Salt Lake City: Official Development News Thread - Part 5

[slckid]

Originally Posted by RC14

If the lawsuits prevented or are preventing a tower from being built, that makes me angry. The deal with the city was shady but the theater is gone now and the best outcome, at this point, is for a tower to be built on that site and built soon.

Nah, man. That's not how democracy works. Texas developers don't just get to come to Salt Lake, destroy our city, corrupt our local government, and get away with it. You should be more angry that Hines, Mendenhall, and the RDA colluded and conspired to steal $20 million dollars of public property for $0. That they violated both Utah and Salt Lake City historic laws. That Mendenhall took donations from the other developer Joel LaSalle while this deal was being negotiated then voted for a $0 write down, giving millions of public property away for nothing. That they fabricated evidence to file a fake stalking injunction against a local citizen to silence them for trying to bring the story to the community. They lied to the public about every single aspect of this deal while discrediting national restoration experts.

The best outcome is to restore truth, transparency, and accountability in our city. To bring corruption to light, and to have a city that works for the community, not an international development company that manages tens of billions of dollars of real estate.

[delts145]

Originally Posted by Blah_Amazing

delts, I think your a little confused. The project your mentioning is at 2100 S and 1350 East, while the Twenty One's is located at 2100 S and 2100 E - about a mile east of there.

Here is the description on the developer's website: "Twenty Ones is in the Salt Lake Country Club Neighborhood comprising of two high-end mixed used buildings. On the north of the site will be the apartment building and on the south along 2100 South with be the retail building with residential above. This project will have 22,000 SF of retail that will host the best of local shops, restaurants and services, as well as 109 units with amazing amenities. The project intends to create a sorely needed community gathering area attracting nearby residents, quality businesses and destination seekers together in a safe, beautiful, architecturally inviting atmosphere for decades."

Sorry about that Blah. That's what happens when I'm trying to keep track of too many projects.

[Blah_Amazing]

Maven Lofts at 156 E 900 S appears to be basically complete and is fully available to lease.

Maven Lofts is five floors and includes "57 one-bedroom affordable apartments, 7 micro-retail spaces, and a restaurant space with rooftop garden available for completion in Summer 2023."

Maven Lofts' official website: https://mavenlofts.com/

[Blah_Amazing]

Originally Posted by delts145

Sorry about that Blah. That's what happens when I'm trying to keep track of too many projects.

No worries.

It actually would be great to get an update on the Sugar House area and 2100 South in general.

1) There is the Izzy North and Izzy South projects on either side of 2100 South between 500 and 600 E.

2) There is also the Sugar Town Apartments along 2100 South between 800 and 900 E that I suspect still hasn't done anything. Anyone know why? Is it cancelled?

3) There is the apartment building under construction at the corner of 900 E and Sugarmont Drive.

4) Also the Alta North (11th East across from Fairmont Park) and Alta South (on the south side of Ashton Ave between the State Liquor Store and that old wooden office building that burned down).

5) Then obviously the Twenty Ones at 2100 South and 2100 East.

6) Also a photo update of our sadly lost Sugar Alley site would be cool (across Highland from Whole Foods).

If I missed anything in the list let us know!

If someone is able to get over to some of these places (hopefully when its not super hot out) that would be amazing!

[Paniolo Man]

Originally Posted by Blah_Amazing

No worries.

It actually would be great to get an update on the Sugar House area and 2100 South in general.

1) There is the Izzy North and Izzy South projects on either side of 2100 South between 500 and 600 E.

2) There is also the Sugar Town Apartments along 2100 South between 800 and 900 E that I suspect still hasn't done anything. Anyone know why? Is it cancelled?

3) There is the apartment building under construction at the corner of 900 E and Sugarmont Drive.

4) Also the Alta North (11th East across from Fairmont Park) and Alta South (on the south side of Ashton Ave between the State Liquor Store and that old wooden office building that burned down).

5) Then obviously the Twenty Ones at 2100 South and 2100 East.

6) Also a photo update of our sadly lost Sugar Alley site would be cool (across Highland from Whole Foods).

If I missed anything in the list let us know!

If someone is able to get over to some of these places (hopefully when its not super hot out) that would be amazing!

I'll see what I can do. Probably this week.

[Orlando]

I may be a little deft, but can someone please confirm if Hines pulled out of the 150S Main Tower?

Also, is Hines still involved with The Sundial tower?

