Salt Lake City: Official Development News Thread - Part 3

[airhero]

Originally Posted by utenation

So when does the CCH get voted on? Wasn't the bill introduced last week?

I'm not sure if we know the exact date, but I think a vote is expected this legislative session, which ends around March 14. So some time before then.

[utenation]

Originally Posted by airhero

I'm not sure if we know the exact date, but I think a vote is expected this legislative session, which ends around March 14. So some time before then.

Here is the latest article on this.. It was released on 2/5/2014 and claimed it would be introduced that week..

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/politics/57500828-90/center-convention-hotel-http.html.csp?page=1

So based on what you said, we should know something soon. Interesting that the Grand and Little America folks are the biggest opponents of this... Hmm wonder why?

[SLC Projects]

Salt Lake City Council wants downtown Olympic legacy
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/politics/57540996-90/bullock-council-downtown-gallivan.html.csp

You have to keep a sharp lookout for such physical Olympic legacies in Salt Lake City. There is the Hoberman Arch and Olympic Cauldron adjoining Rice-Eccles Stadium, the tattered and fading Olympic tower at Gallivan Plaza, and don’t forget the Olympic Legacy Plaza at The Gateway mall — a summertime favorite for kids splashing in its fountain.

There are other reminders stashed here and there around Salt Lake City, however, none seems to rise to the level of community jewel, like Atlanta’s Centennial Olympic Park, Luke said.

"We’ve neglected that legacy," he said. "It’s an embarrassment."

I agree that it is embarrassing that SLC hasn't done more. I really like what Atlanta did with theirs. How cool would it be if say Salt Lake did something like "Atlanta’s Centennial Olympic Park" on the big parking lot block between main, west temple, 400 s. and 500 s.?

[joscar]

Originally Posted by utenation

So when does the CCH get voted on? Wasn't the bill introduced last week?

Looks like the bill is just getting started, it just got numbered today (H.B. 356). You can track its status here: http://le.utah.gov/~2014/bills/static/HB0356.html

[ToysNoiz]

Originally Posted by joscar

Looks like the bill is just getting started, it just got numbered today (H.B. 356). You can track its status here: http://le.utah.gov/~2014/bills/static/HB0356.html

Future Mayor! You gotta get down there sometime this week and tell them how it is!!!

[Future Mayor]

Originally Posted by SLC Projects

Salt Lake City Council wants downtown Olympic legacy
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/politics/57540996-90/bullock-council-downtown-gallivan.html.csp

You have to keep a sharp lookout for such physical Olympic legacies in Salt Lake City. There is the Hoberman Arch and Olympic Cauldron adjoining Rice-Eccles Stadium, the tattered and fading Olympic tower at Gallivan Plaza, and don’t forget the Olympic Legacy Plaza at The Gateway mall — a summertime favorite for kids splashing in its fountain.

There are other reminders stashed here and there around Salt Lake City, however, none seems to rise to the level of community jewel, like Atlanta’s Centennial Olympic Park, Luke said.

"We’ve neglected that legacy," he said. "It’s an embarrassment."

I agree that it is embarrassing that SLC hasn't done more. I really like what Atlanta did with theirs. How cool would it be if say Salt Lake did something like "Atlanta’s Centennial Olympic Park" on the big parking lot block between main, west temple, 400 s. and 500 s.?

Councilman Luke has always been a big proponent of Salt Lake hosting the Olympics, I was standing with him in the middle of State St in front of the City County building in June of 1995 when the IOC announced Salt Lake as the host of the 2002 games.

I hope the council is able to come up with some sort of plan to bring an Olympic Park of sorts to downtown. I supported part of the idea that Rocky had with making Pioneer Park as the main downtown Olympic Legacy park. I envisioned actually using the Hoberman Arch for what it was designed for, to be on a stage, just as it was in the Medals Plaza. It is such a cool design how it opens up, it is a shame that it just sits up at Rice-Eccles and doesn't show off what a cool mechanism it is.

Maybe the city can work with the University of Utah and bring the Cauldron, Hoberman Arch and the Museum to somewhere downtown. I don't anticipate that there will be enough room for those items when the stadium eventually gets expanded.

I also know that Councilman Luke is a HUGE proponent for bringing the games back in 2026.

