Salt Lake City: Official Development News Thread - Part 4

[Skystruck]

It's a fact of life that not everyone is going to like the same things. Everyone will always have their own respective ideas and opinions. Personally I think it's a bit early to say exactly how this is going to turn out until all final materials are chosen, but I like the direction the VCC is going. In my opinion SLC needs a tower that is more daring in its design, the VCC brings a modern edge that will add some much needed diversity to the skyline. I have enjoyed watching the progression of this project and think Ken deserves a big thanks for his hard work and dedication in making downtown a better place!

[Highrise_Mike]

Originally Posted by Skystruck

It's a fact of life that not everyone is going to like the same things. Everyone will always have their own respective ideas and opinions. Personally I think it's a bit early to say exactly how this is going to turn out until all final materials are chosen, but I like the direction the VCC is going. In my opinion SLC needs a tower that is more daring in its design, the VCC brings a modern edge that will add some much needed diversity to the skyline. I have enjoyed watching the progression of this project and think Ken deserves a big thanks for his hard work and dedication in making downtown a better place!

Amen! There are too many buildings in the skyline that are boxy with straight lines, this building would provide some architectural interest to the skyline that draws some good attention.

[KPBDEV]

Originally Posted by Stenar

It was feeling more generous when you first presented it because it looked better than what you shared previously. Sometimes a design grows on you, sometimes the opposite happens.

You will NOT find any building in Vancouver, Toronto or Austin (or Miami as another poster mentioned) that is this tacky. You will in Vegas, though, because most of Vegas is tacky.

I'm not going to get into an argument with you Stenar, except your wrong. This design was based on several in the markets I mentioned (I'm from Toronto after all). As I said opinions are fine if they have some level of intelligence behind them. Your inconsistent and frankly offensive.

[s.p.hansen]

Originally Posted by KPBDEV

I'm not going to get into an argument with you Stenar, except your wrong. This design was based on several in the markets I mentioned (I'm from Toronto after all). As I said opinions are fine if they have some level of intelligence behind them. Your inconsistent and frankly offensive.

Being from Toronto makes you like 10 points cooler in my book.

[delts145]

Originally Posted by Skystruck

It's a fact of life that not everyone is going to like the same things. Everyone will always have their own respective ideas and opinions. Personally I think it's a bit early to say exactly how this is going to turn out until all final materials are chosen, but I like the direction the VCC is going. In my opinion SLC needs a tower that is more daring in its design, the VCC brings a modern edge that will add some much needed diversity to the skyline. I have enjoyed watching the progression of this project and think Ken deserves a big thanks for his hard work and dedication in making downtown a better place!

Ditto to that!

[Marvland]

Ken,

As a person who deals with development all the time, just put your head to the grindstone and push until it's done. Do not listen to a bunch of clowns on the intertubes (myself included). Nobody on this forum will be on a personal guaranty on the loan, nobody else has had to raise the capital, nobody else had the vision and patience to create that miraculous lot assemblage, and nobody else gets to choose what you do with your spoils. Development is a very lonely game, especially early. The only solace during this tough phase is that it's yours and you get to do with it what you want. Period.

Charge forth! Let the naysayers build their own skyscrapers! I really like the design by the way.

[scottharding]

yeah ken. You're not aiming high enough if you don't have some detractors. and Stenar and Orlando hate everything, so I wouldn't be bothered.

[asies1981]

The Box Loft project is dead and is now the Prana Townhome project and under construction.

[Orlando]

Originally Posted by scottharding

yeah ken. You're not aiming high enough if you don't have some detractors. and Stenar and Orlando hate everything, so I wouldn't be bothered.

Ah man, that's definitely not true. I love architecture. That's why I'm in the profession. I see lots of great designs proposed up here in Seattle and Portland and all over, and this is definitely not one of them. There's a lot of awkward stuff going on with that geometric tinted glass and so forth. I wish there were more people on this forum with an architecture background. This design would be lambasted up here and other forums. Though, instead of just criticizing, I'll try to be more constructive and give some examples.

[EPdesign]

K. I have to defend Orlando here. He hasn't always hated everything. He has provided good insight with his knowledge working in the field of Architecture. you don't have to agree or like what he says. I for one read his comments, like all others, consider it and know I still like the design.

Ken just build it. Build it know that they're distracted!!!!

[Orlando]

Originally Posted by EPdesign

K. I have to defend Orlando here. He hasn't always hated everything. He has provided good insight with his knowledge working in the field of Architecture. you don't have to agree or like what he says. I for one read his comments, like all others, consider it and know I still like the design.

Ken just build it. Build it know that they're distracted!!!!

Thanks man. I really do appreciate the passion that Ken and other self-starter developers like him bring to Salt Lake City. I see Ken as not like some developers that are #'s driven, but as someone who really wants to add to downtown Salt Lake City with architecture and urban energy. I do think there are some potentially interesting things going on at the base.

