Salt Lake:Official development news thread - Page 296

Viperlord · #**5901** Posted **Jul 10, 2008, 12:10 AM**

Second quarter Salt Lake condo sales half up, half down

The total number of Salt Lake City condominium sales slowed 40 percent when compared with the second quarter of 2007, according Wasatch Front Regional MLS statistics.

The numbers indicate that there are 40 percent less buyers in the market for condominiums overall from a year ago, with 26 zip codes in the valley reporting total number of units sold down from a low of 9 percent (84044) to a high of 100 percent (84093).

"Yet, the market appears almost equally strong or poor, in that 13 zip codes reported sales price increases, 14 reported sales price decreases and two zip codes reported no change in sales prices at all," says Babs De Lay, broker at Urban Utah Homes and Estates, Salt Lake City. "Overall sales prices of condos are down 15 percent from second quarter 2007 to second quarter of 2008."

According to the MLS, there are currently are 1,381 condos for sale in the Salt. Lake Valley. That number does not include many of the new downtown projects in planning or under construction, because they are not listed on the MLS.

"In looking at the trend over the past year, affordable condominiums are still very much in demand, but high-end condos over $500,000 are really taking a bighit," De Lay said. "What's exciting for me is that the immediate downtown zip code 84111 where I live and work saw almost a 10 percent increase in sales prices. I expect with more of the new projects being finished this summer the statistics will change for the better in the next two quarters because the demand for less of a commute is directly related to the price of gas these days."

Copyright Enterprise Business Newspaper Inc. Jun 9, 2008

Viperlord · #**5902** Posted **Jul 10, 2008, 12:17 AM**

New private club to open in downtown SLC next month

Poplar Street Pub, a new private club, is slated to open next month at 242 S. 200 W. in downtown Salt Lake City.

The club is owned by the son-and-father team of Chris and Alvie Carter and will measure approximately 5,800 square feet with a capacity of 220 and additional outside seating for roughly 80, Chris Carter said.

"We opened up back in 2002 just on a short run for the Olympics for two weeks on a temporary beer license under Poplar Pub," he said. "We were actually in the back part of the building, which we've owned for many years, and there was an art gallery in the front. We've been working to get this finished. It's got a lot of antique brick and hardwood floors in it that we've gotten from demolitions and housing projects around the Salt Lake Valley. We've gone in and completely redone the interior core of it."
Poplar Street, to be located just north of Red Rock Brewing Co., will be open seven days a week beginning at 2 p.m., Carter said.

"We're looking at maybe a soft opening or two in July and to get fully staffed before we announce a grand opening," he said.

A chef, David Hester, who has spent a significant amount of time in Portland, Ore., has been brought on board to run the new club's full kitchen, Carter said.

"The food's going to be elevated," Carter said. "The menu will have some of your traditional pub fares. Everything is handmade, and he's got some higher type items on the menu, classier things.

A staff of approximately 35 people is in the process of being hired, Carter said, and if a re-write of Utah's liquor laws results in the abolishment of private club licenses, "we'll definitely open up for lunch."

Copyright Enterprise Business Newspaper Inc. Jun 9, 2008

Viperlord · #**5903** Posted **Jul 10, 2008, 12:26 AM**

Future of SLC's Main Street: Pedestrian Only

http://www.kcpw.org/article/6285#1

KCPW News) Taking after bigger cities like Denver and Portland, Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker says it's in the plans to make at least one major city street pedestrian-only.
"Main Street has been identified and is developing towards being a non-vehicular street," says Becker. "It is oriented toward transit, obviously we have light rail running up the middle of it. It is not very car-friendly, in fact you don't find many cars even driving up and down Main Street anymore."

Becker says the move has been in the city's long-term plans for several decades and he would like to see it happen "sooner rather than later." He says there is a long list of items that must be taken care of first, including working with area business owners on such a change. However, he says the city has already taken steps toward making Main Street pedestrian-only.

"You'll notice if you look at Main Street, as far as I know, there is only curb cut between South Temple and 400 South. That's all by design so that at the right time we can make that change, and I think conveniently for people, in serving the community as a whole," says Becker.

Mayor Becker will hold a town hall meeting July 17th at 7pm in the City Library auditorium to discuss his first six months in office. That meeting is open to the public and can also be heard 88.3 FM and 105.3 FM KCPW.

Click here to listen to a longer interview with Becker from yesterday's Public Square.
http://www.kcpw.org/article/6276

urbanboy · #**5904** Posted **Jul 10, 2008, 2:06 AM**

Maybe it would be better to create a living street here - rather than a pedestrian only street - like those found in Denmark and other scandinavian countries.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Living_street

scrapernerd · #**5905** Posted **Jul 10, 2008, 2:44 AM**

yeah wouldn't limiting all vehicle travel on that street basically kill what is left of mainstreet, I mean the store that are there are would basically have to depend on on street traffic and then when winter hits wouldn't that just kill it. maybe the ped street could be in one of the other streets idk

Viperlord · #**5906** Posted **Jul 10, 2008, 3:12 AM**

I like this image...

photos courtesy of James Belmont. Awsome photos James.

we could for sure use some density and infill in this area. oh and some hieght.

Future Mayor · #**5907** Posted **Jul 10, 2008, 3:34 AM**

While I like the idea of turning Main into a pedestrian corridor, it would be necessary to have a lot of residential that faces Main, and there isn't much planned as of right now. Most of CCC won't enter and exit from Main, if any.

One other thing that would help would be to create more restaurants with sidewalk dining. I hope that CCC will help to extend retail and dining opportunities south down Main.

