Salt Lake:Official development news thread - Part 2

[Future Mayor]

I've been to a Texas Roadhouse once, maybe twice. It's a decent national chain averaged price steak house, along the same level of restaurant, I think LoneStar Steakhouse has better food. IMHO

[WeST]

Originally Posted by arkhitektor

I'm just being sarcastic, so don't take this personally, but try telling that to the Salt Lake City of 1907:

The city has actually reclaimed most of its former density as "open space," generally in the form of parking lots.

That is a great picture! So it only took about 100 years to reclaim the open space! The point is, once it is gone it is gone for our lifetimes. Sure future generations can reclaim it once those structures crumble, but we won't see it happen.

[arkhitektor]

As a whole, America is terrible about keeping most buildings around longer than 30 years. I'm only 26 but could still come up with a sizable list of buildings that have been built and demolished within my lifetime.

[scottharding]

We're calling parking lots "open space" now? The densification of Salt Lake does not have to come at the expense of places like Library square anytime in the forseeable future. Not while we've got rotting buildings and seas of parking lots. I hope you guys are right when you say that Mayor Becker is just making a political move and intends to respond to the voice of the public, because Library square is not the place for the new Police facility.

[Comrade]

Originally Posted by scottharding

We're calling parking lots "open space" now? The densification of Salt Lake does not have to come at the expense of places like Library square anytime in the forseeable future. Not while we've got rotting buildings and seas of parking lots. I hope you guys are right when you say that Mayor Becker is just making a political move and intends to respond to the voice of the public, because Library square is not the place for the new Police facility.

I think he was joking.

[cololi]

Originally Posted by Future Mayor

I mentioned this on the Classic thread, but does anyone know what type of restaurant is going in on State and Exchange Place? One of those old "Magazine" stores is being converted to a restaurant. Nice to see a better use on that corner.

Also wondering when the two new places on Main or opening. I was downtown this weekend but didn't get a chance to walk over to Main. There is the new Bay Leaf Cafe (or some leaf name) as well as the place in the Daynes building, I know the name but not sure if it's public record yet.

The himalayan kitchen is moving from it's current location to the old magazine store. Bay Leaf has see no action for months. The daynes building has seen slow progress, but at least it is progress.

[Comrade]

As for Salt Lake City having more open space than needed, I do disagree with that point. Compared to most cities our size, we don't. In fact, we're pretty pitiful in that department. I mean, our largest park downtown is Pioneer Park, which isn't all that nice and all that big.

Open space isn't a bad thing if it's done right. Unfortunately, Salt Lake hasn't done it right and adding a police station to Library Square would once again prove to be an unfortunate use of open space.

I mean, just look at the Gallivan Center, which was supposed to be Salt Lake's Living Room and it's not. I look at it more as Salt Lake's Holiday Dining Room -- only used for occasional events. Much of that has to do with the fact it doesn't interact well with its space at all. And it's not hard to see why.

You've got a central area hidden away from most pedestrian traffic. It sits there blocked on the west by the Wells Fargo Center, One Utah Center, on the south by a large parking structure and to the east by that Marriott Hotel. The only real opening is on the north and it's a poor opening because it isn't a pedestrian area. It hasn't been in years.

Not that I'm too concerned because we got two awesome buildings on that site, but it still shows we lack a real public square. The Gallivan Center was supposed to be that and I think, at least in that regard, it has failed. I still like the area, but it is very flawed.

I don't want to do the same to Library Square. Not when we can build the police station, without problem, on another location.

This is the ultimate issue here, guys. We're not talking about a building that must be built at Library Square. No, if it isn't built there, it'll be built somewhere else regardless. So I don't see why it's so important to have it there and not located on a spot that won't detract from one of the few open spaces we have left downtown that isn't a parking lot (there you go, arkhitektor).

[arkhitektor]

I can agree with that, especially your point about the public spaces in the city center being underutilized. It'd be nice if there were a public space downtown that was as well planned and used as Liberty Park. Temple Square and its environs are actually pretty nice open space (and probably the most used of DT's open areas), but I realize that the LDS Church's presence there makes it different from other such spaces downtown and that not everyone is going to feel comfortable using it.
I'm sure that there are examples, but I can't think of any comparably-sized downtown that isn't adjacent to a large river or body of water or natural feature of some kind that lends itself to the creation of a park. I wonder how the city would have developed if downtown Salt Lake to have been established next to the Jordan River instead of City Creek and had a greenbelt park (like Boise's) in the city center. Maybe we can find a way to better orient downtown life to the nearby canyons and the natural open space that's already there.

I honestly have no idea why the mayor proposed that the new public safety building be built adjacent to the library. I thought the idea after the last bond's defeat would have been to scale things back and try again. Instead, the new proposal seems more expensive, complicated and controversial than the last.

Maybe we're playing right along with Becker's plan by having this conversation, because, as was stated previously, this has certainly got more people involved in and talking about the process than were when the bond failed in 2007.

[Future Mayor]

Actually this bond is substantially less. The first public safety bond was around $180 million, this one is around $125

[arkhitektor]

Has the scope of the proposal been scaled back? It seems that a mid-rise downtown would be considerably more costly than the 2-story building that was originally proposed outside of the city center back in 2007.

