Salt Lake City: Official Development News Thread - Part 4

[Comrade]

I strongly disagree that there should be an isolated high school just for the poorer west side neighborhoods. West High might be predominately western, but it draws students from the Avenues all the way to Federal Heights and that economic diversity is important, as it means more economic affluent people have skin in the game in regards to how the school performs.

A Glendale/Rose Park school would lose political clout and, more importantly, potentially be ignored due to its larger minority and poorer population.

SLC has done a good job at dividing the three major high schools up between poorer/richer areas of the city. West's boundaries hug South Temple, but also reach as far west as the airport to as far east as the University of Utah. East takes in most of Glendale and everything east of East Central up to Emigration Canyon (as far south as 1700 S) and Highland takes in Central City, Ballpark, People's Freeway, part of Glendale, but also SugarHouse and the East Bench.

It's a healthy mix and I think it pretty much works.

Also, I don't see the need for another high school in Salt Lake. The total enrollment of students in the three major high schools is just 5,801 - or less than 3% of the overall population.

A new high school is not needed at this time.

[Stenar]

Also, having a west-side high school mostly populated with minority students wouldn't fit in with federal desegregation regulations.

Originally Posted by Comrade

I strongly disagree that there should be an isolated high school just for the poorer west side neighborhoods. West High might be predominately western, but it draws students from the Avenues all the way to Federal Heights and that economic diversity is important, as it means more economic affluent people have skin in the game in regards to how the school performs.

A Glendale/Rose Park school would lose political clout and, more importantly, potentially be ignored due to its larger minority and poorer population.

SLC has done a good job at dividing the three major high schools up between poorer/richer areas of the city. West's boundaries hug South Temple, but also reach as far west as the airport to as far east as the University of Utah. East takes in most of Glendale and everything east of East Central up to Emigration Canyon (as far south as 1700 S) and Highland takes in Central City, Ballpark, People's Freeway, part of Glendale, but also SugarHouse and the East Bench.

It's a healthy mix and I think it pretty much works.

Also, I don't see the need for another high school in Salt Lake. The total enrollment of students in the three major high schools is just 5,801 - or less than 3% of the overall population.

A new high school is not needed at this time.

[Marvland]

Got this from planning today. 2nd and final open house on the proposed TSA zone changes is Thursday at 5pm. The info is in the links. This TSA change has been one of the more steerable and open changes I can remember. Planning staff has done an excellent job of addressing issues that I've brought up and they aren't done shaping yet. Most of the work I have been involved in is on the land use table side of things, steering the permitted commercial uses, not so much the development scoring but I encourage everybody to submit formal comments if you want some skin in the game. I'm seeing some really good ideas on the design side in this forum. You should try to get some of these great ideas integrated!

The Planning Division has published an update to the Transit Station Area Zoning Improvement Text Amendment proposal. The update includes an updated summary of the proposed changes, draft zoning ordinance text, and draft development guidelines. The update can be downloaded from the following link: http://www.slcdocs.com/Planning/Open%20Houses/2016/TSAFAQOCT6.pdf
 
A visual guide to the major proposed changes is also available here: http://www.slcdocs.com/Planning/Open%20Houses/2016/TSA_PosterOctober.pdf
 
The Planning Division will be holding a second public Open House to obtain additional feedback before taking the proposal to the Planning Commission for a recommendation. The open house will include the same information that is available online for review at the links above. The Open House will be held this Thursday, October 13th from 5:00 to 7:00 PM at 451 S State Street (City & County Building) in the 4th Floor Hallway.
 
If you have any questions about the proposed changes or have comments you would like forwarded to the Planning commission please feel free to send them to [email protected]. The proposed changes are tentatively scheduled to be heard at the November 9th Planning Commission meeting and comments for the Planning Commission to review can be submitted up until that day

[Liberty Wellsian]

Originally Posted by Stenar

They ought to lose a lot of points in the TSA score for demolishing buildings.

I agree. How do you structure the penalty points so that the Sizzler gets demoed and the Scientology building does not? Perhaps base the number of -points by the age of the building multiplied by the # of floors? What criteria would you use to identify keepers?

Didn't the RDA purchase the SL Roasting Co. building with the intent of demoing it in favor of what will surely be a wood over concrete monstrosity?

[Orlando]

Originally Posted by Liberty Wellsian

I agree. How do you structure the penalty points so that the Sizzler gets demoed and the Scientology building does not? Perhaps base the number of -points by the age of the building multiplied by the # of floors? What criteria would you use to identify keepers?

Didn't the RDA purchase the SL Roasting Co. building with the intent of demoing it in favor of what will surely be a wood over concrete monstrosity?

I don't think knocking down a stand alone Sizzler's is an issue. Rather, knocking down an older building that has some character or personality. I'm super sad that Salt Lake Roasting Company is gone. Here in Seattle we have the Landmarks Preservation Board, which is super difficult to get anything past them. Our firm has been involved in two projects recently where we've had to straddle over and around existing buildings, and it has been a super long and somewhat arbitrary process.

[airhero]

In addition to altering the points system, are they going to change the hard zoning? I think a large footprint size is something that should automatically send it to a conditional review. Something like the width or length of the development cannot exceed 100-150 ft without a conditional design review. Then the city can reject any multifamily building proposal that has a huge footprint. The city already coded something like this into D1 zoning for block corners:

5. Lot Size And Shape: The size and shape of the lot shall conform to the following. Lots existing prior to April 12, 1995, which do not meet these requirements shall be exempt.


a. Minimum lot area: Ten thousand (10,000) square feet.


b. Minimum lot width: One hundred feet (100').

