Salt Lake MSA Development Thread

[Orlando]

If you ever drive on I-215 around that corner, you will know what they are talking about when they say,"it will block the view of the mountains". Ten or more years ago, when they built the first 4-story building there right against I-215, I hated it! because of all the places to build, they built right up along the bluff against I-215. It really blocked the views of mountains from I-215. That corner along I-215 has some of the best views of the mountains in the valley. The best office built in that area is the one at the SE corner of 215 and 6200 s. That office is low and seems to step up with the slope of the terrain. Whereas the first office buildings built over on the south side of i-215, near that intersection, were all boxy and intrusive. It's because 215 in that area is depressed by about 30' from the surrounding neighborhoods, and when you put a boxy 50' tall by 150' long office building on top of the bluff immediately next to 215, you get a very boring, grey office building up into your face instead of incredibly majestic mountain peaks.

Please, no 12 story buildings, there. Put, them in dt slc, where they need them!

[SLC Projects]

Originally Posted by Orlando

If you ever drive on I-215 around that corner, you will know what they are talking about when they say,"it will block the view of the mountains". Ten or more years ago, when they built the first 4-story building there right against I-215, I hated it! because of all the places to build, they built right up along the bluff against I-215. It really blocked the views of mountains from I-215. That corner along I-215 has some of the best views of the mountains in the valley. The best office built in that area is the one at the SE corner of 215 and 6200 s. That office is low and seems to step up with the slope of the terrain. Whereas the first office buildings built over on the south side of i-215, near that intersection, were all boxy and intrusive. It's because 215 in that area is depressed by about 30' from the surrounding neighborhoods, and when you put a boxy 50' tall by 150' long office building on top of the bluff immediately next to 215, you get a very boring, grey office building up into your face instead of incredibly majestic mountain peaks.

It blocks the views? How does a 4-story building block the views of mountains that have the elevation of over 9,000 feet? The the peak looms alone is about 4,800 feet above the valley floor. Kind of hard to miss. I doubt 6-stories is going to hind the mountains unless you are standing right in front of the building itself. By driving around that corner ( It being right up agents the mountains ) there's no way you can't see them. I doubt anybody driving around that corner asks..."Where did the mountains go?...They were here just a second ago. All I see now are a few 6-stories buildings."
If people are going to have that kind of attitude then we might as well only build 2-3 story buildings everywhere including downtown SLC. And what about downtown SLC? Having all those tall buildings there blocks views of mountains there more then anywhere else in the valley. But you say only build tall buildings there.

[Orlando]

Try driving east on I-215 towards Knuden's corner, and you will know exactly what I am talking about. It's not just 4 stories. It's 4 stories plus at least a 30 to 40' deep hill. So, it doesn't matter that the mountain peaks are thousands of feet higher if the angle of view is cut off. I drove by this everyday when I lived there. So, I know. Dont' believe me? Check this out:

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie...,,0,-1.57&pw=2

This view below demonstrates two things: one, a good designed building (the first one on the left) and two, how the 12-story building WOULD block the view of the mountains.
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie...1,,0,2.87&pw=2

C'mon, Projects, take a drive over there and tell me what you think after you've driven over there. You can't tell me it won't block the view after seing this photo and then driving over there along the freeway.

[wrendog]

Originally Posted by Orlando

Try driving east on I-215 towards Knuden's corner, and you will know exactly what I am talking about. It's not just 4 stories. It's 4 stories plus at least a 30 to 40' deep hill. So, it doesn't matter that the mountain peaks are thousands of feet higher if the angle of view is cut off. I drove by this everyday when I lived there. So, I know.

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie...,,0,-1.57&pw=2

I'm with projects here... I've driven that corner a thousand times. The buildings "block" the view for maybe a few seconds. I don't see any big deal at all.

[goldcntry]

I drive through there every day taking my kids to Cottonwood and continuing up to the U... It's really not a lasting detraction from the "view."

[Orlando]

They block views at critical view points. And sometimes that's all you get for the best view of the mountains along there. Check out my edited post above again. It's a whole wall of buildings that block a good stretch of mountains. I was so ticked off when the first box building was built. It was just so stupid to me that of all the land they had to develop from they chose a spot that blocked the view of the mountain.

[Orlando]

Originally Posted by goldcntry

I drive through there every day taking my kids to Cottonwood and continuing up to the U... It's really not a lasting detraction from the "view."

