Salt Lake City: Official Development News Thread - Part 5

[stayinginformed]

Originally Posted by Ironweed

Does anyone have a crystal ball for what is to be done with the property just across the tracks from this location? (West) Is there any interest in this area? I know we have something coming to the block to the west.

Yes, the Rail event center was purchased by GIV development a few years ago just to the west of the railroad tracks/North Hardware block. They are currently building an apartment building at 300 N and about 550 W.

[airhero]

Originally Posted by Orlando

I could be wrong here, but I think the main complaint from the others is that it looks like the developers changed the facade facing the station from previous designs. There's still good materials on the building, but maybe the final version was changed and approved with the city that is different than the rendering shown here. In Seattle, the city has a way to enforce an approved design called the Master Use Permit. Projects like this go through a design review process until it is approved by the design review board and city land-use planners. The design team then has to submit a final design package to the city, with all of the final elevations and renderings, called the Master Use Permit. If the developer deviates from what has been approved with this M.U.P. the city can force them to comply with the approved design or keep them from opening their building.

Also, SLC should require these developers to add ground floor retail in developments like this. Otherwise, this will not be a very vibrant community, and will lose out on an opportunity to make this an active pedestrian community. It's like the backside of the Gateway Mall all over again.

To be fair though, I love the density of this project, and the quality of the materials they've used is good.

The quality of materials was good for the most part. Which made what happened near the end so much more disappointing. As much as I want to give credit to Salt Development with what they’ve done in the neighborhood it’s hard to do when looking at the whole of it. The midblock street, the brownstones, breaking up the massings of the west building for seemless variation, they may have lacked some street engagement all around but it was looking like a solidly finished development, and they got a grocery store in 4th west apartments which was sorely needed. There’s some credit to be given there. But as construction continued, corners were cut, they stuccoed the northwest corner of the west building where it was supposed to be brick and left a lot of the parking garage exposed. The east building was initially planned with a very nice 8x24 tile covering the entire building, but ended up being entirely beige stucco. It looks as good as something covered entirely in beige stucco can, but that’s not saying much. It was so close to being that solidly finished project I’ve been waiting for but then it wasn’t. I’ll stop ranting. Hardware Village is hardly the only development where this happened, just an example.

[Orlando]

Originally Posted by stayinginformed

Yes, the Rail event center was purchased by GIV development a few years ago just to the west of the railroad tracks/North Hardware block. They are currently building an apartment building at 300 N and about 550 W.

This is probably the project:

https://giv.group/projects/giv-d-projects/diamond-rail

[Orlando]

Originally Posted by bob rulz

So they said they're "going" to bulldoze the building in late summer.

Does that mean it isn't going through a design review at all?

I'm assuming that the city doesn't require the developer to do a design review for a project like this unless it deviates from the zoning/land-use requirements.
But, perhaps UT Planner can clarify.

[Marvland]

Originally Posted by Orlando

I'm assuming that the city doesn't require the developer to do a design review for a project like this unless it deviates from the zoning/land-use requirements.
But, perhaps UT Planner can clarify.

Orlando, in the TSA zone in SLC, arguably our most important zone, there is a scoring system that allows you to forgo design review if you score enough points. It has been a massive half assed failure to create good outcomes. The North Temple and Euclid/Jackson hoods are heading in a very dangerously 4th south direction right now. The city should really get aggressive with developers. And although I like the ground floor requirement in general, without a Seattle or Main St. SLC type of density above, ground floor retail in SLC has produced not-great outcomes. I think the city should consider a "horizontal" mixed use requirement. Meaning break up the monoliths on the street level and require retail on street level. Then you can step up in height. Preferably separated from the residential component, which reduces conflicts in residential vs commercial uses. Too many times we see check cashing and insurance storefronts, or worse yet "lifestyle amenities" like unused gyms and meeting space.

