Salt Lake City: Official Development News Thread - Part 5

[Makid]

Originally Posted by Utah_Dave

Would the Trax line be near this or not really? I assume it’s not convenient to the current Trax station unless they extended it and I wasn’t aware closer to that area.

The idea in the plan is that the Black Line is extended to the Mobility Hub. From there, it would connect to a BRT line that runs along Foothill.

[bob rulz]

That looks like an awesome redevelopment. I'm glad to see the U of U invested in improving the walkability of their campus.

[Hatman]

Howdy all,

Not to interrupt, but I have a new update on my Rio Grande Depot plan! I posted it in the transit thread, so if you'd like to review it and comment, please go there:
https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/sho...20#post8950120

And for those of you who just like pictures, here you are:

[IMG] https://i.imgur.com/FYCGY5C.png [/IMG]

I gotta make this proposal good, so any feedback is welcome.

[Blah_Amazing]

Originally Posted by bob rulz

That looks like an awesome redevelopment. I'm glad to see the U of U invested in improving the walkability of their campus.

They have been working on creating these plans for years, it's too bad they waited until we are in the midst of an economic crisis to release them. The only question is, will the dramatic decline in state and local budgets kill or delay parts of it, as the university may have to divert funds away from projects like this and towards employee pay and covid-19 related preparations with the state potentially having to cut funding in the future?

I hope not. When I was a student, they showed us around the area by the creek and told us about their ideas for the redesign. I think they came up with an amazing vision, but I fear they may have to scale back or delay construction.

[Comrade]

There aren't a lot of older skyline photos of Salt Lake (at least from an area beyond downtown), so, this is a rare view of Salt Lake from what looks like the 1930s or 1940s:

[wrendog]

Deleted

[Rileybo]

Great find, Comrade.

[scottharding]

If you get a chance to listen to this, it's very good and provides a lot of insight into the future of SLC and what the immediate plans of Mayor Mendenhall's teams. About an hour long.

https://www.utahbusiness.com/a-conve...of-the-future/

[ajiuO]

Originally Posted by Always Sunny in SLC

We have had more than a couple of trolls on this forum over the years since I have followed (since the first announcement of City Creek Mall being interior/ 2005?). Don’t be one of them. They are annoying. Put up and shut up.

What are you even talking about. Do you have a beef on Wendell Block or something.

[Orlando]

Originally Posted by scottharding

If you get a chance to listen to this, it's very good and provides a lot of insight into the future of SLC and what the immediate plans of Mayor Mendenhall's teams. About an hour long.

https://www.utahbusiness.com/a-conve...of-the-future/

That was actually really interesting. Thanks for sharing. I liked what the Mayor was saying about alleys. I've actually designed a portion of an alley for an 8-story mixed-use residential building in Seattle. It's within a block of where Pearl Jam used to practice in a sunken area off of the alley. There are a lot of murals & graffiti in the area. There are also a lot of bars, restaurants, music clubs, and PINBALL ARCADES, and dispensaries.

Below, is the design I came up with. Do any of you recognize any of the precedent images I used?




This is the street façade. This was a very funky part of town with funky bars, Pinball Arcades, and very large & funky trees. The design intent was to replicate the similar bars & funky feel.




Fyi, some of you know that I am LDS. So, you might be thinking why is he designing something with all of these bars. My response, I was just trying to design something appropriate for that part of town that the owner would be able to get approved by the city and the local community. And, honestly, I find these funky urban places very interesting, and I will get a pizza, or hot dog, and play pinball arcade, or go to see a band play here any time.

[Wasatch Wasteland]

Originally Posted by Orlando

That was actually really interesting. Thanks for sharing. I liked what the Mayor was saying about alleys. I've actually designed a portion of an alley for an 8-story mixed-use residential building in Seattle. It's within a block of where Pearl Jam used to practice in a sunken area off of the alley. There are a lot of murals & graffiti in the area. There are also a lot of bars, restaurants, music clubs, and PINBALL ARCADES, and dispensaries.

Below, is the design I came up with. Do any of you recognize any of the precedent images I used?




This is the street façade. This was a very funky part of town with funky bars, Pinball Arcades, and very large & funky trees. The design intent was to replicate the similar bars & funky feel.




Fyi, some of you know that I am LDS. So, you might be thinking why is he designing something with all of these bars. My response, I was just trying to design something appropriate for that part of town that the owner would be able to get approved by the city and the local community. And, honestly, I find these funky urban places very interesting, and I will get a pizza, or hot dog, and play pinball arcade, or go to see a band play here any time.