[Stenar]

Originally Posted by arkhitektor

Has the scope of the proposal been scaled back? It seems that a mid-rise downtown would be considerably more costly than the 2-story building that was originally proposed outside of the city center back in 2007.

The 2007 $192 million bond would have paid for five new public safety buildings at three locations.

About $100 million of that bond would have gone to replace the 50-year-old building at 315 E. 200 South.

The new proposal is for $125 million, so the price tag has actually gone up slightly for the main facility.

[jtrent77]

I think someone just needs to propose some ideas for how to use the library space as open space and people will start using it more.

For example: Set up a farmer's market on Saturdays in the summer or show outdoor classic movies on the grass in the evenings. It seems to me like it would be a pretty good venue for both of these. Of course it all comes down to money but in theory charging a small fee to stand owners and you might come out even on a farmers market--just a thought.

[MetroFanatic]

Originally Posted by jtrent77

I think someone just needs to propose some ideas for how to use the library space as open space and people will start using it more.

Prevent the homeless from gathering there, as they are starting to do right now.

If I had my way, the Borg cube and the new Police HQ would be built on the parking lot north of Little America.

[shae marks]

This thread is the second installment of the "Salt Lake:Official development news thread"

The original thread's last page can be accessed at the following link:

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...15696&page=503

The Unofficial Downtown Salt Lake City Project Rundown List

Disclaimer: Information contained in this Project Rundown List could change at any time, and should not be used for anything other than this forums discussions, and information purposes.

A redevelopment of two & 1/2 blocks or 25 acres of downtown SLC with a mixed use development. Currently under construction. It will be built in phases. Phase 1 includes everything shown in the rendering below. The initial(first) phase will include 750 residential units, and is set to open in 2011. More development will follow upon the completion of phase 1. Future phases of the development from what we have seen may include a 40 story tower on the corner of 100 south and state street on the social hall block. And a 30-35 story office tower on Main Street and 100 South.

[TANGELD_SLC]

Yes, we know this and it was already reposted on the first page

[Orlando]

WHAT KIND OF POST WAS THAT THAT JUST DROPPED IN OUT OF NOWHERE?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Shae Marks, Welcome to the forum. Please check out the first page of this thread. You will see that you are not starting a new thread. It was already started, and all of that information about ongoing projects in SLC, such as the City Creek Center, has already been posted. Thanks anyways. There is already a separate thread for the City Creek Center. Check it out.

[delts145]

Redesigning Ruth's Diner

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705307930/Redesigning-Ruths-Diner.html

...Nelson, who had been an employee at Ruth's for 12 years before buying the restaurant with his wife two years ago, said that when planning the renovations, they were careful not to remove the charm that had made the establishment so endearing to patrons since it opened in 1949.


"We put a lot of effort into the design … not to take that old character away," he said. "We think we've succeeded and 95 percent of our customers feel that way also."

Some of the changes to the place include booths replacing familiar tables and a bar added in the dining room, he said...

...Ruth's Diner isn't the only building in the area getting a makeover. Next door, completion of the $1.2 million renovation of the Canyon House commercial property is still a few months away, according to project spokesman Brent Mahaffey, who also helped oversee the Ruth's Diner remodel.

When completed in the fall, the building will house an architectural design firm, a restaurant purchasing company, a catering company and a culinary school that will teach cooking classes taught by local and national chefs, he said.

When completed, the project will provide an attractive, distinctive environment that is unlike any other in the area, Mahaffey said...

.

[arkhitektor]

While we're discussing parks and open space, here are a few cell phone pics from today's lunchtime walk at Liberty Park:

[scottharding]

I love Liberty park, but a stroll through it will reveal to anyone that it has seen better days. I hope that as the current national trend of returning to the cities continues, Liberty park will see a return to its former glory. My grandpa tells me that he used to go down to Liberty Park on Saturdays (or whatever day, I don't recall) and there would be a big brass band playing, and people would come out in droves, and ride the farris wheel and the paddle boats, and visit the aviary, and all that. It just sounds so cool. Course, that was back in the days we look at on the Classic SLC thread, when the city bustling with activity because everyone lived where they worked.

[East2Westback]

Originally Posted by Smuttynose1

I can't begin to understand the logic behind the government forbidding restaurants and pubs from opening for business. I would think, that particularly in difficult economic times, the state would be encouraging restaurants to open up shop. Surely, the legislature has got to be open to reexamining this.

That is retarded! What I am saying has nothing to do with a person's preference to drink or to avoid alcohol. It has to do with a restaurant or bar to offer the choice. If a person does not drink then they do not HAVE to drink.

It is a matter of restaurants and or bars having the chance to compete on a fair and level playing field. No one is going to put up a sign that says "Hey alcohol lovers come on in because we can get you plastered?"

I have to say and this is just speaking from an NYC point of view is that no restaurant or bar, that I know of, advocates drinking until you are drunk or drinking because you can without limits.

It is something that is a choice. Moderation or abstinence. After that it is an individual's own personal problem. Restaurants with bars or bars in particular
should have an even playing field BUTthey should have the responsibility of controlling the overzealous.