Salt Lake City: Official Development News Thread - Part 3 - Page 135

delts145 · #**2681** Posted **Mar 6, 2013, 5:49 PM**

Was that Citiview or Gateway Future Mayor?

Future Mayor · #**2682** Posted **Mar 6, 2013, 5:51 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by delts145

Was that Citiview or Gateway Future Mayor?

Sorry. I didn't see both pictures. I am referring to Gateway. I believe City View was the former motel north of West High, was it not? If so that project was completely scrapped, as far as I know.

arkhitektor · #**2683** Posted **Mar 6, 2013, 6:36 PM**

If you're tired of looking at grainy, outdated google streetview pictures of our fair city, you're in luck! Google have updated the images on their mapping site:

Some areas are more-up-to-date than others. The images from northbound Main St. appear to have been made after CCC opened, while the images taken while driving south on Main St. still show construction fencing. The images from my home in Clearfield are from late summer 2011, even though they only showed up on google in the last few days...

delts145 · #**2684** Posted **Mar 6, 2013, 7:15 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Future Mayor

Sorry. I didn't see both pictures. I am referring to Gateway. I believe City View was the former motel north of West High, was it not? If so that project was completely scrapped, as far as I know.

Thanks for the clarification Future Mayor. Good to hear about the Gateway project. On the Citiview, I think Comrade was also saying that project had fallen through. I hope something else rises on that lot. It's been a eyesore now for a long time.

Viperlord · #**2685** Posted **Mar 6, 2013, 7:33 PM**

a color rendering.....

Kier Construction Corporation
Construction is underway at Liberty Gateway Apartments, a new 6 story, 160 unit dwelling that also includes a minor amount of retail. Located directly west of the Gateway Mall, future residents will literally be able to open their door for easy access to shopping, transit, restaurants, theaters, parks and all the amenities that the Salt Lake City area has to offer.

SLC Projects · #**2686** Posted **Mar 6, 2013, 7:35 PM**

True, because I'm sure those 12 hotels would only be five stories each. Having two really tall hotels would be awesome.

UTPlanner · #**2687** Posted **Mar 6, 2013, 7:55 PM**

Orlando, the top picture that you added is not of the Liberty at the Gateway project. That was a proposed project also west of the Gateway. The project is not moving forward though the property is still owned by a group that develops multi-family residential properties. The Liberty at the Gateway Project is under construction now and the underground parking looks to be nearly complete. The building should be rising soon.

The second project that you mentioned is completely dead as far as I know. The SLC School District is the current owner of the property.

UtahProjects · #**2688** Posted **Mar 6, 2013, 8:20 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by arkhitektor

If you're tired of looking at grainy, outdated google streetview pictures of our fair city, you're in luck! Google have updated the images on their mapping site:

Some areas are more-up-to-date than others. The images from northbound Main St. appear to have been made after CCC opened, while the images taken while driving south on Main St. still show construction fencing. The images from my home in Clearfield are from late summer 2011, even though they only showed up on google in the last few days...

That's great. Looks like they've updated most of Utah including Provo and Ogden.

Comrade · #**2689** Posted **Mar 6, 2013, 8:45 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Viperlord

a color rendering.....

Kier Construction Corporation
Construction is underway at Liberty Gateway Apartments, a new 6 story, 160 unit dwelling that also includes a minor amount of retail. Located directly west of the Gateway Mall, future residents will literally be able to open their door for easy access to shopping, transit, restaurants, theaters, parks and all the amenities that the Salt Lake City area has to offer.

Orlando · #**2690** Posted **Mar 6, 2013, 8:50 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Viperlord

a color rendering.....

Kier Construction Corporation
Construction is underway at Liberty Gateway Apartments, a new 6 story, 160 unit dwelling that also includes a minor amount of retail. Located directly west of the Gateway Mall, future residents will literally be able to open their door for easy access to shopping, transit, restaurants, theaters, parks and all the amenities that the Salt Lake City area has to offer.

That just screams urbanity! not really at all.

Looks like something for Orem rather than for the Gateway area of Salt Lake City. I guess it's better than nothing there.

Comrade · #**2691** Posted **Mar 6, 2013, 9:08 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Orlando

That just screams urbanity! not really at all.

Looks like something for Orem rather than for the Gateway area of Salt Lake City. I guess it's better than nothing there.

No! Don't fall to this mentality! Sometimes it's not better than nothin' because at least with nothin', you have the hope of gettin' somethin'. Know what I'm sayin'?

Seriously - this sucks and it will be there for at least twenty-years and probably look like crap in ten. Boo!

Stenar · #**2692** Posted **Mar 6, 2013, 9:32 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmonkey

The SW corner. There was an old gas station that was recently used as an emissions place, I think, and the building where Abode was located.

Oh, right. I disliked that emission place. They scammed people. Glad it's being demolished.

scottharding · #**2693** Posted **Mar 6, 2013, 9:43 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Comrade Reynolds

No! Don't fall to this mentality! Sometimes it's not better than nothin' because at least with nothin', you have the hope of gettin' somethin'. Know what I'm sayin'?

