Salt Lake City: Official Development News Thread - Part 4 - Page 193

Hatman · #**3841** Posted **Oct 22, 2015, 6:12 PM**

I made reference back to an audio file that I love. Someone nice then sent me a version of that file posted to YouTube with great visuals to go with it.
If you didn't listen to the audio version, at least have a look at the video:

• Video Link

delts145 · #**3842** Posted **Oct 22, 2015, 7:08 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by jedikermit

For that site, both in terms of the size and the location, it needs to be a landmark building. 46 stories would be swell, but beyond that, a truly beautiful building. Not another flat-roofed cracker box. Salt box? Cereal box? I don't remember what the term is. Boring.

Very much agree Jedi. Salt Lake City needs to start thinking outside the box...no pun intended. The 151 tower as presented is a step in the right direction.

asies1981 · #**3843** Posted **Oct 22, 2015, 8:40 PM**

The Gallivan Center is one of five finalists for Great Places in America People's Choice designation. You can vote until the end of the month.

AllOutOfBubbleGum · #**3844** Posted **Oct 22, 2015, 8:49 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hatman

I made reference back to an audio file that I love. Someone nice then sent me a version of that file posted to YouTube with great visuals to go with it.
If you didn't listen to the audio version, at least have a look at the video:

• Video Link

That was quite an interesting podcast there Hatman! I love these people that are forward thinkers. Plus they know stuff about development that I would never pick up on.

bflatflat9 · #**3845** Posted **Oct 22, 2015, 11:30 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by delts145

Very much agree Jedi. Salt Lake City needs to start thinking outside the box...no pun intended. The 151 tower as presented is a step in the right direction.

46 story Chrysler Building is all I ask.

Viperlord · #**3846** Posted **Oct 23, 2015, 1:57 AM**

So, I had a look at the latest Request for Proposals packet for the Convention Center Hotel that the Salt Lake County recently re-issued awhile back.

Here's some of the information from it....... Some of the data is a bit pixelated, but even in the PDF version that I downloaded, its pixelated there as well.

the County chose Blur Workshop architects to prepare a concept to see if the 2 sites on the convention center property would work.

by Blur Workshop, who designs a lot of hotels. Thier website is below:
http://www.blurworkshop.com/

Well, im sure the final product will differ substantially, it atleast gives you an idea....

Exhibit E

jedikermit · #**3847** Posted **Oct 23, 2015, 2:22 AM**

Hrrrrm. Thanks for the info Viperlord. Always interesting to see how the sausage is made. I know it's just a concept to see how to fit things into that space. Hopefully we end up with something more curvy and — and delicious and desirable.

Orlando · #**3848** Posted **Oct 23, 2015, 3:48 AM**

Oh, I sure hope no one goes for the North site. That would bury Abravanel Hall. Besides, it states as part of the requirements that the location be sensitive to cultural and civic assets. Placing the tower right up against the main facade of Abravanel Hall as shown would be a tragedy. But, if they had some sort of triangular plan that follows the current plan of the Art Center, maybe that would be a cool juxtaposition that relates to the Hall.

Also, I wish they would try to make it just a single tall tower 30+ stories. Not some stumpy and wide double tower.

As always, thanks for your efforts in digging up this kind of info.

TonyAnderson · #**3849** Posted **Oct 23, 2015, 3:58 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Orlando

Geat info guys. I think we see what Stenar is seeing, ie. much of the recent startups are former BYU grads, and Mormon and probably want a larger less-expensive house in the burbs giving them more room for their families, than what we see in Seattle and San Fran with single Snake People in their late 20's and early 30's renting urban apartments or buying urban condos. However, we are seeing these tech companies in Utah needing to lure employees from outside Utah, and some of them find a place in SLC and commute down there (reverse commute). I think we will start to see some unique and creative urban tech environments pop up in SLC as an alternative to the stand-alone office building in Utah County. These tech startup guys just haven't seen how cool, environmentally-friendly, and attractive this could be just yet. They haven't "seen the light" yet.

