Salt Lake City: Official Development News Thread - Part 5

[Atlas]

I have to disagree with the comparison to Boise: downtown SLC feels way, way bigger in scale than downtown Boise (because it is). Of course, bigger doesn't necessarily mean better and I think Boise has a lot going for it.

I do agree that the general vibrancy/walkability in SLC falls off pretty quickly once you move away from Main Street, particularly to the southwest. The urban connectivity is recovering, albeit slowly.

Which reminds me, and I can't remember if it's been mentioned here or not: the BRIX project is fully under construction now.

[DCRes]

Taken from Harmon's

[IMG] by , on Flickr[/IMG]

From the stage at Gallivan

[IMG] by , on Flickr[/IMG]

[Ironweed]

Originally Posted by Comrade

I do think the wide streets and large blocks make it more challenging to feel urban. But I also think, as I said in my post, that the rapid deurbanization of Salt Lake once you're off Main Street and State Street plays a significant role in it.

It just doesn't feel like an actual major downtown outside State and Main.

I agree with Clown-Comrade.

Even with Astra being the new tallest, the COB still looks as tall. Our skyline has certainly improved, but it is flat as a pancake. We need two or three tall skyscrapers to break up the flat line. 600'+ feet minimum IMO. SLC's entire skyline could be placed in a small corner in Chicago. It is quite small. (I'm not saying SLC needs to be a Chicago either.)

[Blah_Amazing]

Idk if these have been posted here or not, but here are some renderings for The Silos project from two recent articles BSL and the SLTrib

The project was approved by the Planning Commission.

[rockies]

There is a recent video somewhere about the kennecott smelter stack being 1215ft tall which is crazy to me. It is taller than the stratosphere in Vegas. It really doesn't look that big to me when I've driven past it but here is a picture of what it would look like had it been built downtown

[airhero]

Originally Posted by Blah_Amazing

Idk if these have been posted here or not, but here are some renderings for The Silos project from two recent articles BSL and the SLTrib

The project was approved by the Planning Commission.

The silos looks way cool. That will be a great neighborhood node with post district.

[TheGeographer]

I agree with Comrade. The wide streets take away from the urban feeling in and around downtown. We’ve had this debate before on if wide streets vs narrow make things feel “more urban”. For me the wide streets make it feel less urban. That’s just me though, I’m open to others not feeling the wide streets are a detriment to the urban experience. Higher density and narrower streets is just what I’ve been conditioned to think/feel is urban based on experiences in others downtowns. The new Silos project is pretty sweet. That’s what I like about the Post, Silos, West Quarters, Regent Street, Edison street. They are breaking up the giant blocks, densifying and adding in side streets that to me feel more urban. If these projects continue and some parking lots get eaten up then SLC downtown for me personally will feel more and more urban.

[Comrade]

Ryan Smith when asked if he would build an arena out in Bluffdale:

"The good news, in Utah, I think there’s a lot of optionality. Our fan base is growing everywhere. So I think we try to focus on getting the franchise first & then it’s figuring out what the best options are."

I'm guessing it's pretty much a lock the Jazz and new NHL team relocate south. If it happens, the Delta Center will become obsolete, even as a concert venue, as I'm sure the other venue will start getting a bulk, if not all, the shows.

Ignoring the impact of losing the Jazz to the suburbs, Salt Lake would now be the only major-ish city center without a significant entertainment and concert venue (not counting the theaters) in the west.

Pretty disappointing.

[delts145]

Originally Posted by Atlas

I have to disagree with the comparison to Boise: downtown SLC feels way, way bigger in scale than downtown Boise (because it is). Of course, bigger doesn't necessarily mean better and I think Boise has a lot going for it.

I do agree that the general vibrancy/walkability in SLC falls off pretty quickly once you move away from Main Street, particularly to the southwest. The urban connectivity is recovering, albeit slowly.

Which reminds me, and I can't remember if it's been mentioned here or not: the BRIX project is fully under construction now.

BRIX

I'm glad you mentioned the BRIX. I had wondered if the current state of the economy had squashed that project for the time being.

AJC Architects

Originally Posted by taboubak

April 14 - Just drove by the Brix site. They have broken ground.

Originally Posted by Blah_Amazing

Address: 241 West 400 South

The Basics: 11 floors, 115 ft tall, 144 residential units, 126 parking stalls, and a mid-block pedestrian access along the west side of the project.

Project Vision (from developer):


UNIT MIX - 144 Total Units
Offering a variety of unit types and sizes is a driving priority in the project matrix / proforma to create diversity of tenants. We have found these are the unit types everyone is looking for:
- (59) Studios Apartments - 500 - 600 s.f. ea
- (50) 1-Bedroom Apartments - 700 - 800 s.f. ea
- (26) 2 Bedroom Apartments - 1,000 - 1,250 s.f. ea
- (9) Loft / Suite Apartments - 1,300 - 1,800 s.f. ea

Renderings:




















Proposed Building Materials, Project Context, Project Site, and Site Plan:

Proposed Building Materials


Project Site


Site Plan

Floor Plans:

Project Elevations

North Elevation


North Elevation Building Materials


South Elevation


South Elevation Building Materials


East Elevation


East Elevation Building Materials


West Elevation


West Elevation Building Materials

.