I think something like this should be applied to transit zoning, midblock lots, and the Sugar House area as well and possibly be extended to other downtown districts (like D-3 and D-4). I don't see a huge downside to this, except maybe some developers not building because of it. But then again is it really a downside if we're preventing the construction of these stucco behemoths?

[UTPlanner]

SLC does have a Historic Landmark Commission and a Historic Overlay that provides considerable protection. However, its protection only extends to structures located in a local historic district or ones that have been designated as a landmark structure. For a structure to become a landmark structure it requires the property owner to voluntarily request that their property be protected.

Also the new TSA regulations will limit a building length to 200 feet if approved as proposed.

[Stenar]

We need something inbetween, not the strict rules of a historic landmark area or designation, but some heightened scrutiny of permits that will demolish older structures in the city.

Originally Posted by UTPlanner

SLC does have a Historic Landmark Commission and a Historic Overlay that provides considerable protection. However, its protection only extends to structures located in a local historic district or ones that have been designated as a landmark structure. For a structure to become a landmark structure it requires the property owner to voluntarily request that their property be protected.

Also the new TSA regulations will limit a building length to 200 feet if approved as proposed.

[s.p.hansen]

You all give me hope.

[Orlando]

I knew that SLC has a Landmarks Board. I guess it seems that the Landmarks in Seattle is much more prevalent and pervasive. Basically, anything brick or stone stays. We have designed a 22 story apartment highrise over a 1-story old brick tire store; then a podium building over a 2-story old brick building up on Capitol Hill; a 17-story Boutique Hotel straddling over an old 4-story narrow limestone building; a 4 to 6-story glass office building over an old 2-story brick retail store. I've been working on a convention hotel tower and podium next to an existing 4-story brick building in Tacoma and it has greatly impacted our design requirements for the podium.

Now, any word on the Regent Street Hotel??? I sure hope it is going forward. It's awfully quiet on that front.

[airhero]

Originally Posted by UTPlanner

Also the new TSA regulations will limit a building length to 200 feet if approved as proposed.

Encore is about 310 feet on 400 South and 4th and 4th looks to be about 300 feet as well so 200 could prevent further atrocities from being built on such a large scale. I'd feel much more comfortable if it were 150 though.

Originally Posted by Orlando

Now, any word on the Regent Street Hotel??? I sure hope it is going forward. It's awfully quiet on that front.

There's been some word in the past couple months from those in the know. It's still looks likely to happen. The site where the hotel is being built is full of construction equipment for the ongoing Regent Street construction. I would imagine permit applications will be submitted as soon as the space is freed up.

[Orlando]

UtPlanner, Do you have any info on the Regent Street Hotel? Is it stalled or is moving forward?

[s.p.hansen]

Originally Posted by Orlando

UtPlanner, Do you have any info on the Regent Street Hotel? Is it stalled or is moving forward?

We got an update from him a month or so ago repeating what has been said above. That lot is the staging ground for the entire Theater and Regent Street project. Nothing has happened because the equipment, mock ups, portapotties, etc are still there.

[Orlando]

Originally Posted by s.p.hansen

We got an update from him a month or so ago repeating what has been said above. That lot is the staging ground for the entire Theater and Regent Street project. Nothing has happened because the equipment, mock ups, protapotties, etc are still there.

That still wouldn't prevent the project to have been submitted to the City for the Building Permit. They could have submitted it during all the Regent Street construction, etc. while the City reviews it. Permit review process can take months. My fear is that they don't have all their financing together to go forward with the project as proposed. I've been on projects like that.

[Marvland]

Originally Posted by Orlando

That still wouldn't prevent the project to have been submitted to the City for the Building Permit. They could have submitted it during all the Regent Street construction, etc. while the City reviews it. Permit review process can take months. My fear is that they don't have all their financing together to go forward with the project as proposed. I've been on projects like that.

My spidey sense is that nobody is going to commit to large scale hotel deal in SLC until the CCH is fleshed out.

[asies1981]

Originally Posted by Future Mayor

I'm not sure what exactly you're talking about regarding Garbett on South Temple. You say you love the West 4th apartments because of the finish materials, being a large majority brick, and think Garbett on S. Temple should be similar. What am I missing?

Images linked from Building Salt Lake City.
Isaac, please let me know if you want me to remove them.

4th West


Hardage

Renderings belong to all of us There is an updated rendering for 360 Apartments by Garbett as well that is an improvement from the original.

[Viperlord]

Public Art Award for Downtown SLC’s New District Attorney’s Office Building

The Salt Lake County Downtown District Attorney’s Office has recently approved Gordon Huether’s design for a permanent, integrated glass art installation for their new office building located on 35 East 500 South Main Street, Salt Lake City, UT, a $65.4 million construction project.


https://www.gordonhuether.com/new-public...-new-district-attorney-s-office-building

these are the same people doing the art for the new salt lake international airport
https://www.gordonhuether.com/salt-lake-city-international-airport

[Viperlord]

Centro Civico Master Plan

http://www.archilovers.com/projects/161699/centro-civico-master-plan.html

[ThePusherMan]

Originally Posted by Viperlord

Public Art Award for Downtown SLC’s New District Attorney’s Office Building

The Salt Lake County Downtown District Attorney’s Office has recently approved Gordon Huether’s design for a permanent, integrated glass art installation for their new office building located on 35 East 500 South Main Street, Salt Lake City, UT, a $65.4 million construction project.


https://www.gordonhuether.com/new-public...-new-district-attorney-s-office-building

these are the same people doing the art for the new salt lake international airport
https://www.gordonhuether.com/salt-lake-city-international-airport

Woof.

[Comrade]

WTF is that? The DA building is just horrendous, especially when you realize what we coulda got. Sigh.

But I'm digging the Centro Civico plans.