It also helps that cities like San Fran and Seattle are basically little islands. In fact, if you look at nearly all the truly dense cities in America, they're the cities that are most constrained by geographical boundaries.

Good news for SLC ....it's a bit constrained itself. It just now is getting to the point that room is running out.

Orlando · #**3850** Posted **Oct 23, 2015, 4:05 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Future Mayor

Thank you for posting the images on here. I too really like the proposed use of the Paperbox site, and since the RDA owns the property I think there's a good chance that it will develop into something similar to the proposal. Just don't let LaPorte bid on it.

This is great. Ya, Comrade, it's nothing special architecturally. But, it enhances urban connectivity of that block. I am very impressed with the RDA. They are doing wonders in making SLC a better place. Hopefully, we will get more interest from private developers who will take on more initiative to do stuff like this without public incentives.

TonyAnderson · #**3851** Posted **Oct 23, 2015, 4:14 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by s.p.hansen

I agree. Tech companies were born in garages in suburbia. The people who started the tech boom were a generation of people who favored suburbia as a place to live and work. The nature of tech companies is such that they are always having to be very aggressive in order to lure in the finite amount of skilled workers needed to keep an office going or expanding. If the preference of snake people is to work in offices in urban cores, then companies will relocate to urban cores to have one more edge over the competition. This is especially apparent in Silicon Valley where poaching skilled workers is a constant. And we're already seeing this in San Francisco which is seeing a massive influx of tech jobs that are either moving from Silicon Valley or choosing not to expand in Silicon Valley and instead opt for new offices in the City. Many people in San Francisco are getting priced out by "the tech bros" (implying that the City has become less bohemian and a giant uncultured sausage fest and not in the fun kind of way like over in Folsom). Amazon.com is in the process of becoming the largest employer in downtown Seattle as they build their new downtown campus and lease existing office space surrounding it.

If we go back in time 10 years ago there were pretty much no tech companies in ANY downtowns. Denver has the Tech Center, we have the area of South Jordan/Draper down to Novell in Provo. I think snake people in every part of the USA are more inclined to prefer to live in more urban centers, but the magnitude isn't the same across the USA. We have a major cultural difference here based around being a niche of "family friendly" (both because of the LDS Church and people who come for their non LDS version of the same lifestyle). And that niche is much larger than the urban snake person niche. We'll see most of our growth in the suburbs in the next 20 years but at least they'll be built a little better than the suburbs that came before.

Lots of great insight.

One thing i've noticed being in the tech world (as a developer) is these companies are literally bending over backwards to recruit tech professionals. Unlimited PTO has become standard (for real, look it up). Pluralsight has company Teslas for everyone to play with. List goes on. If these employers can get more quality employees and out recruit their competitors by providing the amenities of downtown, then it may very well become a reality. It's not far fetched to believe tech companies may start taking the Amazon path before too long.

s.p.hansen · #**3852** Posted **Oct 23, 2015, 4:52 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by TonyAnderson

Lots of great insight.

One thing i've noticed being in the tech world (as a developer) is these companies are literally bending over backwards to recruit tech professionals. Unlimited PTO has become standard (for real, look it up). Pluralsight has company Teslas for everyone to play with. List goes on. If these employers can get more quality employees and out recruit their competitors by providing the amenities of downtown, then it may very well become a reality. It's not far fetched to believe tech companies may start taking the Amazon path before too long.

Snake People

delts145 · #**3853** Posted **Oct 23, 2015, 6:51 AM**

Very disappointing height and design. Hopefully, these conceptuals are not an indication of what is to come.