[Orlando]

Originally Posted by asies1981

The Box Loft project is dead and is now the Prana Townhome project and under construction.

Thanks Asies for all your efforts. I will try to contribute. But, if you are trying to make a living off of this, you might want to consider something else. Others have put lots of effort in the past doing something similar, like utahurbanforum, etc. only to realize that it was too much time and effort.

[linguisize]

So Wiseguys is coming back downtown to the Gateway. That's certainly good news for the neighborhood.

https://www.facebook.com/thestubbsshow/p...786570/10152977688671571/?type=3&theater

[Makid]

Originally Posted by linguisize

So Wiseguys is coming back downtown to the Gateway. That's certainly good news for the neighborhood.

https://www.facebook.com/thestubbsshow/p...786570/10152977688671571/?type=3&theater

This is also good because it is more local entertainment which can help the local residents.

Maybe it is a start for the possible "Entertainment District".

[scottharding]

Very good news about Wise Guys at the Gateway. I'm glad to hear it.

Sorry Orlando, for generalizing about your tastes. Of course, in the end, that's what it comes down to, is we all have our different tastes.

[StevenF]

Originally Posted by asies1981

Ken didn't mention it, but the VCC passed the Conditional Building and Site Design Review last week. I wrote a post on the project. Here are the planning documents. Remember if you can't donate, a free way to contribute is by clicking on ads!

Read one of your articles and saw a boxer brief ad, and since I was in the market for some, I clicked on it.

[DCRes]

Originally Posted by linguisize

So Wiseguys is coming back downtown to the Gateway. That's certainly good news for the neighborhood.

https://www.facebook.com/thestubbsshow/p...786570/10152977688671571/?type=3&theater

That is a great get for The Gateway! Too bad DoPo couldn't survive in that spot. It was a good idea but it doesn't surprise me that they bit the dust.

Here is to more entertainment and night life at The Gateway

[bflatflat9]

Originally Posted by DCRes

That is a great get for The Gateway! Too bad DoPo couldn't survive in that spot. It was a good idea but it doesn't surprise me that they bit the dust.

Here is to more entertainment and night life at The Gateway

Are they moving from another location, or just settin up additionally?
Yeah, too bad about the DoPo. Great idea (similar to Yoshi's in the bay area),
but not surprising. To me, it's not a REAL city unless you can sustain a Live Jazz venue. I know, that may be a strange barometer, and there's a lot of other ways to gauge, but it seems that that kind of place tries and ultimately fails in about a year or so here.
Did you know that Salt Lake actually had a Club Blue Note on Main and about 820 south in the early 80's? I saw Wille Hutch there.
There's a Denver forumer that has a caption reading " Cool, Denver has reached puberty", and I'm thinking " Cool, SLC has reached pre-pubessence.
Anyway, yeah, good catch for the Gateway, and like many have said, it would be cool to have it gravitate toward the entertainment and night life end.

[s.p.hansen]

Originally Posted by bflatflat9

Are they moving from another location, or just settin up additionally?
Yeah, too bad about the DoPo. Great idea (similar to Yoshi's in the bay area),
but not surprising. To me, it's not a REAL city unless you can sustain a Live Jazz venue. I know, that may be a strange barometer, and there's a lot of other ways to gauge, but it seems that that kind of place tries and ultimately fails in about a year or so here.
Did you know that Salt Lake actually had a Club Blue Note on Main and about 820 south in the early 80's? I saw Wille Hutch there.
There's a Denver forumer that has a caption reading " Cool, Denver has reached puberty", and I'm thinking " Cool, SLC has reached pre-pubessence.
Anyway, yeah, good catch for the Gateway, and like many have said, it would be cool to have it gravitate toward the entertainment and night life end.

I don't think it's a strange barometer, but it's a little out of context for Salt Lake City. We all know it's silly that we have a team named the Utah Jazz, but whatever it is what it is. Utah doesn't have a deep relationship with jazz. It's even more the case with places like Phoenix which was largely a post jazz city. I'm guilty of having checklists for what makes a major city, but sometimes you have to take the good with the bad. We didn't have a lot of talented black people here at the turn of the century because we didn't have many black people. What we do have and did have was a much larger performing arts scene with theatre, dance, orchestras, singers, etc. Utah has always punched above its weight in performing arts, but jazz isn't in our blood. The Big Band era certainly took hold here like it did in much of america, but not really jazz.

In many ways our city is prepubescent and in many ways it's established beyond its years, like a child prodigy. What you have to give the SLC metro credit for is beating the odds against many mid sized American Cities and making globalism its —. If we look at factors like cost of living, income inequality, racial segregation by neighborhoods, there's a reason why the blues isn't in our blood... Because it turns out people with shittier living standards make better music.

[asies1981]

Originally Posted by StevenF

Read one of your articles and saw a boxer brief ad, and since I was in the market for some, I clicked on it.

I hope they fit splendidly, lol.