Salt Lake City: Official Development News Thread - Part 5

[Atlas]

Prediction: the sale of the Utah Theater is going to be finalized and it will be demolished before the November election. That is, unless the city decides to somehow suspend the sale. The RDA's position is that the contract they have with Hines is legally binding though, so they may not even have that option.

I hate to say it but the time for this kind of thing was two years ago. Why was this not done sooner? I think the voters will probably approve it too, so at least the Capitol Theatre will be designated as a landmark I guess. Does designating it a landmark do anything legally?

Also, msbutah, do you what happened with the webcam on the WF Center?

[Always Sunny in SLC]

Originally Posted by Atlas

Prediction: the sale of the Utah Theater is going to be finalized and it will be demolished before the November election. That is, unless the city decides to somehow suspend the sale. The RDA's position is that the contract they have with Hines is legally binding though, so they may not even have that option.

I hate to say it but the time for this kind of thing was two years ago. Why was this not done sooner? I think the voters will probably approve it too, so at least the Capitol Theatre will be designated as a landmark I guess. Does designating it a landmark do anything legally?

Also, msbutah, do you what happened with the webcam on the WF Center?

They very well may approve it if given the chance, but never vote to raise their taxes to preserve it. So it will sit decade after decade rotting more and more.

[msbutah]

Originally Posted by Atlas

Also, msbutah, do you what happened with the webcam on the WF Center?

It's back now - sorry. It got stuck and needed a shake.

[Blah_Amazing]

An interesting youtube video posted a couple weeks ago about SLC's light rail system.
• Video Link

[jedikermit]

Originally Posted by Atlas

I hate to say it but the time for this kind of thing was two years ago.

...or...30 (?) years ago when they ripped the auditorium of the theater in two. I love that era of movie palaces, I love the ones they've been able to preserve in other cities, but having toured the Pantages myself several times and seeing how much further it's deteriorated since...I think we missed our chance.

[VelvetElvis]

Originally Posted by Blah_Amazing

An interesting youtube video posted a couple weeks ago about SLC's light rail system.
• Video Link

I remember as a teenager listening to the conversation/controversy about launching a light rail in SLC. Lots of folks were suspicious. But I think it's grown into an unqualified success. 20+ years ago I road the new University line from my apt. on 700 e up to campus. And I used the mainline to visit family in Sandy.

It's fun to see how much it has grown and how well positioned it is to serve most of the county. And now Front Runner spans Brigham City to Payson, yes? I think the SLC metro should be proud of this project. Early adopters. The dominant metro in my area, Seattle, has public transportation, but its relative reach is not as comprehensive as Salt Lake's.

[Atlas]

Originally Posted by msbutah

It's back now - sorry. It got stuck and needed a shake.

Ah thanks!

Originally Posted by VelvetElvis

I remember as a teenager listening to the conversation/controversy about launching a light rail in SLC. Lots of folks were suspicious. But I think it's grown into an unqualified success. 20+ years ago I road the new University line from my apt. on 700 e up to campus. And I used the mainline to visit family in Sandy.

It's fun to see how much it has grown and how well positioned it is to serve most of the county. And now Front Runner spans Brigham City to Payson, yes? I think the SLC metro should be proud of this project. Early adopters. The dominant metro in my area, Seattle, has public transportation, but its relative reach is not as comprehensive as Salt Lake's.

That's the eventual plan but no, not yet. The two ends are Ogden and Provo right now. Along with double tracking, I believe the short/medium term plans for FrontRunner are to open a station in Vineyard and also extend it to the Ogden Business Depot.

IMO, SLC's rail system is really quite exceptional for a city of its size in the US. Still a lot of potential for expansion, of course, but it's already something to be rather proud of!

EDIT: 95 State and Liberty Sky update



It does indeed look like progress on 95 State has slowed significantly. Liberty Sky appears to be on the 21st (top) floor with only the roof structure remaining to push it higher.

[ThePusherMan]

Trax needs some East/west engagement downtown and to connect some existing lines into loop routes and it will be a pretty complete system. The S line should really head East and connect to Foothill and then North to the University.

[SLCLvr]

Originally Posted by msbutah

Someone has filed a signature initiative to get the SL City Council to designate the Pantages and Capitol Theatres as historic landmarks.
https://www.slc.gov/attorney/recorder/initiatives/

It appears that yesterday was the deadline to turn in the 8,048 signatures. I wonder if they made it?

[Marvland]

Breaking news from MARVLAND: I can confirm that sans a wheelbarrow of gold bullion/Dogecoin rolling up Main St to help revive the sorry state of the Utah Theater, in this current environment, during the slaughterhouse of the last year for live performance arts, plus tens of millions to cover breach of contract lawsuit and years of delays from the subsequent lis pendens and title issues after the city cancels its contract with an international-scale developer, THE THEATER IS DEAD. I am so sorry. But this subject burns my eyes on this forum almost as bad as all the fake sockpuppet accounts on here as of late. It's gone. It's sad. Move on.

[rockies]

Originally Posted by ThePusherMan

Trax needs some East/west engagement downtown and to connect some existing lines into loop routes and it will be a pretty complete system. The S line should really head East and connect to Foothill and then North to the University.