Edit: to clarify, the scoring system is almost completely tilted towards multifamily. the net effect is that most other uses, say retail, cultural or F&B are required to do design review but apartment buildings usually do not.

[Marvland]

Originally Posted by airhero

My biggest frustration is when incremental design changes occur after the project is approved and eventually it looks nothing like before. Case in point:





This is a horribly finished building. And I'm not talking about the mural. The mural in the drawing was meant as a placeholder (although it is way bigger on the finished building). But everything else? How does this happen?

Are other cities letting crap like this slide?

Totally agree on this. Not sure why we all feel like we have to praise the Hardware block redevelopment. It's a disaster and a massive blown opportunity. Remember "the walkable mid block" stuff and that beautiful glass office tower? Is the office even happening?

[Marvland]

Originally Posted by meman

Heavy equipment is working today at the Brinshore site on State Street

between 2nd and 3rd South. It looks like they are preparing for the foundation!!

It's on. And the food and beverage programming will be ground-breaking for the city. They lost their 10ksf food hall tenant to Covid, then resized the indoor space (I think it's like 7k sf now?) but the interior block indoor/outdoor mix will be amazing for the city. Very excited about the team in play there.

[Atlas]

Dwell has submitted a design package to the city portal. It looks like I was way off on the height estimate. The new tower will be 31 stories and 392 feet tall.

The proposed building, currently known as Main Street Apartments, is prominently located in downtown Salt Lake City, mid-block between the US Bank tower and the Kearns office building on the west side of Main Street. Its design consists of a 31-story tower with a separate parking structure with a rooftop park. The tower’s program primarily consists of apartments and amenity spaces (i.e. lobby, pool area, sky lounge and open-air terrace), but also includes 8,400 square feet of retail space at the ground floor fronting Main Street. The total number of units is 400, including 40 affordable, 355 market rate and 5 penthouses. The building’s facade is a combination of glazed curtain wall and stucco / metal panel on metal stud exterior framing.The proposed parking structure’s footprint is approximately 122 feet by 185 feet, with one level below grade and three levels above grade, with capacity for 261 vehicles. The parking structure design includes an elevated park covering the entire parking footprint at its roof level

Some new images:

[wrendog]

Still looks well over 400 to me

[michaelk]

What is the timeframe for the Main Street apartments that will replace Hines theater? I sure wish that they would design the rig so it’s not so boxy.

[Orlando]

rig?

It looks like they chopped off some floors. 392 feet is quite tall for just 31 floors. Was this for a building permit or for design review?

I wonder how many of these projects are actually going to get built?

[Atlas]

This was for design review. They didn't chop off any floors since the previous (leaked) rendering, by my count.

[Old&New]

Originally Posted by michaelk

What is the timeframe for the Main Street apartments that will replace Hines theater? I sure wish that they would design the rig so it’s not so boxy.

Hines theater? You mean the Utah/Pantages Theater?

Why have we not seen any renderings of what this tower will look like from the Rocky Mountain Power Plaza? I'm hoping the parking structure will look nice from West Temple.

[michaelk]

Pantages Theater. Sorry for the mix up

[Blah_Amazing]

I'm a little disappointed about the height. Maybe they felt they couldn't compete with Kensington (though even then, all they would have to do is add a floor and make the crown a little taller and it would be the second tallest after Kensington) or the height doesn't really matter much to the developer. Regardless, I'm glad that the filing with the city moves this design from the 'rumored but likely' category to 'officially announced' and 'planned' categories.

[allh]

Love that midrise balcony

[Blah_Amazing]

https://citizenportal.slcgov.com/Cit...howInspection=

850 E 2100 S. 5 floors. 319 residential units total (incl.39 micro & 53 affordable (80% AMI)). 2,800 square feet of commercial space. 10 amenity areas equalling 58,800 square feet of community gathering space. 404 off street parking, or 1.26 per unit ratio. The developer is seeking a zoning change.