Well, you wouldn't know the difference unless you drove that section before all those boxy buildings on the side were built. That 12 story building will most definitely block the view.

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie...7,,0,8.41&pw=2

[goldcntry]

Originally Posted by Orlando

Well, you wouldn't know the difference unless you drove that section before all those boxy buildings on the side were built. That 12 story building will most definitely block the view.

Actually, I do remember it before the boxy buildings went up. My grandmother's old house (where I spent my summers growing up) is just off of 2300 E and Fort Union...

[scottharding]

If you're driving on I-215, the view doesn't matter. You should be watching the road. Just saying, if the view from the highway is your concern, something's out of place.

[SLCdude]

I believe that having tall buildings there benefits Cottonwood Heights, however, it doesn't seem like a good idea for the valley as a whole. This is why I'm not a big fan of having so many cities in the county, because the cities will make decisions that will benefit themselves regardless of whether or not it harms or benefits the surrounding cities.

[Orlando]

Originally Posted by goldcntry

Actually, I do remember it before the boxy buildings went up. My grandmother's old house (where I spent my summers growing up) is just off of 2300 E and Fort Union...

Ok, wel, l as a kid you might not have payed attention to those kinds of things. And you probably didn't notice as much, because you didn't drive. and didn't drive by that every day like I did. I'm just sayin..

I commuted on i-215 eastbound every day! when that building went up and it was an eyesore! and blocked the view of the mountain and I hated the architects and developers for it.

[cololi]

If you are going to block a view of a natural feature, than the object you are blocking it with must be better to look at than the view that was there. I tend to agree with Orlando on this. IT is pretty hard, almost impossible in my mind, to have a man made object that is better to look at than a natural feature. The impressiveness of the mountains is diminished by the buildings, even without the buildings blocking the entire view. It is the local context that is important. Sure, I can see the top half of the mountains, except for where the road is 30-40 feet below the grade of adjacent development. But the mountains are so much more than just their peaks.

I am sick of people thinking that 4 story buildings contributes to sprawl. Inappropriately located and poor site design of 4 story buildings lead to sprawl. You can have a very vibrant, dense, walkable, economically thriving area with 4 story buildings. But the second you surround 4 story buildings with 1000 parking stalls, you become sprawl.

[SLCdude]

Originally Posted by cololi

...But the second you surround 4 story buildings with 1000 parking stalls, you become sprawl.

Well said!

[delts145]

Utah data center for Twitter may open in early fall

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/money/5...-data.html.csp

A new computer center in Utah that will run operations for Twitter’s highly popular and explosively growing social network may be opening as soon as September...


Twitter data center coming to Draper Twitter plans to build a data center along Pony Express Road, which parallels Interstate 15 near the Draper-Bluffdale boundary.

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[SLC Projects]

Not going to be much of a project since they are moving into an abandoned building there. Still overall good news for the area.

[TonyAnderson]

Yeah, they're talking about a 9million dollar data center. The Oracle one being built in Utah, or which just got built, is priced at $285million.

[delts145]

The Canyons in Park City to expand terrain, add heated lift seats, snow machine

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/7...w-machine.html


Artist's rendering of the new center of the Village where the new gondola will be based as part of upgrades at The Canyons Resort in Park City. (The Canyons Resort)


...The "bubble" chair lifts were purchased from Austria and will be the only ones of their kind in the U.S., said Mike Goar, the resort's managing director.

"That heated chair — it changes your whole outlook on a cold day," Goar said.

The resort also plans to change its name to "Canyons," leaving off "The" and "Resort." It will rebrand itself, starting with an ad campaign that asks, "How do you mountain?"

...Beyond the new-age bubble chairs, Canyons and its owner, Talisker, have purchased a snow-making machine and a 20 million-gallon reservoir, plus a lift to Iron Mountain that opens 300 acres of new terrain. If everything goes as planned, that would put the resort at about 4,000 skiable acres, with a total 176 trails.

That terrain, especially in high elevations, will allow an increase by about 50 percent in the number of skiers who get to the top, due to the lift featuring the orange bubble seats. The new lift replaces the Golden Eagle...


