Salt Lake City: Official Development News Thread - Part 3

[jedikermit]

Those of you hoping the barrel vaulted beautiful ceiling in that building on Main St would somehow be incorporated into the UPAC: it's not. A friend just tweeted a pic of backhoes tearing it down.

[Future Mayor]

Regarding the parking revenue.

I think there are a few things that needs to be evaluated. How much tax revenue has the city received from parking garages over that same period of time, and has there been a change in the tax revenue generated by businesses in the CBD? Has that amount increased from the years prior to the new regulations? I would guess that it has. It would be interesting to know that even with the decrease from the meters, has the total number of people using meters and lots increased? Another factor that needs to be evaluated, has transit ridership increased during that time?

It sounds like they are going to look into all the factors. I think the real test is how have the businesses in downtown done since the changes went into effect.

I know that I tend to park in a garage more now than I did before, particularly if I arrive downtown prior to 6 and plan to stay for several hours.

[SLC Projects]

Originally Posted by jedikermit

Those of you hoping the barrel vaulted beautiful ceiling in that building on Main St would somehow be incorporated into the UPAC: it's not. A friend just tweeted a pic of backhoes tearing it down.

I'm over it. . The sooner these buildings are torn down the sooner we start seeing steel rising. What we're getting in it's place is by far better.

[bflatflat9]

For a long time, I imagined the 145 State site as a cool place for a new tallest, (then again, there's lots of places I've thought that). But when did this one go from 18 to 20 stories? Is that for real? 9--14--18--20--do I hear 46? SOLD!

[ToysNoiz]

Soon....

[i-215]

I'm a big fan on eliminating meters entirely. Just set a 1-2 hour limit so encourage spaces to turn over, and write it off as a subsidy for smaller businesses and restaurants. (The road is essentially free, subsidized by fuel taxes.) Think Provo Center Street, as an example of a downtown area with free parking.

They'll make more revenue with free parking, to better compete with suburbs, than trying to squeeze a few bucks out of drivers. Meters chase guys like me off. Unless I'm at the Pacific Ocean, I'm not bothering with on-street parking. I'll drive over to a mall parking structure -- or, better yet, free parking at a suburban mall. (I don't think I'm atypical about that, either).

[Plaid Shirts]

2026 Winter Olympic Update!

Here are a few article links to new news concerning the 2024 summer and 2026 winter games.

Some things to point out, a couple articles mention Reno/Lake Tahoe, Denver, and Salt Lake as the only reasonable cities to host future winter Olympics. Also if the USOC decides to make a bid for the 2024 summer games, then that will eliminate any U.S. city wanting to host the 2026 winter games. It also says that Oslo, Norway and Almaty, Kazakhstan are the favorites to win the 2022 winter games. The USOC last year decided to not bid for the 2022 games, but to focus on either the 2024 or 2026 games.

This first article is from the SL Trib. It talks about how the USOC is exploring a 2024 summer bid first. If that doesn't seem possible, then they'll look into a 2026 winter bid. http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/blogsolympicsblog/57586632-71/bid-2026-2024-games.html.csp

This second one talks about what Reno/Lake Tahoe is doing to prepare for a bid for the 2026 games. They mention Salt Lake a lot and they also take some shots at Salt Lake. I guess Reno has more hotel rooms than Salt Lake...?
http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/reno-tahoe-coalition-has-hurdles-clear-get-2026-winter-olympics

Here is a quote from the article: "We would use the Salt Lake City business model and make a profit from the games,” he said. “If we don’t see an endgame where it would be profitable, we wouldn’t do it."

This last article is from Canada. It wonders when the next Olympics will be held in the U.S.

