Salt Lake City: Official Development News Thread - Part 3

[jedikermit]

Originally Posted by SLCdude

I will be helping to conduct the tours. It will be me (intern) and two city planners!

Oh, nice! If I wasn't going to be in St George, I'd so be there. At least to heckle.

[delts145]

I might have missed this post, but since the huge success of Comic Con is there an idea as to when another vote might be taken on the CC Hotel? Makid, what's the latest skuttlebutt?

SLCdude, that would be hilarious if a few forumers attended and addressed you and asked questions using your Forum name. Imagine the confused looks on peoples faces...LOL!

[Makid]

Delts,

With the success of Comic Con and the desire to increase its pull around the region if not the country, many politicians have gathered to work to secure the votes for the hotel before the session even starts.

They only needed a couple of votes last time and I have heard that they feel they have the votes now or are very close to securing them for passage.

I don't know how the bill will be written but I am hopeful that the deal will be provided to any hotelier that will construct a hotel of between 800 and 1500 rooms within 150 ft of the convention center.

The Convention Center will need to expand either during construction of the hotel or shortly after due to the increased conventions.

I do feel that we are at a tipping point and that we will have the Convention Hotel approved this next session and construction started by the end of next year (2014) if not by late summer.

Also, the last I heard on placement is that any place it is located it won't be a squat short hotel but it would be built taller due to saving more expansion room for the Convention Center.

As I get more information that I can share, I will share it.

[SLC Projects]

The CCH will be our new tallest. I'm calling it now.

[Makid]

I won't say new tallest yet. Just because a final location hasn't been picked nor has the final design. Of the 3 locations that I know are on the table, 2 would provide a new tallest, the 3rd may not depending on the design.

Of course, that is with the hotel having 1000 rooms. If it is built at 900 or so, it may only top out at around 400', which would still be a nice addition.

[SLC Projects]

Originally Posted by Makid

I won't say new tallest yet. Just because a final location hasn't been picked nor has the final design. Of the 3 locations that I know are on the table, 2 would provide a new tallest, the 3rd may not depending on the design.

Of course, that is with the hotel having 1000 rooms. If it is built at 900 or so, it may only top out at around 400', which would still be a nice addition.

Where are these locations?

[Makid]

The 3 locations haven't been publicly discussed, 1 location I can say is the Royal wood Plaza/Post Office area. NW corner of 2nd West and 2nd South.

The other 2 locations that I have heard about haven't been publicly discussed.

Do forgive me if I don't provide to much information. I can't divulge information that isn't public yet and I don't want to give information that may push one way or another and then have things change later. So if I sound vague, that is primarily due to not wanting to mislead or provide any false hope.

We have seen that in the past and it can be more of a distraction than it should be.

[Orlando]

The two locations that were shown on the ksl video that was posted recently, were 1)the parking lot north of the convention center between 2nd & 3rd West and 2)the northeast corner of South Temple and 2nd West. Was I the only one that watched that video?

[Stenar]

Originally Posted by Orlando

The two locations that were shown on the ksl video that was posted recently, were 1)the parking lot north of the convention center between 2nd & 3rd West and 2)the northeast corner of South Temple and 2nd West. Was I the only one that watched that video?

There are only a few locations that would even work for a convention hotel, those are two of the most obvious locations.

Fox 13 also mentioned the Plaza Hotel site.

[Stenar]

Could Utah’s $242 million state surplus fund (in part) the Convention Center Hotel already????


Could Utah’s $242 million state surplus fund new university buildings
Higher ed » New science building at Weber State is at the top of wish list —­ again.
By Lindsay Whitehurst | The Salt Lake Tribune
First Published Sep 19 2013 11:04 am • Last Updated Sep 19 2013 10:57 pm

Higher education leaders have a few ideas about how the state could spend its new $242 million budget surplus.

First up is replacing the Weber State University Science Lab Building, where the chemistry floor has no sprinklers, the construction is laden with asbestos and the ceilings are too low for modern labs.

It is one of three science buildings the Utah System of Higher Education put at the top of its 2014 capital project wish list last week. Though the list wasn’t made in response to Tuesday’s surplus announcement, the extra money could give higher education projects a boost following years of cuts during the recession.

"It is one-time funding, so that certainly doesn’t address the cuts that were made to ongoing funding, but certainly if it helps support our budget ... then I think that’s a positive thing," said USHE spokeswoman Pam Silberman.