[Atlas]

Originally Posted by Orlando

I may be a little deft, but can someone please confirm if Hines pulled out of the 150S Main Tower?

Also, is Hines still involved with The Sundial tower?

There has been no recent news on either. Presumably, Hines is still involved with both.

[downtownslcresident]

I for one am not thrilled about Michael’s sudden appearance on this forum. I don’t love that he’s already been using it as a propaganda outlet for himself.

I think we can all agree that demolishing the theater before plans were ready to actually move forward was not what any of us wanted to see. But I really hope that y’all don’t embrace this cook and encourage him to continue his ridiculous triad against the city and further preventing development on this site. I wish we could have had both a theater and a tower, but now that the theater is gone, I want to see the empty lot used for a new tower sooner rather than later. I truly hope the city finds a way to prevent Michael from continually holding up development. I don’t believe for one second that he has the means or support to make what he claims he wants to do for the site come to fruition, and he’s as likely as anyone to cause the site to remain an empty lot.

And yes, the middle of an entertainment district is EXACTLY where you build a new high rise residential development. The amount of pedestrian activity it could bring to the neighborhood would result in the surrounding entertainment district to become even more lively and draw even more new businesses to the area. Michael’s comment to the contrary is proof to me that I don’t want him involved in development plans for the lot AT ALL.

[bob rulz]

I think we all would've loved to see a restored (and functional) Pantages Theater, but the fact is that the city tried for years to get somebody willing to put up the money for restoration, and establish a solid plan for its continued use, and no solid plans came forward. And for many years before the city bought it, it sat unused and deteriorating. Many people in the city didn't even know it existed. And even before that, its historic value had already been damaged by careless renovations. I obviously want to see history preserved where possible, but sometimes things just can't be saved. I'm sure I said it here before, but the time to save Pantages was 20 years ago.

[Enemy4thePeople]

I'm glad the theater is gone. It was a tragically underutilized lot. And I think it's perfectly fitting that a pointless fight to preserve a dead building not only still ended in demolition but also its replacement may never happen.

I support historic preservation in principle but preservationists, in my experience, tend to be zealots with misguided priorities. Hopefully they can find comfort in an empty former public safety building and that most important historical structure, the Ensign Floral Building.

[TheGeographer]

Can someone remind me why the theater property was sold for $0. That’s the only part of how everything that went down that seemed off. Nothing in life is free. Wasn’t the deal Hines would include some affordable units in the tower? That hardly seems worth it. I want to move on at this point and develop the property, but I still get hung up on selling the property for $0. I’m clearly missing/forgot something in the deal

[Makid]

The theater was sold to Hines by Biskupski. There is a law that allows a lot that cannot be utilized or developed to be sold to an adjacent property owner.

The cost was set at $0.00 due to Hines agreeing to make 10% of the apartments affordable to those making around 50-70% of the Areas Median Income.

Neither Mendenhall or anyone in the RDA had the authority or ability to block the sale. At worst, if the RDA had stated that part of Hines plan had not met the agreement, the price would have been set to the amount the City purchased the lot from Howa. Had Mendenhall tried to stop the completion of the sale, not only would the City have lost, the city would have been on the hook for between $75million and $150 Million due to potential lost income.

As for the 150 Main apartment tower, it is still planned. The primary equity partner that Hines had for the project walked due to higher interest rates. Hines has been going through the process of getting another equity partner and if everything goes as planned, foundation work should start towards the end of this year or early next year.

Sundial is also still a Hines project. Hines did look at shifting the project from Commercial to Residential. I have heard that Sundial will move forward as Commercial as people are returning to the office. I heard that sometime in 2024 is when the project should start construction.

I have also heard that Hines is looking at additional projects for the City.

Lastly, on the theater, even if demolition could have been halted, pending Historic review. The owner of the property has to agree with the designation. Neither the City when they owned it, nor Hines would have accepted the designation. This means that at best, the theater would have stayed up for maybe 6 months longer than it did.

The lot is too small for a large theater without nearby parking. Neither Hines nor Zions will part with their current parking allotments. This means that patrons would be walking nearly 2 blocks to attend the theater. Without a larger nearby population, the theater would not have had sufficient support. This information is also found in the initial report for the new Eccles theater as part of the process to determine the location.

[Tippy]

Originally Posted by Blah_Amazing

Maven Lofts at 156 E 900 S appears to be basically complete and is fully available to lease.

