Salt Lake City: Official Development News Thread - Part 3 - Page 315

SLC Projects · #**6281** Posted **Jan 31, 2014, 7:45 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zionide

I, too, wish there was something great on the Carl's site and Eat-a-Burger, but I don't think the Burger site will change anytime soon. A friend of a friend knows the owner---she's in Cali---and the RDA has approached her THREE times about buying it, but she's being stupid and holding out for an absurd amount, which just isn't going to happen (she's asking 8X what the RDA has been able to offer!).

I can't stand people like that. Just flat out greedy. Hell, she doesn't even live here locally and she's not even using the land for anything other then just to have rotting as an eye sore of downtown. Such a waste.

delts145 · #**6282** Posted **Jan 31, 2014, 2:11 PM**

Downtown Salt Lake City really has laid a lot of great ground work over the past fifteen years by way of it's transportation infrastructure and developments like Gateway and CCC. Also, major developments like Rio Tinto, Public Safety Complex, Library and the U.of U. boom, all lead to SLC being such an attractive place to be a part of. I think the next ten years will see a much more accelerated filling in of the gaps with mid and high rise development.

jedikermit · #**6283** Posted **Jan 31, 2014, 2:22 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by jedikermit

Quick question that I should probably already know the answer to:

The NW corner of 300 E and 300 S used to be a large antiques/collectibles shop. They've moved out now, and the building has been mostly razed. What's going to be built there? It's a great location for whatever's going in--I'm really loving how Broadway has changed in the last ten years.

Oops -- just got corrected on Twitter. Looks like the building has been gutted, but not razed...something new is going in, but will probably be keeping the existing facade.

Just A Thought · #**6284** Posted **Jan 31, 2014, 2:35 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SLC Projects

I can't stand people like that. Just flat out greedy. Hell, she doesn't even live here locally and she's not even using the land for anything other then just to have rotting as an eye sore of downtown. Such a waste.

The greatest irony of land bankers is that the very nature of their business model actually reduces local land value, not increase it sadly.

Land bankers all over downtown SLC have no interest in communities and actually would prefer large chunks of their land to do nothing but grow weeds.

The city simply need to tax that woman (and all the other land bankers) at 2000% current value and if they complain they can either sell it to a true developer or just Eminent Domain it. I have no sympathy for for those so called investors. Community killers. Nothing more. At least open a great restaurant on the site.

Use it or lose it.

brankrom · #**6285** Posted **Jan 31, 2014, 3:00 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by jedikermit

Quick question that I should probably already know the answer to:

The NW corner of 300 E and 300 S used to be a large antiques/collectibles shop. They've moved out now, and the building has been mostly razed. What's going to be built there? It's a great location for whatever's going in--I'm really loving how Broadway has changed in the last ten years.

On one of my walks a couple of months ago before they started demolition. I saw that the whole place was open so I walked in and saw a guy that had driven his Escalade or some other large SUV inside the building and had some design drawings spread out. He told me that building was going to be new restaurants (plural). He didn't elaborate as to what restaurants and I didn't ask.

jedikermit · #**6286** Posted **Jan 31, 2014, 3:51 PM**

More restaurants downtown is always a good thing -- and a good fit for that corner. I can see that.

JMK · #**6287** Posted **Jan 31, 2014, 4:00 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by jedikermit

Quick question that I should probably already know the answer to:

The NW corner of 300 E and 300 S used to be a large antiques/collectibles shop. They've moved out now, and the building has been mostly razed. What's going to be built there? It's a great location for whatever's going in--I'm really loving how Broadway has changed in the last ten years.

It was purchased by the owner of Vinto, this article is back from August so the plan may have changed but this was the last I saw,

Quote:

But what has me really excited is one of the ideas Harries has for this area: Instead of leasing the whole thing, he's considering dealing it out in small parcels, maybe 300 square feet or so apiece, so the building will become a small, SLC version of San Francisco's Ferry Building, or New York's Chelsea Market. I think this sounds perfect for our town, which is built on small businesses. Food trucks wanting to go bricks and mortar, famous chefs who want to just sell fried chicken, artisan shops that would like a small place in town—this would be a great home for all of them.

http://www.saltlakemagazine.com/blog/2013/08/09/cool-news-slc-more-downtown-dining-is-on-the-way/

Future Mayor · #**6288** Posted **Jan 31, 2014, 6:19 PM**

The ironic thing about the land banking, particularly the eat a burger location, is that if the property ends up in poor enough condition and it becomes a public health or safety issue the City could ultimately take it with eminent domain. If it gets to that, the greedy land owner will get much less than in sure the City is offering her now. By the look of it, it appears that it could become a safety/health issue sooner than later.

As for the Sizzler site I too am happy to hear that the developer is looking to build more housing. Housing on 4th will eventually go taller as demand housing increases and land becomes more scarce. It's the same principal that is slowly resulting in taller office buildings, eventually leading, in a few years we all hope, to a new tallest.

