Salt Lake City: Official Development News Thread - Part 3

[UTAZLoVer]

Originally Posted by delts145

This might be of some interest to a few of you. A few weeks ago, I stopped by to pick up a slice of cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory while in Brentwood. To my surprise it had just shut down. Then even more recently I was in the Beverly Center vicinity, and I decided to stop by the Grande Lux for another pick up to go. For the few who don't know, Grand Lux is owned by the Cheesecake Factory. Well, to my shock, the Grand Lux at the Beverly Center had just been closed down a few days before. So, yesterday I was talking to someone who had close connections with insiders, and he claimed that The Cheescake Factory was closing all of their underperforming locations nationally. He also went on to say their days were numbered for the entire chain, but I think the source had some bad blood still fuming. Anyway, I did notice that both Denver's and Scottdale's Grand Lux locations had been closed in March. The one in Scottsdale hadn't even given hardly a days notice. Hopefully, this is just a pick and choose scenario for under performers, because the ones in Salt Lake Metro seem to be performing outstandingly.

Maybe UTAZLoVer will give us a little insider skuttlebutt update.

I actually got a "big boy" job (finally) around Christmas, but I'm sure the chain is fine. Many Grand Lux locations never had traction from the start, particularly in more foodie cities where the Company's inability to understand an understated elegance (in both food and ambience) don't appeal to diners, like in Scottsdale.

That said, the company is finding great growth opportunities overseas, similar to how Abercrombie & Fitch did when they began to lose their luster stateside. They will be fine.

[Merewether]

Saturday May 4th the Open Streets project will close 300 South to motor traffic to allow various pedestrian activities. The City is looking for volunteers to help.

http://www.slcgov.com/sites/default/files/documents/volunteer/2013/Open_Streets.pdf

[jtrent77]

EnergySolutions founder, owner buys historic Trolley Square
SALT LAKE CITY — A company headed by the founder of the business now known as EnergySolutions has purchased the historic Trolley Square Shopping Center.

S.K. Hart Properties LC announced the acquisition Friday.

[Comrade]

They gonna turn it into a nuclear dump?

[Just A Thought]

Originally Posted by jtrent77

EnergySolutions founder, owner buys historic Trolley Square
SALT LAKE CITY — A company headed by the founder of the business now known as EnergySolutions has purchased the historic Trolley Square Shopping Center.

S.K. Hart Properties LC announced the acquisition Friday.

I always felt it needed a residential element to help it through. Sometimes just 50 units is all it would take to get each of those owners and their families to invite friends 'over to their place' for dinning and shopping options for helping small mom and pop business to survive in otherwise difficult places like T square. Also my feeling is SLC'c natural 'Island' type blocks (huge pedestrian hating 5 lane roads everywhere) make it so difficult to create truly walkable communities. And T square is a perfect example of that SLC island type environment. Just a little residential could really help, OR, dare I say it, block off the street to the west, turn it into a park with childrens playgrounds and outdoor eating/coffee etc, that would go a long way to help create more of a destination for the locals to walk to. Way to radical for SLC though, I guess.. Its amazing how much public park you can create out of a road, just look at the top of main street. I mean that in a good way.

[Future Mayor]

I too am glad that a local company has purchased Trolley Square, you would naturally assume that they will have a much more vested interested in making it successful.

I agree that some additional residential in the area could really help, that is why I am so disappointed that a Smths Gas station was built across the street to the north, there was definitely a better use for that corner, like housing. I think there is enough space around Trolley for additional residential, maybe even the parking lot to the south that is connected by the sky bridge. One thing that I think would help is if eventually a street car ran from 900 S, at Liberty Park, connecting to Trax at 400 S, along 600 E. Either way though, there is plenty of housing opportunity in the area that some additional density could be added to the area to help if flourish.

[delts145]

Thank goodness for the purchase of Trolley. I hope in addition to continuing a more thoughtful upgrade and facelift, urbanization will be given serious attention on the major corridors surrounding the Square. So much more in the way of vertical development can be done along 4th, 5th, & 6th So, not to mention 700 East. That South parking lot needs to be finally given the right attention.