Maven Lofts is five floors and includes "57 one-bedroom affordable apartments, 7 micro-retail spaces, and a restaurant space with rooftop garden available for completion in Summer 2023."

Maven Lofts' official website: https://mavenlofts.com/

This development looks really great in person. I can see that 2 of the 7 micro retail spaces are already occupied, a cbd store and the heavy metal shop. Maybe the micro retail spaces are the way to go instead of the large retail spaces. The Randi’s has been unleased for how long now?

This area is turning into another pretty cool neighborhood along 9th. There’s Central 9th, 9th and 9th and whatever this area is called, “maven district “?

[TheGeographer]

Thanks Makid. I appreciate all the information on Hines and Main Street tower. This is all very interesting and helps put things in perspective. Good to hear that Sundial is not dead in the water and that there are potential future developments in the pipeline

[Old&New]

Originally Posted by downtownslcresident

I for one am not thrilled about Michael’s sudden appearance on this forum. I don’t love that he’s already been using it as a propaganda outlet for himself.

I think we can all agree that demolishing the theater before plans were ready to actually move forward was not what any of us wanted to see. But I really hope that y’all don’t embrace this cook and encourage him to continue his ridiculous triad against the city and further preventing development on this site. I wish we could have had both a theater and a tower, but now that the theater is gone, I want to see the empty lot used for a new tower sooner rather than later. I truly hope the city finds a way to prevent Michael from continually holding up development. I don’t believe for one second that he has the means or support to make what he claims he wants to do for the site come to fruition, and he’s as likely as anyone to cause the site to remain an empty lot.

And yes, the middle of an entertainment district is EXACTLY where you build a new high rise residential development. The amount of pedestrian activity it could bring to the neighborhood would result in the surrounding entertainment district to become even more lively and draw even more new businesses to the area. Michael’s comment to the contrary is proof to me that I don’t want him involved in development plans for the lot AT ALL.

I don't think it's fair to call his legitimate complaint propaganda.

[Orlando]

Thanks Makid for the clarity regarding Hines.

[Ironweed]

Originally Posted by Blah_Amazing

Maven Lofts at 156 E 900 S appears to be basically complete and is fully available to lease.

Maven Lofts is five floors and includes "57 one-bedroom affordable apartments, 7 micro-retail spaces, and a restaurant space with rooftop garden available for completion in Summer 2023."

Maven Lofts' official website: https://mavenlofts.com/

[CENTER]

From this vantage point three things come to mind:

1.) More projects like Maven are desperately needed in this area.
2.) The area outside of the High Rise district needs a ton of help.
3.) One 800 foot tower (in the center) with two or three 700 ft towers
anchoring, would not look too bad at this point. (IMO only)

[RC14]

Originally Posted by Ironweed

From this vantage point three things come to mind:

1.) More projects like Maven are desperately needed in this area.
2.) The area outside of the High Rise district needs a ton of help.
3.) One 800 foot tower (in the center) with two or three 700 ft towers
anchoring, would not look too bad at this point. (IMO only)

This vantage point suggests that Downton Salt Lake is an island separated from the residential areas of the city. Building more apartments and condos in the surrounding area would make downtown much more vibrant and help support future commercial development.

[Comrade]

Originally Posted by Ironweed

From this vantage point three things come to mind:

1.) More projects like Maven are desperately needed in this area.
2.) The area outside of the High Rise district needs a ton of help.
3.) One 800 foot tower (in the center) with two or three 700 ft towers
anchoring, would not look too bad at this point. (IMO only)

That whole area of Central City is just itching to get redeveloped. I am hoping the new hospital spurs something because it's a blight on the area - and I don't mean the buildings are rundown (they're meh), I just mean it's low-rise ugly with parking everywhere.

It's mostly the dealerships, though, that are hurting that area.

Ken Garff, Mark Miller, Serrano's, Makes and Models - they're around in this area. I wish the city would do something about the dealerships there because they bring very limited value to the area.

[Blah_Amazing]

The Bookbinder apartment building at 426 S 200 W is finished.

The project is now fully leasing and allowing move-ins into it's 115 studio and 1-bedroom micro units.

Rentable.com shows studios (256 sq ft - 345 sq ft) range from $1,015 to $1,225 and 1 bedroom units (375 sq ft to 414 sq ft) range from $1,200 to $1,250 a month.

Bookbinder official website

Photos from a June update from Kier Construction