I love the nods to Salt Lake’s Alleys! Cool project. Remind me what firm/type of design firm you work for if you’re willing to disclose?

This may be a bit of a stretch for you all here but currently still out of work after losing a big summer design internship to Covid, if anyone knows of any openings at their respective place of employment I’d love to send you my portfolio haha.

[Blah_Amazing]

Originally Posted by Atlas

Looks to be the first of a few proposals that will fill the block. Some screenshots from the pdfs:

If anyone is interested, check out the 4 part design review document on this project here (click the 'record info' drop down menu and select 'attachments'): https://citizenportal.slcgov.com/Cit...howInspection=

[delts145]

I see where a crane has gone up at the Birdie site.

[Blah_Amazing]

I don't think anyone has posted this BSL article yet: https://www.buildingsaltlake.com/dep...TmfSik-OZzjoQw

Depot district to get another big residential project if planning commission lifts parking maximum


Alta Depot rendering, from 100 South. Courtesy Studio PBA.

The residential explosion in Salt Lake City’s Depot district continues, with a 288-unit market-rate rental project at 100 South and 600 West in the queue for design review at the planning commission.

Alta Depot, by Wood Partners and Studio PBA architects, based in Denver, are petitioning for exceptions to city rules on external materials and parking maximums in the G-MU Gateway-Mixed Use zone.

The Project

At 565 West 100 South, Alta Depot’s four stories will sit on 3.39 acres, currently a vacant lot (just to the north of Casa Milagros at Centro Civico Mexicano) and a large garage.


Alta Depot site, from 100 South (NW). Casa Milagros, under construction, right. Photo by Luke Garrott.

Those 288 units are broken down into 46 “urban 1-bedroom,” 157 1-bdrm, 72 2-bdrm, and 13 3-bdrm market-rate habitations.

The architects have fully wrapped the four levels of parking with residential units, and boast that “almost every residential unit…will have its own private outdoor patio or balcony.”


Site plan for Alta Depot. Courtesy Studio PBA.

As required by the zoning, the project will provide a segment of an east-west midblock walkway, as well as a north-south fire access alley.


Aerial rendering from the east, showing the fire alley and the midblock walkway, which cuts under the building. Courtesy Studio PBA.

The developers are asking for relief from the zone’s requirement that 70% of building exteriors must be “masonry, textured or patterned concrete, and/or cut stone.” The architects want to work with corrugated metal more than the G-MU regulations allow.


Midblock walkway looking west, courtesy Studio PBA.

G-MU zoning also controls how much parking can be provided: .5 stall per unit. The developers are asking to build 385 stalls for the project’s 288 units, a 1.3 stall per unit ratio.

The Zone

Created in the 1990s, the G-MU district was the city’s first attempt to zone for a mixed-use, walkable, urban environment outside the D-1 zone.

The opportunity was provided once the city’s Redevelopment Agency succeeded – over decades – in opening up the railyards in the Gateway district west of Downtown. Planners aspired “to create an urban neighborhood that provides employment and economic development opportunities that are oriented toward the pedestrian with a strong emphasis on a safe and attractive streetscape” (from the purpose statement in the code).

Seemingly reacting against the monolithic, modernist architecture that ruined the pedestrian experience on many Downtown blocks in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s, the G-MU zone requires a 40% glass coverage at the street level. Not surprisingly, given its origin nearly 30 years ago, there are no requirements for ground-floor active use or retail.

Building facades may be greater than 200 feet if not monolithic, “smooth” exteriors, and only one entrance per facade is required.

G-MU requires buildings be at least 45 ft tall with a 75 ft maximum, up to 90 ft if the building is mixed-income.

Just a block south of the Alta Depot site is the heart of the Depot district, adjacent to UTA’s Central Station, where G-MU zoning was recently challenged by developers wanting to build higher. The city council seemed intrigued by the notion of increasing heights outside the D-1 zone, and agreed in principle for the planning department to do a “height study.”

[DMTower]

Originally Posted by Blah_Amazing

I don't think anyone has posted this BSL article yet: https://www.buildingsaltlake.com/dep...TmfSik-OZzjoQw

Oh, hell no. That thing is awful. Please stop approving these shitty, sprawling, block-eating, cheap, shitty, shitty, shitty projects.