South East Corner - 900 East view looking North West


Leaving Smith’s Parking Lot - 900 East view looking West


North East Corner - 2100 South view looking South West


North East Corner - 2100 South view looking East


South East Corner - 900 East view looking South West


South Facade - Commonwealth view looking North East


South Facade - Commonwealth view looking North West


South Facade - Commonwealth view looking North West


Pedestrian Walkway from Commonwealth to 2100 South


South West Corner - 800 East view looking South


North Facade - 2100 South view looking South East


North Facade - 2100 South view looking South West


North Facade - Windsor Street View looking South


Full Facades


Site Plan


Parcel Map

[Atlas]

BSL article on the Utah Theater tower:

Builders share details on the building that will replace the historic Utah Theater and alter Salt Lake City’s skyline

[delts145]

Utah Planner gave us the scoop. I guess it's official, the Moda Luxe is a go. BSL just did a write up on it yesterday. Looking forward to watching the construction progress of Moda Luxe.

Another mixed-use building on its way to 200 East as developers knock on doorstep of Broadway retail https://www.buildingsaltlake.com/ano...roadway-retail

Has there been any activity at the Zephyr Lofts site yet?

Downtown Update - The Zephyr Lofts - Downtown warehouse district continues its transformation

Luke Garrott Reports - Full Article @
https://www.buildingsaltlake.com/dow...d-use-project/


The Zephyr Lofts, 360 W. 200 S. in west Downtown, Salt Lake City. Rendering by VCBO Architects, courtesy Clearwater Homes.

Clearwater Homes of Utah and Watt Investment Partners of Santa Monica, CA, will start construction in late summer on a 138-unit market-rate apartment project at 360 West 200 South in the heart of Salt Lake City’s warehouse district.

The project aspires to be “iconic, remarkable, and aesthetically enduring” – “a source of pride for the local community” according to the local developer, Clearwater’s Micah Peters.

Peters has developed Paragon Station on the same block, and also is under construction with the Paperbox project with PEG Development just behind the Zephyr Lofts site...

...The name “is homage to the depot district and the historic Zephyr engine/line that steamed into Salt Lake City on the Union Pacific rails,” Developer Micah Peters told Building Salt Lake.

Infilling surface parking lots between the historic Westgate Lofts on the east and the Dakota Lofts on the West, The Zephyr will rise eight stories to 85 ft. Sitting on D-4 zoning, the developers have entered the design review process in order to exceed the zone’s nominal 75 ft height maximum.

The Zephyr’s 138 units will be a combination of 70 studio, 55 one-bedroom, and 13 two-bedroom apartments.

It’ll be parked at a 1:1 ratio (140 stalls), with the upper floor of the podium parking incorporating 3 car city parking stackers.

Street frontage will consist of gyms, a leasing office, and a small bar/restaurant space. Clearwater’s Peters says he’s in conversations with a local artisan operator that has several food + beverage businesses in the neighborhood. The retail space offers 1800 sf and a 20-seat outdoor patio.

It will provide a public walkway from 200 South to the midblock right-of-way that skirts the Paperbox development.

The Zephyr Lofts, 360 W. 200 S. in west Downtown, Salt Lake City. Rendering by VCBO Architects, courtesy Clearwater Homes.


The Zephyr Lofts, 360 W. 200 S. in west Downtown, Salt Lake City. Rendering by VCBO Architects, courtesy Clearwater Homes.

.

[Orlando]

I have a few complaints about the Zephyr project:

1) The ground floor storefrontages are squashed and too small compared to all the other storefrontages on both sides of 200 south in that area. I think they've squashed it because they tried to squeeze in parking above it. They should have limited the parking to not go over the retail, and make the retail/lobby spaces be double height. The ceilings in those lobby/retail spaces are going to be 8 to 9 feet.

2) The white & dark colors & materials do not relate to the surrounding red & dark/brown brick along that area.

3) There is not much that relates to the surrounding buildings in terms of scale.