SLC Projects · #**3854** Posted **Oct 23, 2015, 7:53 AM**

One of the issues here is that there are way too many rooms per floor. (43-50 rooms depending on which site) if we can somehow get it down to about 20 to 25 rooms per floor this would be a much taller tower.

s.p.hansen · #**3855** Posted **Oct 23, 2015, 8:22 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Orlando

Oh, I sure hope no one goes for the North site. That would bury Abravanel Hall. Besides, it states as part of the requirements that the location be sensitive to cultural and civic assets. Placing the tower right up against the main facade of Abravanel Hall as shown would be a tragedy. But, if they had some sort of triangular plan that follows the current plan of the Art Center, maybe that would be a cool juxtaposition that relates to the Hall.

Also, I wish they would try to make it just a single tall tower 30+ stories. Not some stumpy and wide double tower.

As always, thanks for your efforts in digging up this kind of info.

I agree. The South Side is the best side. I actually can't physically comprehend how a hotel that is supposed to have 850 plus rooms could fit into such a small tower. The lot seems very small.

delts145 · #**3856** Posted **Oct 23, 2015, 1:47 PM**

The two tower mix of the J.W. Marriott/Ritz Carlton CCH has a total of 1001 rooms. The — tallest tower on the right is 52 stories, containing 878 rooms. It is connected to the shorter tower to its left consisting of 123 rooms. To the far left is the recently proposed addition to the hotel complex. That tower would be 38 stories and add an additional 755 rooms. Los Angeles currently has a little less than 7000 rooms downtown, and has been falling short in competing with San Diego and San Franciscco for larger conventions. San Diego and San Francisco each have around 20,000 rooms in their CBDs.

Looking at the conceptual of the Salt Lake CCH, I would hope that they would at the very least increase the height on the longer portion of the L design. Give it some style, other than just a non descript utilitarian box. Of course, the height can vary because of a number of factors, depending on the mix of amenities desired for the specific Salt Lake Market. How many residences if any? How many lavish suites, and at what sq. footage for each. Whatever the mix for the Salt Lake market, this CCH has an important role to play in Salt Lake's march forward, particularly at this historic juncture of its burgeoning metro growth. Not only as a symbol of local pride, but surely this Hotel will be the Wasatch Fronts pre eminent 'welcome mat'. This Hotel should shout Salt Lakes current and future ambitions. It should impress in much the same way as the Library, CCC and many other Downtown milestones.

scottharding · #**3857** Posted **Oct 23, 2015, 2:46 PM**

I agree with Orlando that the L shape design interacts very poorly with Abravenel Hall. If that ends up being where the hotel goes, they have to a lot more creative with it to avoid walling off that corner.

Hatman · #**3858** Posted **Oct 23, 2015, 3:23 PM**

I favor the North site, only because it is closer to the TRAX station and City Creek and other sites that make it much more useful and accessible than the south option. I would want a more imaginative design, though, so that it complements what is already there rather than burying it.

EPdesign · #**3859** Posted **Oct 23, 2015, 5:01 PM**

I hope it's on the south end. Access would be more convenient with a vehicle. And I know Trax is an option, but it's still considerably close. I also like the idea that it will spur growth on 200 south and towards the west. On the north you just have the arrow press and the zions areas, but on the south, with the Void hopefully one day built will create great anchors for that whole area to grow. At least that's my opinion

Hatman · #**3860** Posted **Oct 23, 2015, 5:16 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by EPdesign

I hope it's on the south end. Access would be more convenient with a vehicle. And I know Trax is an option, but it's still considerably close.

Not to be picky, but the south site is two blocks from the TRAX station, or a full 0.25 miles. Not exactly close if you're pulling a rolling suitcase or whatever. I also think it's safe to assume that people who are going to stay at a convention center hotel are also ones who are not going to have a rental vehicle, because they are coming for the convention, which is at one place and already easily accessible from the airport by TRAX.

I can certainly agree that the south end would be more helpful from an urban development standpoint, but I would feel badly for making hotel and convention guests make that long walk with bags. If only that design that Delts posted, one with two towers, could be modified for Salt Lake, so that both the north and south sites could be used... we wouldn't get a new tallest, but it would be better for the city (and visitor's perception of the city).

Not an argument, just my two cents.