[bob rulz]

I agree that the wide streets hurt the urban feel of downtown. 200 South is a wonderful street, but it still feels too wide to be truly urban. I'm hoping that once the current reconstruction is done, that will help the feel. I'm also optimistic about the green loop on 200 East. The temporary green space experiment seems to have been a big success.

I also agree with Comrade that the urban feel drops off damatically outside of State and Main (and even the highway-like feel of State really hurts). The vast parking lots on the west side, the barrier that is the Salt Palace, and the primarily residential character to the east keep it constrained, outside of a few pockets. But we have made significant strides, even since I "came of age" in the late 00s/early 10s.

On another note, the Post District and Silo project together is going to be incredible when it's all built out. I also think the West Quarter is going to help a lot. I hope the next phase of the West Quarter is still on track.

[Comrade]

What's funny is that technically, downtown ends at State Street. Everything east of it is basically considered Central City. That means, the Worthington or whatever is actually being built outside downtown.

Downtown has always been far more vast to the west/southwest than the east, where it hits the old Central neighborhood. For that, I am grateful to see a continued development push but I'm over here wondering when the height is going to hit.

[Atlas]

As requested, here is the Citizen project on 5th South yesterday:



I also got shots of the Slate (9th South) and Sloane (8th South) projects:

[delts145]

Thanks Atlas for those updates. I was anxious to see how far along the Citizen had progressed.

[Dallas Snob]

Originally Posted by Comrade

What's funny is that technically, downtown ends at State Street. Everything east of it is basically considered Central City. That means, the Worthington or whatever is actually being built outside downtown.

Downtown has always been far more vast to the west/southwest than the east, where it hits the old Central neighborhood. For that, I am grateful to see a continued development push but I'm over here wondering when the height is going to hit.

What are the different districts in SLC? In Dallas, i believe there were 7 distinct districts/neighborhoods. But is there a defined "Midtown" area? Where does "Downtown" actually end? Is there a map that outlines the different areas within Salt Lake City limits?

[freeshavocado]

Originally Posted by Dallas Snob

What are the different districts in SLC? In Dallas, i believe there were 7 distinct districts/neighborhoods. But is there a defined "Midtown" area? Where does "Downtown" actually end? Is there a map that outlines the different areas within Salt Lake City limits?

If you look at the city at the correct zoom in Google Maps, you can see the neighborhoods labeled. Rose Park, Fair Park, Capitol Hill, Avenues, East Central, Downtown, YaleCrest, Liberty Wells, Ballpark, etc. If you select the neighborhood name, it then shows the neighborhood border.

[locolife]

Originally Posted by Comrade

Ryan Smith when asked if he would build an arena out in Bluffdale:

"The good news, in Utah, I think there’s a lot of optionality. Our fan base is growing everywhere. So I think we try to focus on getting the franchise first & then it’s figuring out what the best options are."

I'm guessing it's pretty much a lock the Jazz and new NHL team relocate south. If it happens, the Delta Center will become obsolete, even as a concert venue, as I'm sure the other venue will start getting a bulk, if not all, the shows.

Ignoring the impact of losing the Jazz to the suburbs, Salt Lake would now be the only major-ish city center without a significant entertainment and concert venue (not counting the theaters) in the west.

Pretty disappointing.

Oh man, that would suck so bad for the momentum of downtown.

[Dallas Snob]

I wasnt very clear. Does SLC have an area called "Midtown"?

[Comrade]

Originally Posted by Dallas Snob

I wasnt very clear. Does SLC have an area called "Midtown"?

Salt Lake does not have a midtown.

Here is the official neighborhood boundaries:



Each neighborhood has sub-neighborhoods as well, which are limited specific areas - like how Marmalade Hill is a sub-neighborhood in the Capitol Hill neighborhood.

Downtown is bordered by South Temple to the north, State Street to the east, 700 South to the south and I-15 to the west.

[Atlas]

Originally Posted by Dallas Snob

I wasnt very clear. Does SLC have an area called "Midtown"?

Yes and no. There is not an officially recognized neighborhood but there's a community organization that was started by some local businesses in the 600S-1700S Main/State area.

I think there's a decent case for it being a different area from Downtown and Ballpark if we consider it as being the area between 600S and 900S, 200W and 200E. This area has long been dominated by car dealerships and the like and has only recently had a significant amount of residential development and the new TRAX stop, the 650 Main development, the new IHC hospital, and more on the way.

[bob rulz]

That map shows community council boundaries, which is only 1 way to define boundaries.

For example, the Downtown Alliance covers the area between about 500W (though it goes to 600W to cover central station) and 450 E, from North Temple to 400 South, which I think is a bit more reasonable, and likely closer to what most people would consider downtown.