Salt Lake City: Official Development News Thread - Part 3

[UtahProjects]

If a parking garage is street fronting downtown it should be forced to have ground-level commercial.

[Future Mayor]

Originally Posted by UtahProjects

If a parking garage is street fronting downtown it should be forced to have ground-level commercial.

If I'm not mistaken I think that is the case. The only street side parking garage built in the last 10-20 years, that I can think of is Wells Fargo, and it does have street side retail.

[UTPlanner]

FutureMayor, you are correct. Parking garages in the Central Business District that have frontage on any city street are required to have retail space on the ground floor. Wells Fargo is one example but there are several others downtown.

[Comrade]

I wish they'd advocate for cooler designs. Imagine some garages that looked like this downtown:

[jedikermit]

Love those, Comrade--the last one especially for some reason. Maybe all of the lights and glass in the others are too glitzy for me. Or rather, I really like all of them, but the last one in the sequence is the one that I can see happening realistically in SLC, while the others would be considered too flashy for us. Because we're stodgy.

[Future Mayor]

I too love all those designs. I think that the Regent St garage could easily be updated and the look improved dramatically with just some simply improvements such as some light, some greenery growing in front or some glass panels. Combine that with a nice mix of retail, like restaurants and bars in the street level spaces and you've got yourself a nice lively, interesting and inviting street. I think the key to Regent in connection with the PAC is to have a place for people to go before and after the show, nice restaurants with late night menus combined with some bars. Regent St could become a nice entertainment district.

One thing regarding the Regent garage that I brought up in the PAC meetings. (sounds like cub scouts hehe) is using the lights on the street and on the garage to engage the street with the show in the PAC, for instance while Wicked is showing and the weeks leading up to it, the lights on the garage and those on the street would be green. Or if Phantom is at the PAC you could have an image of the mask projecting on the street or on the parking garage.

[ctobsl]

Yes those are great Comrade!
Parking garages like that would be very cool. My favorite is the first one with all the colored lights. I love lights and stair cases. I know I am weird that way, but there is something about those two things for me. Being a little boy growing up in New York I was always playing in the stair wells in school. They have always fascinated me what more can I say. lol I don't see why they do not build parking structures such as the ones you posted, in this city. They even look better than some of our ugly new stubby buildings that we have...

[goldcntry]

Jedi: I can tell you in two words why the last garage design is soooo desirable.... at least to me....

Stair porn.

'nough said.

[UtahProjects]

Originally Posted by UTPlanner

FutureMayor, you are correct. Parking garages in the Central Business District that have frontage on any city street are required to have retail space on the ground floor. Wells Fargo is one example but there are several others downtown.

Good to know.

The second to last design is amazing.

[Orlando]

Utah activists call on lawmakers to address air quality

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/86557...on-lawmakers-to-address-air-quality.html

[Just A Thought]

We went from parking garages to pollution.

Only one of many possible air quality solutions: Density. Of both office and residential.

[scottharding]

I love your ideas for Regent Street, FutureMayor. I agree, I think those simple suggestions would go a LONG way in helping Regent Street to be attractive to pedestrians and patrons, and at bridging the gap between City Creek and Gallivan. And none of those things requires a complete overhaul to the street, just a good a make-over.

[jedikermit]

Originally Posted by goldcntry

Jedi: I can tell you in two words why the last garage design is soooo desirable.... at least to me....

Stair porn.

'nough said.

Could be. I do like to watch.

The stairs.

Stairs stares.

[Stenar]

Yep, your expectations are too high. I lived in NYC for a few years and you don't see hundreds of people out on the sidewalks in NY at 9p, either. I'd often be the only one around. The only exceptions being places like Union Square and Times Square where you might see 1-2 dozen at most.

Originally Posted by Comrade Reynolds

That's the problem. It's only always in the 'dozens' and not 'hundreds'. Maybe my expectations are too high, but I've often been the lone person downtown at 9:00 ... which is weird. You know it's dead when the chirping of the crosswalks is the only sound you hear.

I'll grant you that there are times when downtown is busy - but those are events and not just average days. Overall, I'd wager even a city like Boise has a more exciting downtown at night than Salt Lake. That's inexcusable.

[Comrade]

I'd like to see something like this for the Walker Center Parking Garage if they don't demolish it:

[Comrade]

Originally Posted by Stenar

Yep, your expectations are too high. I lived in NYC for a few years and you don't see hundreds of people out on the sidewalks in NY at 9p, either. I'd often be the only one around. The only exceptions being places like Union Square and Times Square where you might see 1-2 dozen at most.

I don't think my expectations are too high. Sure, maybe on the 'hundreds' thing, but I was just tossing that out there and not really using it as a definitive outline on what the city should look like at night. But on the whole, downtown is depressingly sad at night - unless there is some major event going on down there. I've been to a handful of cities over the years and almost all of 'em have a more active downtown at night, especially on the weekend, than Salt Lake.

It's surprising when you contrast it with these other cities. But I think we're getting there and I'm hopeful the progress will only lead to a more active downtown.

Of course, this goes back to the first point we were discussing - the fact that there is a divided downtown. Much of the foot traffic on an average night is either by City Creek or the Gateway (ESA). It rarely trickles down south of 200 S, even though there is enough retail options that you think it would. I'd love to see an anchor on the south-end of downtown that draws more and more people in that area. But they're still clustered at the top of downtown ... we just need to get 'em further south ... and to the west!

Sadly, right now, this is what downtown often looks like beyond City Creek:

[SLC Projects]

Originally Posted by Comrade Reynolds

I'd like to see something like this for the Walker Center Parking Garage if they don't demolish it:

Love it. SLC take notes.

[Reachforthesky]

Originally Posted by Comrade Reynolds

I'd like to see something like this for the Walker Center Parking Garage if they don't demolish it:

From this angle you could place a mock up of the new Convention center hotel...That is if they choose to build it where the Post office is.

Can someone with artistic ability place a hotel in the image? Maybe something like what the city has shown on page 26 of their study? just for the heck of it..

http://www.slccouncil.com/agendas/2013Agendas/Jan22/012213A4.pdf

[SLC Projects]

Originally Posted by Comrade Reynolds

I don't think my expectations are too high. Sure, maybe on the 'hundreds' thing, but I was just tossing that out there and not really using it as a definitive outline on what the city should look like at night. But on the whole, downtown is depressingly sad at night - unless there is some major event going on down there. I've been to a handful of cities over the years and almost all of 'em have a more active downtown at night, especially on the weekend, than Salt Lake.

It's surprising when you contrast it with these other cities. But I think we're getting there and I'm hopeful the progress will only lead to a more active downtown.

Of course, this goes back to the first point we were discussing - the fact that there is a divided downtown. Much of the foot traffic on an average night is either by City Creek or the Gateway (ESA). It rarely trickles down south of 200 S, even though there is enough retail options that you think it would. I'd love to see an anchor on the south-end of downtown that draws more and more people in that area. But they're still clustered at the top of downtown ... we just need to get 'em further south ... and to the west!

Sadly, right now, this is what downtown often looks like beyond City Creek:

But you took that picture standing next to the JCPenny building looking towards the courthouse. That side of the street has zero retail so there really isn't any reason for anybody to walk that far south down main after 5. Add some night clubs, bars and retail then we might see more night life on the south end of main.
well hold on there is melting pot restaurant between the courthouse and JCPenny building, but that's about it.

[Comrade]

I rushed, but maybe it gives you an idea...