Mike Goar announces changes at The Canyons while Paul Boardman takes shelter under a new bubble enclosed quad lift chair, which offers comforts such as heated seats. Tom Smart, Deseret News


Gondola cars for a new gondola lift sit on a trailer at Park City ski resort, which is being renamed to just Canyons... (Handout, Handout)

Utah’s Canyons resort unwraps multimillion-dollar upgrades

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/money/5...ndola.html.csp

The biggest upgrade of The Canyons in at least 14 years is steaming toward completion in time for the official start of the resort’s ski season on the day after Thanksgiving.

Several projects are under way that will add more trails and lifts, relocate the gondola and double The Canyons’ snow-making capacity, resort executives said Thursday...

...The price tag is unclear. Burnette said he didn’t have a firm figure, but he acknowledged that Canyons owner Talisker Corp., which bought the resort in 2007, is spending “tens of millions” of dollars.



Details of the project:

• To speed customers onto the mountain, the base terminal of the eight-passenger Flight of the Canyons gondola is being moved closer to the uphill terminus of the cabriolet “people mover” lift. That lift starts at the parking lot at the bottom of Canyons Resort Drive. Instead of walking 150 yards between the cabriolet and the gondola, customers will now need to walk only a few feet.

• The Golden Eagle chair lift serving Lookout Peak is being torn out. An as yet unnamed high-speed quad lift will replace the slower two-seat Golden Eagle. The new quad will start from the old gondola base terminus.

Bennette said the new quad will increase capacity to the top of Lookout Peak by 47 percent. It will continue on to a termination point south of Sunpeak Lift. Travel time will be nine minutes.

Right now, the new quad is being called the “orange-bubble chair.” Bennette said skiers will sit on heated seats inside see-through orange bubbles that evoke the feeling of being inside a pair of ski goggles.

• Ten runs ranging from intermediate to advanced-intermediate are being carved on the northwest face of Iron Mountain.

• A 4,000-foot high-speed quad lift will carry skiers and boarders to the top of Iron Mountain.

• The resort is building a reservoir on the mountain above Lookout Peak and Sunpeak that can hold more than 18 million gallons of water, Elizabeth Dowd, Canyons spokeswoman, said.

The water will be used to double the resort’s snow-making potential. The extra capacity will allow customers to ski all the way to the foot of the mountain on the first days of the season, when natural snow is insufficient to cover the runs from top to bottom, instead of riding the gondola to the base.

• A public area called the Ski Beach will be located between the base of the new gondola and the new quad lifting skiers to Lookout Peak.

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[delts145]

The Montage ~ Another 5 star hotel taking shape in the Metro

http://www.flickr.com/photos/slc_jm/4852206772/


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[John Martin]

I drove by there about a month ago on my way to Guardsman's Pass. The location is stunning, it blew me away. I have trouble keeping track of all the Deer Valley resorts but this one is the best that I've seen. It is surrounded by so many trees, it just makes the St. Regis look bleak and ugly (though, I'll admit, I haven't been up to the main lodge of the St. Regis, maybe it's more attractive up there). If I had a condo/unit there, I'd spend more time there in the summer than in ski season. It's really pretty.

[delts145]

^^^
The St. Regis itself is unbelieveably luxurious, the surrounding acreage is still under development though, and will be experiencing a great deal of planting/landscaping and tweaking over the next few years. The Montage is definetely a stunner, and will contribute a great deal in keeping Deer Valley the #1 top rated resort by SKI.
Another very exciting, ongoing process is what is happening at the 'Canyons Resort'. I am soooo glad that Talisker won out over Vail development. Talisker to the Utah ski industry is kind of like Rio Tinto to Utah's mining. Talisker has immense clout, VERY deep pockets and the will to do things right. There is no doubt that the Canyons Resort will ultimately emerge as the largest single resort in the U.S., and one of the continents most formiddable competitors in luring in the tourist market.

'Canyons' announces major expansion plans - Uphill capacity to increase 47 percent

http://www.parkrecord.com/ci_1584270...ce=most_viewed

Talisker will be "re-creating" its Park City resort over the next 15 months. Changes to be ready for opening day include new branding, new gondolas, new lifts and a new village center...

...Goar said he believes these changes are the most significant improvements any resort is making in North America this year. They may be the most significant improvements made in years, he added.

Furthermore, he anticipates the first phase of construction to attract attention and raise the profile of Utah skiing.

"The strength of this business in the long term is the synergy that exists with the other resorts," he said.

"Our investment here is part of the larger thesis of Utah skiing," Boardman added...

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