If American Towers entered onto Main that would help tremendously. Oh well.

delts145 · #**5908** Posted **Jul 10, 2008, 2:17 PM**

Great pic, and yeah, it will be great to see development start to fill in on the other side of 500 west. There's a lot on the boards, so it shouldn't be long.

Future Mayor · #**5909** Posted **Jul 10, 2008, 3:38 PM**

My sketches are always a little rough, or alot rough but here's a nice start to some density in the neighborhood. I'm sure Urbanboy could come up with some much better renderings.

This one is a little better, just a simple copy of the Gateway condos, with 5 or 6 more stories added on top.

I can see it now, 500 W becoming a grand boulevard fronted by 12-18 story residential towers, historic elements mixed in and the nice green space in between. All the way from 600 S to N. Temple.

SLCforme · #**5910** Posted **Jul 10, 2008, 3:59 PM**

waisting time this morning and came across this info about Emigration Court. Looks like the developers want to combine phase 2 and phase 3 into one phase of around 430 units of apartments and condos. It is from March and says construction should begin soon, but it seems like the request for rezone was a delay to the project so who knows when they will start, but it seems like it will be fairly soon. No matter how soon it will not be quick, we really need more rentals in SLC

http://209.85.173.104/search?q=cache:_ig...l=en&ct=clnk&cd=3&gl=us&client=firefox-a

TimeSaltlake · #**5911** Posted **Jul 10, 2008, 4:34 PM**

I thought there was height limitation and zoning that would not allow for buildings the height the condows that are currently there, let alone one with the hieght of six floors added.

Dont get me wrong. I love the concept.

DMTower · #**5912** Posted **Jul 10, 2008, 6:20 PM**

^^^ I remember reading something similar... I think the gateway condo's are as tall as it gets for that area. The downtown master plan calls for taller buildings to be near the CBD.

urbanboy · #**5913** Posted **Jul 10, 2008, 6:50 PM**

I question some of the masterplan's zoning and hight limitations, and wonder if it's just for the aesthetics reasons, like how our skyline should look. While a good skyline is nice to have, it's more important that the city works by having enough density to support it. also there are nice historic and older buildings in the central business district that could be threatened by zoning such as this.

P.S. You're renderings are great future mayor!

SLCforme · #**5914** Posted **Jul 10, 2008, 7:28 PM**

Liberty Gateway by Cowboy partners is already planned for that parcel, it is 5 stories. That's not to say it is absolutely going to happen in it's present proposed form, there could be a change to the design or it could fall through and someone else could pick it up.
And yes, they do have to get conditional use zoning changes to build anything that tall in the Gateway district.

leerjet · #**5915** Posted **Jul 10, 2008, 7:32 PM**

I was walking around on 500 west this morning and came around the corner to the olymic fountain area and had a couple of thoughts and ideas:

The shops on the northwest side of the gateway (chico's, Ann Taylor) have some interesting windows/stucco sections that seem to imitate store fronts on the west sides of the buildings (east side of 500 west). I was wondering if they plan to convert those sections of buildings to be actual entrances and windows later on as 500 west emerges? Or if they will always be kind of the faux, cheesy stucco imitations. It seems like there would be a good opportunity to create a nice relationship with the street for pedestrians.

When I entered the Olymic Fountain Area, I couldn't help but think how lame our stucco clock-tower looks. I was trying to think about what they could have done to make it cooler... I thought of Time Square in NY... What if they put up a couple of pixel screens and cool billboards for local businesses to use for advertising? Just an idea...

leerjet · #**5916** Posted **Jul 10, 2008, 7:49 PM**

oops

leerjet · #**5917** Posted **Jul 10, 2008, 7:50 PM**

Kept getting server errors. Sorry bout the extra posts everyone!

Future Mayor · #**5918** Posted **Jul 10, 2008, 8:39 PM**

As has been stated there are height limitations in the Gateway District, I failed to recal that when I posted my renderings.

While I like that Cowboy partners is planning on developing that site, I wish they would push to the height limit, at least on 500 W, and step it down as they reach 600 W.

I would be satified with 10 story residential along 500 W, while nothing spectacular a nice row of 8-10 story residential buildings lining 500 W from 600 S to N. Temple would still create a really nice blvd. I say 8-10 so that it's not the same height all along. I would imaging that a developer may be able to get a variance on a corner location to allow something along the lines of 15 floors in a few locations.

delts145 · #**5919** Posted **Jul 10, 2008, 8:55 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by leerjet

I was walking around on 500 west this morning and came around the corner to the olymic fountain area and had a couple of thoughts and ideas:

The shops on the northwest side of the gateway (chico's, Ann Taylor) have some interesting windows/stucco sections that seem to imitate store fronts on the west sides of the buildings (east side of 500 west). I was wondering if they plan to convert those sections of buildings to be actual entrances and windows later on as 500 west emerges? Or if they will always be kind of the faux, cheesy stucco imitations. It seems like there would be a good opportunity to create a nice relationship with the street for pedestrians.

When I entered the Olymic Fountain Area, I couldn't help but think how lame our stucco clock-tower looks. I was trying to think about what they could have done to make it cooler... I thought of Time Square in NY... What if they put up a couple of pixel screens and cool billboards for local businesses to use for advertising? Just an idea...

Very much agree with you Leerjet. I think much of Gateway is very nice as far as the scale, and varying design and shapes of the buildings, and of course there's great buildings like the Depot or even Dick's Sporting. However, your suggestions are very much in need of implementation, and I hope that some day in the near future Boyer will go back and do a little bit of a reclad on different areas of the exteriors.

I couldn't agree with you more on the clock tower!! Excellent suggestions.

leerjet · #**5920** Posted **Jul 10, 2008, 9:18 PM**

Thanks delts! It would be nice to have some way to convey these ideas to the Boyer company... anyone have a contact?