[Stenar]

They ought to build a new stage at Gallivan Plaza and incorporate the Hoberman arch.

Originally Posted by Future Mayor

Councilman Luke has always been a big proponent of Salt Lake hosting the Olympics, I was standing with him in the middle of State St in front of the City County building in June of 1995 when the IOC announced Salt Lake as the host of the 2002 games.

I hope the council is able to come up with some sort of plan to bring an Olympic Park of sorts to downtown. I supported part of the idea that Rocky had with making Pioneer Park as the main downtown Olympic Legacy park. I envisioned actually using the Hoberman Arch for what it was designed for, to be on a stage, just as it was in the Medals Plaza. It is such a cool design how it opens up, it is a shame that it just sits up at Rice-Eccles and doesn't show off what a cool mechanism it is.

Maybe the city can work with the University of Utah and bring the Cauldron, Hoberman Arch and the Museum to somewhere downtown. I don't anticipate that there will be enough room for those items when the stadium eventually gets expanded.

I also know that Councilman Luke is a HUGE proponent for bringing the games back in 2026.

[Atlas]

I always thought it would be cool to incorporate the arch and the torch into the stadium expansion. Have the team come out through the arch and light the torch after they win.

Alas, the former will never happen and the latter seems unlikely.

[Future Mayor]

Sources have told me that the University doesn't want the Arch anymore. The 10 year lease for that space is up in March and they don't want it there anymore.

So it looks the Arch will be needing a new home. It only makes sense that the Arch, Cauldron and museum items be moved to a permanent downtown Park. Maybe the city can work in some land, with the building of the CCH, to accommodate an Olympic Park, or use some some RDA land. It's to bad most if not all the RDA land is in the depot and Granary Districts.

Maybe the Depot District, between the Rio Grande Depot (future home of a year round market ) and Central Station, somewhere on 300 S. That would actually make a really cool place for an Olympic Park. Or what about the large median behind Rio Grande? Create a year round market and an Olympic Park to jump start more redevelopment of that area.

The Arch could be in the median area, fronting a stage, and they could close off 500 W and 300 S for occasional concerts.

Just throwing out ideas as the come into my brain.

[Future Mayor]

All the property in the yellow below is RDA owned. They ought to be able to somehow figure out how to incorporate an Olympic Park/Plaza in the area. Since the heights are limited to 75' and 90' with conditional use approval, maybe they could incentivize a developer to build the majority of the park in conjunction with their development and allow them higher density through a taller allowable height.



Or what about something like this?
Hoberman Arch incorporated into a stage - Red
Cauldron - Green
Museum - Blue
With Olympic images, stories, and memorabilia spread along 500 W from 300-400 S and along 300 S from the Depot to Central Station.


Honestly I think I'm on to something here.

[Orlando]

Originally Posted by Stenar

They ought to build a new stage at Gallivan Plaza and incorporate the Hoberman arch.

I agree too. Why try to build a new plaza just for the Olypimpics? The Hoberman Arch at the Gallivan Plaza stage is an obvious location, IMO.

[Comrade]

The U doesn't want the Arch there anymore because it will disrupt their plans to expand RES.

[Boz]

HB356: Centrally Planning the Salt Lake City Economy
LibertasUtah.org

"...As we have often argued, the proper role of government is to protect our rights—not centrally manage the economy and incentivize businesses. While we would love to see a new hotel and convention center, we reject the notion that it cannot exist without tax credits; if such an institution is deemed profitable and beneficial, then private investors will support it. If not, government should not come to its rescue..."

[utenation]

Originally Posted by joscar

Looks like the bill is just getting started, it just got numbered today (H.B. 356). You can track its status here: http://le.utah.gov/~2014/bills/static/HB0356.html

Thanks for the update. Exactly what I was looking for..

[Just A Thought]

Originally Posted by Future Mayor

All the property in the yellow below is RDA owned. They ought to be able to somehow figure out how to incorporate an Olympic Park/Plaza in the area. Since the heights are limited to 75' and 90' with conditional use approval, maybe they could incentivize a developer to build the majority of the park in conjunction with their development and allow them higher density through a taller allowable height.



Or what about something like this?
Hoberman Arch incorporated into a stage - Red
Cauldron - Green
Museum - Blue
With Olympic images, stories, and memorabilia spread along 500 W from 300-400 S and along 300 S from the Depot to Central Station.