[mattreedah]

Originally Posted by Blah_Amazing

I don't think anyone has posted this BSL article yet: https://www.buildingsaltlake.com/dep...TmfSik-OZzjoQw

Maybe I’ll get ratioed but I love this for the area. I’ve worked at the Gateway and this is replacing a place where buses get parked. It’s essentially a vacant lot. There used to be a ton of petty crime and vandalism there. Presumably they’ll continue with burying power lines. This area needs more residents, period, if we want the Gateway to become viable — especially with local flavor. This and multiple other developments within that street (including the West Quarter) will help the Depot/Gateway become an actual neighborhood. Not everything can or should be mixed-use.

[delts145]

^^^Agree with you Mattreedah. The height, material proposals and design is a good fit for that lot. As much as we can determine by the renderings and descriptions, this should be a cool aesthetic vibe for that location. Kudos to the addition of the corrugated metal. I'm sure the city will approve it.

Here's another project coming up for Central 9th that Luke Garrott covered recently. So many projects happening that I'm losing track of even the cool projects like this. Really liking all that's happening in Central 9th. It will be an amazing neighborhood ten years from now.

June 1st - Key corner in Central 9th to see mixed-use condo project replace gas station - Luke Garrott Reports - https://www.buildingsaltlake.com/key...e-gas-station/

The Granary on 9th, a 19-unit condo project, will fill a site long blighted by a now-open, now-closed fuel station. Image courtesy JZW Architects.

.

[DMTower]

Originally Posted by mattreedah

Maybe I’ll get ratioed but I love this for the area. I’ve worked at the Gateway and this is replacing a place where buses get parked. It’s essentially a vacant lot. There used to be a ton of petty crime and vandalism there. Presumably they’ll continue with burying power lines. This area needs more residents, period, if we want the Gateway to become viable — especially with local flavor. This and multiple other developments within that street (including the West Quarter) will help the Depot/Gateway become an actual neighborhood. Not everything can or should be mixed-use.

It's not about it being mixed use. It's that yet another enormous Salt Lake City block will be devoured by a sprawling dead-zone of suburban style apartments. They pay lip service to mid-block connections, yet what they have come up with for access is essentially useless. Sure, you can technically make your way through the block, but it's not inviting, and it's not a place people will want to gather or use for any active use except to get from point A to point B - and that depends on people even realizing the connection is there because it is so narrow and designed as a complete afterthought. SLC will never grow up in city design because leaders are either spineless, or clueless themselves. It gets exhausting seeing cities like Portland so effortlessly implement smart, high quality planning, while SLC struggles to get developments with the most basic of street/mid-block engagement.

[Comrade]

Originally Posted by DMTower

It's not about it being mixed use. It's that yet another enormous Salt Lake City block will be devoured by a sprawling dead-zone of suburban style apartments. They pay lip service to mid-block connections, yet what they have come up with for access is essentially useless. Sure, you can technically make your way through the block, but it's not inviting, and it's not a place people will want to gather or use for any active use except to get from point A to point B - and that depends on people even realizing the connection is there because it is so narrow and designed as a complete afterthought. SLC will never grow up in city design because leaders are either spineless, or clueless themselves. It gets exhausting seeing cities like Portland so effortlessly implement smart, high quality planning, while SLC struggles to get developments with the most basic of street/mid-block engagement.

Right. I'd also wager the fact it's so narrow, with minimal actual activity, that people will avoid it for safety concerns. It feels all so fake and unfortunately, that's how a great deal of these newer developments look - something straight out of a backlot on a movie set. There's no urban engagement here and unfortunately, this little area is prime just for that. Or at least a neighborhood that could turn into a pretty decent entertainment district.

But because this block is going to be absorbed by a massively large residential complex with minimal overall neighborhood engagement, you just essentially nixed that potential by creating a significant dead zone 500 West to 600 West.

Sooner or later, we've got to start asking ourselves where the true mixed-use development comes into play. Especially in these neighborhoods that are ripe for that type of development. Just a block south, you've got those cluster of buildings with TRAX that you can feed off of to spur neighborhood activity.

But you're never going to get neighborhood activity with these types of apartments dominating every single block.

They're trying to create an actual Depot District? Well this isn't how you do it.

Want a good example of a Depot District? Look at Denver's Union Station neighborhood. It absolutely has apartment and condo complexes but it has done a great job mixing in the type of entertainment options that will actually drive activity to the area.

Then again, maybe Salt Lake just isn't the type of city that can support multiple nightlife centers. So, we're essentially building denser suburbs around the only active spot in the city: downtown.

[StevenF]

Originally Posted by delts145

I see where a crane has gone up at the Birdie site.

Friday afternoon driving to northern Utah I saw a semi pulling a trailer with a white tower cranes lower section heading south. Not sure if that is the same crane or not but was wondering if it was heading into Salt Lake City for delivery or heading farther south.