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Originally Posted by Comrade
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.
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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.
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On Union Station, it is one of the best examples of TOD over the last few years. But it is right on Larimer St, super central CBD in Denver. I think we should for sure link the Rio Grande Depot with a mixed use type redevelopment scheme and tie it into transit, something they SHOULD HAVE DONE WITH THE ORIGINAL GATEWAY. This project, while ugly, is in a good spot to cram residences. There are better locations for mixed use etc within a block of this. I hate this design as much as the next guy but it's really important for all of this infill to be gobbled up. The problem in Gateway/Depot district was all of the land banking and demolition the RDA did 20 years ago. They should just sell their parcels and weigh the design components of the buyers in the bid process. That's what I negotiated with them on the Infinite Scale project (I only brokered it, Atlas did the design, which turned out AWESOME), but it was a bit of a landmark. It proved the RDA can disposes of their property and make it be cool as a result. They should apply this to all of their landbanked parcels, which is a significant chunk of infill in west downtown. Seems like we get a new Urban Design consult every three years and then nothing happens.