Quote from this article: "The single best bid the U.S. could put out there is to have Salt Lake City host the Winter Olympics again – the infrastructure and venues are already in place, so costs would be minimal. The IOC, however, tends to frown on returning quickly to host cities. Places such as Los Angeles (twice) and London (three times) have hosted multiple games, but 40 or 50 years apart. It would be easier if they rotated around to a few ideal spots, the way the Super Bowl and Final Four do. Instead IOC arrogance asks for a new city, which might be limited – Atlanta jokes aside – to either Denver/Aspen or Lake Tahoe/Reno. Each would require plenty of work, basically starting from scratch." http://sports.yahoo.com/news/when-will-the-olympics-return-to-the-united-states-191033267.html

Personally, I think the cost of a summer Olympic 2024 bid for the U.S. will be too much, regardless of what Washington DC, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Boston, or Philadelphia say or think. With that I think the USOC will shift their focus to the 2026 winter games. I still think that Denver will be the final U.S. city bidding for the 2026 games.

[StevenF]

Originally Posted by ToysNoiz

Soon....

If only.

Thing is how much taller can 145 go before the parking garage Boyer is building is maxed out on capacity?

[jedikermit]

Just to twist the knife, here's a pic of the demolition of that building. Sorry.

[EPdesign]

I Just saw the 145 on the diagram. I love H4vock right now

[SLC Projects]

Nice
http://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?buildingID=102788

[ToysNoiz]

Originally Posted by SLC Projects

Nice
http://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?buildingID=102788

Awesome awesome AWESOME! Great job H4vock!!

Now, if it was doubled in height, I'd be head-over-heals for it!

[Old&New]

Originally Posted by jedikermit

Just to twist the knife, here's a pic of the demolition of that building. Sorry.

"Fuck you [Ralph Becker and the UPAC] with something hard and sandpapery!"

Salt Lake City is slowly becoming anywhere USA. Well, at least we still have the mountains ...that is unless kenecott and the sand quarries continue clawing away at the mountain sides.

[Orlando]

Originally Posted by SLC Projects

Nice
http://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?buildingID=102788

Now, we just need to get the new courthouse building in there.

[Skystruck]

Originally Posted by Orlando

Now, we just need to get the new courthouse building in there.

As well as the Grand America. Hopefully (fingers crossed) there will soon be the need to also add a sweet new convention center hotel!

[SLC Projects]

Originally Posted by Orlando

Now, we just need to get the new courthouse building in there.

That and I would also love to see the Walker Center update with the weather tower that was added back in 2008. http://www.ksl.com/?sid=2903661

Walker Center at 220 FT without the 64FT weather tower.
http://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?

220FT + 64FT = 284FT placing it between 145 state 295FT and 136 east south temple building at 274 FT.

[SLC Projects]

Originally Posted by Skystruck

As well as the Grand America. Hopefully (fingers crossed) there will soon be the need to also add a sweet new convention center hotel!

I heard once that the Grand America Hotel stands at 330FT, but then another website has it at 395FT. So this one would be hard to do since nobody really knows for sure just how high it really is. Same could be said about the new Fed. Courthouse building.

[jedikermit]

Originally Posted by Old&New

"....with something hard and sandpapery!"

Salt Lake City is slowly becoming anywhere USA.

That building has been boarded up and/or underused for decades. I wish they had found a way to save it, but ultimately it was well on its way to being another Pantages/Utah Theater or worse. I wish it had been saved too, but not if it was going to be another empty storefront for the next 30 years.

[brankrom]

Originally Posted by jedikermit

That building has been boarded up and/or underused for decades. I wish they had found a way to save it, but ultimately it was well on its way to being another Pantages/Utah Theater or worse. I wish it had been saved too, but not if it was going to be another empty storefront for the next 30 years.

I've worked downtown for the last 14 years and things are getting better on Main Street but nowhere near the vibrancy there should be. Most of the storefronts on the west side of the between 100 and 200 South are occupied now, but Main Street still needs some real help as does Broadway and what about the former ArrowPress/club dv8? To have something like that across the street from the convention center is an embarrassment.

CCC is nice and hopefully NPAC will help facilitate improvement but there's a lot of work to do, a lot of underused and dilapidated structures excessive parking lots (and garages) and generally poor street engagement through most of downtown. I love living and working in SLC the historic neighborhoods but there's a LOT of room for improvement.

[jedikermit]

I agree with all of that. There are patches of Main Street that are busy, but most of it is still a ghost town. Even with conventions in town, there just aren't many restaurants or other businesses to draw them in.