I also think that strong consideration should be given to a first class theater complex. When I was growing up, Trolley was always our groups first consideration as a place to go for premieres and a place to hang out after. Make the Theater state of the art, but also authentic to the ambiance of Trolley. I think the right kind of theater venue could bring in the large crowds that Trolley use to attract. In addition to the right mix of retail, great movies, the right ambiance, and lot's of outstanding choices for foodies will bring Trolley back.

[UTAZLoVer]

I know this is the SLC thread, but I know not everyone looks at the Ogden thread. I posted a new "My City Photos" photo walk for Ogden, if anyone is interested.

Thanks!

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=205124

[UTAZLoVer]

double post

[Comrade]

Earl Holding finally kicked the bucket.

Too bad the LDS Church doesn't seem to have any plans for his former land. I really hope they're not looking to develop on it - but waiting for 10 or 20 years. It seems, no matter who owns it, whether it's Holding or the LDS Church, that area is destined to be parking.

[SLC Projects]

I'm sure the church has some kind of plan for that lot. But I'm sure we are still years away from hearing what those plans are.....if any.

RIP Earl Holdings.

[Comrade]

Originally Posted by SLC Projects

I'm sure the church has some kind of plan for that lot. But I'm sure we are still years away from hearing what those plans are.....if any.

RIP Earl Holdings.

I'm sure they have at least some idea. But yeah. I bet I have grandkids by the time anything decent is developed there (only half kidding).

[delts145]

So, is anyone planning on giving us a photo update of three of the major projects currently under construction Downtown? Meaning, The Public Safety Building, Federal Courthouse, and the LaPorte Project.

Originally Posted by Orlando

Here is a rendering of the covered walkway of the SLC Public Safety Building currently under construction

[scottharding]

I don't have pictures, but I can try to get some soon. But I can say that there's not much to see on the LaPorte development yet... still. They're moving incredibly slow. And the courthouse is just ugly. There's no way around it. They have most of the exterior finish up now, and the building still —.

[Just A Thought]

Originally Posted by scottharding

I don't have pictures, but I can try to get some soon. But I can say that there's not much to see on the LaPorte development yet... still. They're moving incredibly slow. And the courthouse is just ugly. There's no way around it. They have most of the exterior finish up now, and the building still —.

It's not so bad, but it's just a little lonely out there. A bit like the Grand America, no friends you know? Just endless parking lots and roads and cars and car stores. It's like its got a BO problem..

Build a could of buildings next door and suddenly it will have a more positive voice. Become part of something bigger. "The whole is greater than the sum of it's parts"

As we all know SLC has some of the most ugly buildings in the country, and on top of that most of them can be seen for miles around. due to the odd nature of SLC's rare ability to build two tall buildings next to each other.

[(Eco)nomy_404]

BLS Releases Latest State Employment Figures

" Jobless rate down in 26 states, up in 7 in March; payroll jobs down in 26 states, up in 23 "
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/laus.nr0.htm

At the height of the state`s employment boom in March 2007, only 2.5% of the total state workforce of 1,358,655 were out of work. From the record-low levels of 2007, unemployment soared to a recession high of 8.4% two and a half years later. By December 2009, the state had lost 104,388 jobs from early 2007. Since then, the state has been able to recover 50,506 jobs, pushing the unemployment rate down to 4.9%.

Utah Job Market: March 2007 – March 2013
http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LASST49000003

104,388 – Nominal Jobs Lost to Recession
13,935 – Natural Increase in Labor Market (Population Growth)
118,323 – Real Jobs Lost to Recession
50,506 – Jobs Gained Since Recession
67, 817 – Total Real Jobs Deficit

It is important to note that even though we have only recovered about 43% of the jobs we had in 2007, we are still doing really well. We are very well within striking distance of our historical natural rate of employment. Back in 2007, we were significantly better than even our own state average. Really, anything below 5% is considered to be very healthy. Another very encouraging sign is that the pace of job creation has picked up considerably lately. If we continue to add 8-9 thousand jobs per month like we have been doing recently, we could be back to early 2007 levels by the end of this year or early next year.

Nationally, the unemployment rate peaked at 10% in 2010 and has now fallen to 7.6%. Roughly 9 million jobs were lost as a result of the recession. We have now recovered 5.8 million of those back as a country.