I respectfully disagree. By that line of thinking, Salt Lake would still be a barren and empty desert. Nothing would get built.
Though not praise-worthy, the Liberty Gateway fits the natural progression of Salt Lake's growth. It will add several hundred people to an empty spot-- people who are likely to rely mostly on the transit system, to patron downtown's shops, eateries and events. So it's much better than nothing.
It seems pretty naive to me to expect an architectural gem with every proposal, or skyscrapers or whatever. Sometimes we get lucky, mostly with civic buildings, but the demand just isn't high enough to make developers compete, or to require ingenuity and innovation of designers and architects.
I'm not even sure it would be good to skip the natural progression and just have everyone go balls out, because then you end up with monstrosities like Dubai. We even got that kind of thing to a small degree with City Creek, and look at how hard a time they're having selling those. I want some signature stuff just as much as anyone here, but it's projects like this that are required to get to that point. Ever increasing density is the bottom line.

Future Mayor · #**2694** Posted **Mar 6, 2013, 10:06 PM**

I'm not saying we need revolutionary and iconic design, but I too am less than thrilled with the renderings. The problem I see with it is that both the Parc at the Gateway and Northgate at The Gateway both are substantially more urban looking than this, and much more asstetically pleasing. Honestly to me it looks much more like an assisted living center.

Cowboy Partners can do much better than this, I love Liberty Metro, Liberty City Walk and Liberty Midtown. All three of those are a million times better looking than Liberty Gateway and they haven't had a problem filling up. So I believe we should be able to expect more without expecting the moon.

Here is the progress of Liberty Gateway Assisted Living community.

From the east

From the north east

Comrade · #**2695** Posted **Mar 6, 2013, 10:09 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by scottharding

I respectfully disagree. By that line of thinking, Salt Lake would still be a barren and empty desert. Nothing would get built.
Though not praise-worthy, the Liberty Gateway fits the natural progression of Salt Lake's growth. It will add several hundred people to an empty spot-- people who are likely to rely mostly on the transit system, to patron downtown's shops, eateries and events. So it's much better than nothing.
It seems pretty naive to me to expect an architectural gem with every proposal, or skyscrapers or whatever. Sometimes we get lucky, mostly with civic buildings, but the demand just isn't high enough to make developers compete, or to require ingenuity and innovation of designers and architects.
I'm not even sure it would be good to skip the natural progression and just have everyone go balls out, because then you end up with monstrosities like Dubai. We even got that kind of thing to a small degree with City Creek, and look at how hard a time they're having selling those. I want some signature stuff just as much as anyone here, but it's projects like this that are required to get to that point. Ever increasing density is the bottom line.

If you want to use an extreme to make your point, I could just as easily say the exact opposite - Salt Lake would be filled with gaudy, cheap suburban tract housing.

It's an ugly development and I'm not going to pretend to like it because it's replacing a vacant lot. I'd much rather that space actually be used for something a bit better looking than concede its spot for the next twenty-years to a structure that looks bland and probably won't hold up over time. Sadly, this is becoming all too common with the development in that region - from the Citifront Apartments right down to its extension, the Bridges. I don't like those developments. I think they look suburban and that area will now have three within a stone's throw because, 'hey, it's development! Woohoo'.

Meh.

Comrade · #**2696** Posted **Mar 6, 2013, 10:13 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Future Mayor

Cowboy Partners can do much better than this, I love Liberty Metro, Liberty City Walk and Liberty Midtown. All three of those are a million times better looking than Liberty Gateway and they haven't had a problem filling up. So I believe we should be able to expect more without expecting the moon.

Also, does Cowboy Partners get a kickback from Liberty Mutual every time it names one of its developments 'Liberty' Something? I love liberty as much as the next guy - but Jesus.

scottharding · #**2697** Posted **Mar 6, 2013, 10:26 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Comrade Reynolds

If you want to use an extreme to make your point, I could just as easily say the exact opposite - Salt Lake would be filled with gaudy, cheap suburban tract housing.

With the exception of maybe a few dozen blocks, this valley pretty much is nothing but gaudy, cheap suburban tract housing.
The look of this building is boring. I'm not denying that. But that seems to be the general taste of the region because it is, for the most part, a gaudy cheap, suburban wasteland. I agree with you and FutureMayor on the aesthetics.
I'm just saying that I like the density, and I do think it is better than an empty space. We have a lot of space, and the only way to get better development is for demand to increase. Then maybe the suburban mentality will be strong-armed out of the way and developments will be more urban.

Comrade · #**2698** Posted **Mar 6, 2013, 10:40 PM**

I think Salt Lake has a great deal of unique residential architecture because they didn't settle for cheap. Outside Salt Lake? You're absolutely right - but I'm focused on the city itself.

ajiuO · #**2699** Posted **Mar 7, 2013, 12:53 AM**

They have been putting up a lot of the metal on the west side of the new courthouse building... I'm sorry but this building is turning out to be one ugly chud. In terms of concrete mid-high rise buildings... I don't think Salt Lake has erected something that ugly since the Triad Center was built in the 1980'S... and even that still looks better then the court house building :/

Orlando · #**2700** Posted **Mar 7, 2013, 1:47 AM**

I don't think this design would have been chosen if this had been a design competition for the revised program. Thomas Phifer won the initial design competition in the late 1990's, but the program was much different, and his design proposal was very elegant. It had a beautiful atrium between the old building and the new. IMO, it was by far the best design. Then, after 9/11 and funding and programmatic changes, the Borg cube came along. I believe this is because after so many years of jerking Thomas Phifer around, they felt obligated to keep him. With no jury and design competition this time, Thomas Phifer did what he does best, a simple squarish or rectangularish volume glassy building. I think some of his work borders on being so minimal that it's boring. But, I had such great hopes from his initial design. Maybe it will look shimmery and cool when all lit up at night. But, I kind of sympathize with the above post.