Quote:
Originally Posted by Orlando
I hope the new IHC downtown campus will have street level retail or at least some. That area was prime for mixed-use development that really had the potential to activate that area. I just don't want what Grand America has going on State Street. It's a decorative blank wall facade with no incentive to connect pedestrian activity.
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Agreed, this is one reason why it feels like downtown "ends" at 400 S right now and why I think "Midtown" could become a thing relatively soon.
Think about it: when you're walking south on Main or State and you reach 400 S, in front of you is no less than 2 massive SLC blocks (660 ft) and three wide roads (400 S, 500 S, 600 S; each 132 ft wide) before there is
anything pedestrian-oriented. That's nearly 1/3 of a mile of Grand/Little America, Matheson Courthouse, car dealerships, and highway crossings. Once you cross 600 S, "downtown" resumes with some local businesses and apartments. With all of the projects going on between 600 S and 900 S, between State and West Temple, I think it needs its own identity.
The Sundial Tower, 465 Main, and eventual development of Block 40 will start to bridge the gap on Main but right now the gap is definitely there.