Zionide · #**6289** Posted **Jan 31, 2014, 10:37 PM**

The city will NEVER take the Eat-a-Burger site via eminent domain. It's a PR nightmare and they (particularly the RDA) learned that lesson with the Grand America/Flower Patch debacle in the 90s.

Plus, health and safety issues are not grounds for eminent domain. The county health department can issue a notice of violation for some things, but the only enforcement they can do is close the property to entry or occupancy (depending on the severity of the health issue) until it's made safe. Same with the city: they can take legal action against a property owner to make the property meet minimum safety standards, or more adequately "secure" the property, but they cannot seize the property for safety violations. The owner would have to owe at least 5 years (I think it's 5; property taxes aren't my area) of back taxes before the county would begin auctioning. (Someone correct me re: the taxes, if necessary, please.)

delts145 · #**6290** Posted **Jan 31, 2014, 11:20 PM**

Not sure if we had seen this one yet or not.

http://dooce.com/dailyphoto

SLC Projects · #**6291** Posted **Feb 1, 2014, 2:44 AM**

Just think what 145 State will do to add to that view.

delts145 · #**6292** Posted **Feb 1, 2014, 12:40 PM**

Housing outlook promising for Salt Lake area

Jasen Lee, Deseret News

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865595341/Housing-outlook-promising-for-Salt-Lake-area.html

...The sale of single-family homes in Salt Lake County increased by 5 percent in 2013 to 11,686 homes, Wood said, with 30 percent of all sales in the county in Salt Lake City...

.

delts145 · #**6293** Posted **Feb 1, 2014, 12:43 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SLC Projects

Just think what 145 State will do to add to that view.

Yeah, and hopefully there will soon be a need to really widen the shot a little in order to include towers like the CCH. I would really like to see some more tall ones along not only State, but W. Temple and even further West.

Future Mayor · #**6294** Posted **Feb 1, 2014, 6:22 PM**

Something that has bothered me for a couple of months now, that is only vaguely related to development. When I watch the Jazz games on Root Sports they show such outdated "live" shots of the city that is drives me absolutely nuts. For instance several times during December and January they have shown ice skaters at the Gallivan Center, yes that's cool to show, but they are showing shots from the old Gallivan Rink.

They occasionally show a aerial shot from the SE and panning north, of downtown at night and the skyline, and I noticed during last nights game that the old Key Bank building is still in the shot, the Crossroads, above Mervyn's Key Bank Building.

I've sent them several messages about the Ice Skating, but I hadn't seen the aerial shot this season until last night. You'd think they could use something a little newer than 2006.

jedikermit · #**6295** Posted **Feb 1, 2014, 6:29 PM**

I noticed that recently too, and wanted to complain to someone about it.

Decided I was too lazy.

But you're right, it's an outdated view of downtown...the newer pieces of the skyline to a lot to add some power to it. They should update it.

Future Mayor · #**6296** Posted **Feb 1, 2014, 6:39 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zionide

The city will NEVER take the Eat-a-Burger site via eminent domain. It's a PR nightmare and they (particularly the RDA) learned that lesson with the Grand America/Flower Patch debacle in the 90s.

Plus, health and safety issues are not grounds for eminent domain. The county health department can issue a notice of violation for some things, but the only enforcement they can do is close the property to entry or occupancy (depending on the severity of the health issue) until it's made safe. Same with the city: they can take legal action against a property owner to make the property meet minimum safety standards, or more adequately "secure" the property, but they cannot seize the property for safety violations. The owner would have to owe at least 5 years (I think it's 5; property taxes aren't my area) of back taxes before the county would begin auctioning. (Someone correct me re: the taxes, if necessary, please.)

One difference between the Grand America/Flower Patch debacle and Eat-a-burger is that Eat-a-burger has not been in use for many many years while Flower Patch was still an operating business when the city attempted to use Eminent Domain. I would estimate that if the city attempted to take Eat-a-burger with Eminent Domain, "for a public good" to be redeveloped, that there would be some that cried out as an abuse of power and property rights, but not nearly as many as would if the building housed a legitimate operating business rather than simply being a vacant dilapidated structure.

As an option to eminent domain, the city needs to come up with a process, and maybe property taxes is the way to do it, that financially punishes those that are simply choosing to sit on dilapidated properties, with no attempt to lease them, improve them, or at the very minimum, maintain them in a satisfactory state. Maybe something like a negligent tax, or dilapidation fine. I know it's been talked about before that the city is or may be considering this, and I fully support the idea. There are to many greedy land owners that are simply choosing to do nothing with their properties, and letting them fall into a deeper and deeper state of dilapidation. Some properties are still useable but won't be if the owners refuse to sell to interested parties and let the properties continue to deteriorate.

Future Mayor · #**6297** Posted **Feb 1, 2014, 6:46 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by jedikermit

I noticed that recently too, and wanted to complain to someone about it.

Decided I was too lazy.

But you're right, it's an outdated view of downtown...the newer pieces of the skyline to a lot to add some power to it. They should update it.

If anyone is interested in commenting.

http://rockymountain.rootsports.com/CreateTicket.dbml?&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=25930