watching the U game.

[Future Mayor]

Originally Posted by delts145

^^^

I understood from the article that the Owner of the property would like Office Max to be included in the street level of the apartmment building. I'll put the quote below...

...Birdoff’s New York City holding company controls 20 million square feet in retail space, but he said the Salt Lake City property is very much on his radar. Some of his properties have been developed for student housing, such as a new complex serving University of Florida students in Gainesville.

Birdoff would like to see Office Max accommodated in ground-level retail space. "Office Max is a great tenant," Birdoff said. "It’s important to have a mixed-use there."...

Encorparate Office Max into the first floor of the building on the west end, and then to make up that lost space, bump the total height to 7 or 8 floors. While it's not the perfect retail for that location, I like the thought of having some retail combined with the housing.

I am a little bothered that there is zero retail currently in the plan. It's a good idea by these business students, but not a great idea. They should have brought a planning student in on the idea.

[farmerboy]

Originally Posted by Future Mayor

Encorparate Office Max into the first floor of the building on the west end, and then to make up that lost space, bump the total height to 7 or 8 floors. While it's not the perfect retail for that location, I like the thought of having some retail combined with the housing.

I am a little bothered that there is zero retail currently in the plan. It's a good idea by these business students, but not a great idea. They should have brought a planning student in on the idea.

Have to agree, this structure definitely reads as if it were designed by a business mind. While I love the idea of that much density at this location, a less homogenous design that includes retail and perhaps a little more variety and creativity in the execution would do wonders.

The problem with this design is the same problem we have with our suburban tract housing. It's the same design replicated 100's of times (only stacked in this case). To a business mind this makes perfect sense, to a designer it makes you cringe...

[Old&New]

Love all the update photos T-Mac; thank you! Looks like someone is restoring the building south of the Hope Gallery.


Here is a rendering I photoshoped of my suggestion to re-instal a blade sign on the Capitol Theater:



vs.



http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/54470280-78/west-design-ballet-capitol.html.csp

Opinions?

[T-Mac]

I am having trouble viewing the version with the blade sign. It's not showing up.

[jtrent77]

Originally Posted by Old&New

Love all the update photos T-Mac; thank you! Looks like someone is restoring the building south of the Hope Gallery.


Here is a rendering I photoshoped of my suggestion to re-instal a blade sign on the Capitol Theater:



vs.



http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/54470280-78/west-design-ballet-capitol.html.csp

Opinions?

I like it better without the blade

[delts145]

I'm thinking that even if the blade sign were executed as tastefully as the Marquee, it would be too much for the front of the Capitol. Also, The Capitol's facade is so unique and stunning, it would be questionable to put any additions in front of it. IMO, no matter how well executed, it would seem intrusive and too much. Usually, I'm a blade sign lover though.

[Scraperdude801]

Originally Posted by delts145

^^^

I understood from the article that the Owner of the property would like Office Max to be included in the street level of the apartmment building. I'll put the quote below...

...Birdoff’s New York City holding company controls 20 million square feet in retail space, but he said the Salt Lake City property is very much on his radar. Some of his properties have been developed for student housing, such as a new complex serving University of Florida students in Gainesville.

Birdoff would like to see Office Max accommodated in ground-level retail space. "Office Max is a great tenant," Birdoff said. "It’s important to have a mixed-use there."...

I want the Office Max incorporated as well. I like when everyday strip mall stores are made to be urban. If I had my druthers, everything in Salt Lake City limits would be would be developed with an urban design.

[delts145]

I've always thought that area along 400 S, between 700 and 900 East was the most in need for U. of U. related development. In addtion to housing options, I would like to see a vibrant lower campus expansion created on those blocks. Being that close to TRAX, what would some of you who are very familiar with the Univ. see as a feasible school departments for that part of the 400 S. corridor?