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/56888271-78/building-state-million-utah.html.csp

[SLC Projects]

It doesn't say anywhere in that story that the surplus could fund the hotel. All that it talked about was funding a Lab building.

[Stenar]

Originally Posted by SLC Projects

It doesn't say anywhere in that story that the surplus could fund the hotel. All that it talked about was funding a Lab building.

I didn't say the article did. THAT WAS MY POINT, that the state should use some surplus funds for the HOTEL in response to that article. Higher Education saw that surplus and sent out press releases suggesting the funds be used for university buildings. We ought to be making the case that the surplus should be used for the CCH.

[Reachforthesky]

Originally Posted by Orlando

The two locations that were shown on the ksl video that was posted recently, were 1)the parking lot north of the convention center between 2nd & 3rd West and 2)the northeast corner of South Temple and 2nd West. Was I the only one that watched that video?

Can you post a link to this video?

[Future Mayor]

I've said it before, but the parking lot east of the Triad Center doesn't make a lot of sense for the convention hotel if part of the goal is to have a direct connection to the Salt Palace and if a second part of the goal is to expand the expo space (large hall space) and make it a continuous flow.

These same issue would apply to the NE corner of W. Temple and S. Temple.

The biggest issue I would see if part of the goal is continuous expo space, what street is the city willing to have that connected large space cross over, even just with a direct connection, same question. I don't see going under S. Temple as an option with Trax there.

However, if the goal is simply close proximity and a direct connection isn't necessary than the possibilities for location are much greater, including the two shown in the news story. But just because KSL showed those two locations doesn't necessarily mean that those are any of the 3 being discussed, as Makid stated, two of the locations haven't been made public.

With all those things said, if part of the goal is to have the expanded and continuous expo space RWP is logistically the only location that seems to work, in my mind.


As for the surplus, even if the Legislature passes a bill to allow the state to participate in funding, it won't be designed to simply write the developer a check, it will be in the form of tax incentives. Reduced tax rates over a period of years, possibly 25, until the money the developer spent on convention space and parking has been recovered through those reduced taxes. This is the same funding mechanism that the city and county are exploring.

[SLC Projects]

Originally Posted by Stenar

I didn't say the article did. THAT WAS MY POINT, that the state should use some surplus funds for the HOTEL in response to that article. Higher Education saw that surplus and sent out press releases suggesting the funds be used for university buildings. We ought to be making the case that the surplus should be used for the CCH.

I see. I misunderstood your post. Not a bad idea to include the hotel.

[SLC Projects]

As for having the Hotel on the parking lot block or where the old bus station used to be I don't see either of them happening. The LDS will have a big say on what's develop on those areas and I don't believe the church wants any highrises develop north of south temple since it would block temple views.
The Church owns the parking lot and their long term plans were to one day expand the LDS business college and BYU Salt Lake Center on top that block. Not sure if the church owns the land where the old bus station used to be or not, but if they do I'm sure it will just one day be apart of temple square.

[Stenar]

I don't think the LDS church is very concerned about blocking views of the temple, since they have built most of the buildings blocking views of it from every other direction.

Originally Posted by SLC Projects

As for having the Hotel on the parking lot block or where the old bus station used to be I don't see either of them happening. The LDS will have a big say on what's develop on those areas and I don't believe the church wants any highrises develop north of south temple since it would block temple views.
The Church owns the parking lot and their long term plans were to one day expand the LDS business college and BYU Salt Lake Center on top that block. Not sure if the church owns the land where the old bus station used to be or not, but if they do I'm sure it will just one day be apart of temple square.

[CofIKid]

The surplus revenue is in the education fund, that is why state colleges are lobbying for a share of the funds. By law, half of the money goes into the rainy day fund, and the remaining 120 million can be used for education purposes.

The General fund actually came in 300,000 short this year.

[Stenar]

Bummer. But good for education. Thanks for the info.

Originally Posted by CofIKid

The surplus revenue is in the education fund, that is why state colleges are lobbying for a share of the funds. By law, half of the money goes into the rainy day fund, and the remaining 120 million can be used for education purposes.

The General fund actually came in 300,000 short this year.

[jedikermit]

If it wasn't required to go towards education, I doubt this legislature would have used it for the CCH anyway. I'm still optimistic about the hotel moving forward, I just don't think they would have used the surplus like that.

The other caveat (for education) is that it can't be used to fund any continuing program, so they couldn't say, give teachers a raise or establish any kind of after school or extracurricular anything. So public education that's currently funded at 49th in the Nation (family values, yay!) will continue to be funded at that level.