Honestly I think I'm on to something here.

The arch would make a great tent frame and a good place to hide drug supplies. I think its safe to say it would get trashed on 500 W

[Future Mayor]

Originally Posted by Boz

HB356: Centrally Planning the Salt Lake City Economy
LibertasUtah.org

"...As we have often argued, the proper role of government is to protect our rights—not centrally manage the economy and incentivize businesses. While we would love to see a new hotel and convention center, we reject the notion that it cannot exist without tax credits; if such an institution is deemed profitable and beneficial, then private investors will support it. If not, government should not come to its rescue..."

I disagree 100% with their position on the legislation, and their comparison the the "Red Zone" stores is an absolutely horrible, unrelated comparison.

They argue in there that the Proponents saying that the new Hotel will bring in more overall business is beside the point and saying that it might be true or not. Then in the next paragraph say that existing hotels will lose $105 million in the first 5 years. I love how they wave off one study as pointless and maybe true of false then spout opinions from their own study as facts.

It comes down to a few simply questions?
1) Does the Salt Palace need more space? yes
2) Does there need to be a large hotel built that is designated as a convention hotel, with either direct or adjacent access to the SP? Yes
3) Will the addition of more Salt Palace Space and a large hotel bring in additional large conventions? Yes (the SLCVB has already proven this with years of details on conventions lost)
4) Will these additional large conventions bring in more people than the new CCH can accommodate, resulting in additional room night in other hotels? Yes
5) Will the increase in business increase the overall taxes that are collected by the City, County and State? Yes
5) Will property value surrounding the new hotel increase, easily paying off the tax incentives offered? Yes

Sounds like a no brainier to me.


What I find ironic is that it's Grand and Little America that are the loudest opponents to this piece of legislation, yet they tried to use a legal government power to get the land they weren't able to acquire to use the entire block to build the Grand America. So it's ok for them to use a legal power of the government, even though they eventually lost, to get what they want at the possible expense of other hotels, but it's "just not right" if someone else is given that same advantage.

[Future Mayor]

Originally Posted by Just A Thought

The arch would make a great tent frame and a good place to hide drug supplies. I think its safe to say it would get trashed on 500 W

The creation of the park/plaza alone won't transform the area. The creation of the park/plaza would have to go hand in hand with an overall push for redevelopment of the entire area, including the possible creation of a year round farmers market at the Rio Grande Depot. The redevelopment would have to include the RDA selling to developers the land along 500 W, 600 W and 300 S, and either a major crack down on the drug and homeless problem, or a relocation of the mens shelter.

[SLC Projects]

If the owners of Grand America Hotel are so butthurt over this then why don't their cheap asses go and develop the CCH themselves? They can call it the The Grandest of Grand America Hotel.
Really it just comes down to that they want to remain as the "biggest" Hotel in Utah.

[UTvision]

Originally Posted by SLC Projects

If the owners of Grand America Hotel are so butthurt over this then why don't their cheap asses go and develop the CCH themselves? They can call it the The Grandest of Grand America Hotel.
Really it just comes down to that they want to remain as the "biggest" Hotel in Utah.

I think Little America should demolish the corner of 500 S and West Temple (nearly 1/4 of their block) into mixed use, with a tower. This would reduce a small portion of their rooms while adding new revenue and it wouldn't block any views from their rooms. Then they should build the CCH as a modern hotel, possibly The Modern American Hotel or some other crazy name like that.

[Future Mayor]

Originally Posted by UTvision

I think Little America should demolish the corner of 500 S and West Temple (nearly 1/4 of their block) into mixed use, with a tower. This would reduce a small portion of their rooms while adding new revenue and it wouldn't block any views from their rooms. Then they should build the CCH as a modern hotel, possibly The Modern American Hotel or some other crazy name like that.

If they were to build mixed use tower they probably would end up adding to their total number of rooms. I think that is a good idea though.

Can you imagine the PR nightmare that would occur if FAE Holdings ended up being the company that built the CCH, or even put a bid in. "We don't think this legislation is fair" Legislation approved "Unless of course it's for us" I think they are way to far into the opposition side to throw their hat in the ring at this point.