State Rankings:

1) 3.3% - North Dakota
2) 3.8% - Nebraska
3) 4.1% - Vermont
4) 4.3% - South Dakota
5) 4.9% - Iowa, Utah, Wyoming
8) 5.0% - Oklahoma
9) 5.1% - Hawaii
10) 5.3% - Virginia
11) 5.4% - Minnesota
12) 5.6% - Kansas, Montana
14) 5.7% - New Hampshire
15) 6.2% - Alaska

Worst States:

46) 9.2% - North Carolina
47) 9.4% - California, Mississippi
49) 9.5% - Illinois
50) 9.7% - Nevada

[SLC Projects]

Originally Posted by scottharding

I don't have pictures, but I can try to get some soon. But I can say that there's not much to see on the LaPorte development yet... still. They're moving incredibly slow. And the courthouse is just ugly. There's no way around it. They have most of the exterior finish up now, and the building still —.

The Laporte development is moving painfully slow. Not sure what the deal is with them, but waiting for that to finally get above ground is like watching paint dry.

[delts145]

Originally Posted by Just A Thought

As we all know SLC has some of the most ugly buildings in the country, and on top of that most of them can be seen for miles around. due to the odd nature of SLC's rare ability to build two tall buildings next to each other.

Seriously though, that couldn't be further from the truth. While Salt Lake City has a handful of ugly buildings, it's nothing compared to the dozens upon dozens, even hundreds of pure blah and ugliness that inhabits most of the fifty largest MSA's and their CBD's in the nation.

Salt Lake City is fortunate to have escaped a 60's style building boom of seriouly bland and ugly high-rise and mid-rise towers. Buildings like the University Club or Shilo Inn are everywhere in cities like San Francisco and L.A.

Salt Lake's biggest buildup is happening at a time when styles are far more attractive than during many cities past buildups. Even passe styles like Boyer's latest are infinitely more attractive than the hundreds of buildings I see everywhere as a testament of the "styles from hell" of the circa 1960's. In Salt Lake we almost are compelled to demand that a building like the University Club is saved, because it's style is rare in Salt Lake. I've even heard a number of you in the past want to save the Shilo Inn, because it's funky and unique. Well, in many mid to larger cities theres nothing unique about those styles.

[Comrade]

Salt Lake's problem is that their ugly buildings are more prominent due to our lackluster skyline than most other larger cities. Certainly, places like Tulsa have SLC beat in the ugly skyline department (even though it's larger) - but our second tallest is an ugly (my opinion, I know some disagree) 60s beast.

Granted, One Utah and Wells Fargo have helped immensely, but they're but two towers among a lot of drab boxes - like the American Towers, LDS Office Building (already mentioned), Key Bank Tower and the World Trace Center (probably the most appealing of the older towers).

Fortunately, we're making progress. Wells and Utah helped - but so did Promontory, which stands out in the skyline. Unfortunately, because ours is still a limited skyline, even the smaller, uglier buildings standout from varying degrees of the skyline ... like 136 East South Temple, the State Street buildings (not counting Broadway, which I like), the smaller hotels, 257 on 200 South and the Qwest Building (not ugly per say...but not great, either).

Still, because the skyline isn't much, it will only take a handful more towers to radically change it and divert the attention away from the uglier, smaller buildings. Hopefully we get that with the convention hotel and the UPAC Tower.

[delts145]

Agreed Comrade, and that's why I'm glad that the current styles are a marked improvement. Though, I do like the Key Bank Tower since it's street conversion. While the tower itself is nothing exceptional, it is rare in Salt Lake, therefore a needed presence.

I use to be a vocal advocate for the reskin of the COB, but have since changed my mind. The only thing I would change with the COB would be the north stairwell facade. IMO, the surrounding window patterns should be duplicated on that stairwell portion. That particular era is in evidence everywhere here on the coast and in Western Metros in general. The COB is attractive and well maintained when compared to it's many cousins. Again, it is a rare tower style for Salt Lake, so I prefer to keep it.

There are many current styles which I find attractive. One style in particular I would like to see more of in Salt Lake's future, would be taller versions of similar patterns and materials found on the Regent Tower. Also, the Austonian comes to mind.

I really don't find any fault with the tower choices made in Salt Lake since the 80's.