I agree with this! Foothill is such a hassle to drive on and I know so many other students that would be willing to ditch driving (at least during rush hour) to take Trax if it connected the university, foothill, and sugarhouse. I'm sure there's bus service but tbh no one is taking a bus over driving their own car.

Foothill and even 700 East always seemed to be such good candidates for future Trax expansions, IMO. Those areas could definitely use increased density and development.

[bob rulz]

Originally Posted by rockies

I'm sure there's bus service but tbh no one is taking a bus over driving their own car.

This is patently false, at least when it comes to university students. Have you seen how expensive parking passes are at the U?

[bob rulz]

My dream scenario is to expand the streetcar north all the way to the Red Line, with another streetcar running along 900 South to connect to it, plus another streetcar down 200 South to connect to Presidents Circle. Add in the long proposed Black Line (to connect the university and the airport), a TRAX loop, the Granary Streetcar, and BRT on Redwood Rd, State St, 700 E, and Foothill, and we have one of the best public transit systems in the country.

Of course, this is a dream, but with the foundation that's been set with TRAX and UTA pushing for more BRT, I don't think it's totally out of the realm of possibility, though that many streetcars is probably a pipe dream.

[Ironweed]

"Of course, this is a dream, but with the foundation that's been set with TRAX and UTA pushing for more BRT, I don't think it's totally out of the realm of possibility, though that many streetcars is probably a pipe dream.[/QUOTE]

It sounds like the legislature is pinning all future mass transit on BRT. I am a fan of rail, and think it has some distinct advantages. BRT is a cost savings concept. Not sure I am sold on it.

Other than Front runner, it appears that investment in additional rail is DOA unfortunately.

[rockies]

Originally Posted by bob rulz

This is patently false, at least when it comes to university students. Have you seen how expensive parking passes are at the U?

I mean I'm sure students do ride the bus more than other groups, but there is still a seriously long way to go to make the bus service decent. Last year, other students would be almost shocked when I told them I took the bus daily from campus to work downtown. After months of horrible experiences with the bus service here I just gave up and would uber almost everyday. I wasn't trying to be condescending towards people who have to ride the bus, as that was my situation last year, and I was speaking to my own experience as a student with student friends.

The trax is infinitely more reliable and easier to use in pretty much every case. Especially for many of us who grew up in suburbs without access or exposure to public transportation. I really tried to make the bus work for my situation, but it was so unbelievably unreliable (among other problems) on an almost daily basis. I didn't meet anyone who was taking the bus by choice, but I met many people who would willingly leave their car on campus to take the trax to work downtown.

I have had good experiences with the UVX in Provo, though. I would love to see something that reliable and simple to use implemented up here.

[Blah_Amazing]

When I was at the UofU, my group was asked by UTA to work on the S-Line extension project. From what we discussed with them, it sounded like they had basically abandoned plans to direct the transit line northwards from its location due to the narrowness of the roads and public backlash in the area to the idea.

We were directed to work closely with both Millcreek and Holladay on the potential extension of the S-Line southwards along Highland Drive or along 1300 East (for at least part of the way).

Based on this, we suggested the line could first be extended from its current location in Sugar House to 3300 South, where Millcreek was developing its new downtown/community center.

It could then be extended further south along Highland Drive to Murray Holladay Road where the future Holladay Hills project was planned.

We suggested the line could be even further extended to Ft. Union Blvd in Cottonwood Heights, where it could either continue south along Highland to Sandy, turn west along Ft Union where the line would conclude at the Midvale Ft. Union Station, or turn east along Ft Union and conclude at Big Cottonwood Canyon.

While these last extensions into Cottonwood Heights, Sandy, or Midvale was our group's suggestions on very long-term extensions for the line, UTA was requesting research on what a line would be like at least as far as Murray Holladay (aprox 4700 South).

We found there were a few critical bottlenecks that would be an issue for the line, the first (and most pressing) being getting the S-Line from its current end-location to either Highland or 1300 East. It's interesting, because that short extension is the one the Utah legislature and UTA just funded this year.

So it does seem like, at least so far, UTA is continuing with the plan we worked on.

[Boz]

Amazing, blah.

[Hatman]

Since the topic of TRAX downtown has come up... here is the map I am using in my pitch for the Rio Grande plan:


Things to note:

• The Black Line has officially changed its name to the Orange Line, according to some UTA people I've talked with. I don't know the reason why.
• This map is probably... too much. I don't expect every one of these service routes to operate all at once - at least not until TRAX trains become autonomous and drive themselves! This is more a concept to show what possibilities can be unlocked by moving Salt Lake Central Station to the Rio Grande depot. That said, I have designed this map to work with 10 minute headways on all lines - so let's just say this map is possible, but improbable.
• UTA has been planning on moving the Green Line to 4th West for some time. This would free up capacity on Main Street and make running the Orange Line more tenable. However, 4th West is still 2 blocks away from the current Salt Lake Central station, and so the planned 4th west line would bypass the central station completely. If SL Central was moved to the Rio Grande, it is close enough to 4th West to justify cutting the 4th West line over to the depot, thus integrating the Rio Grande Depot into a tight urban loop.
• The Downtown Circulator line - shown in Yellow - could potentially run 24 hours a day, and would operate entirely within the free fare zone, providing invaluable circulation through downtown. It is also almost EXACTLY the same size as the 'EL' loop in Chicago, proving it is just the right size for a human-scaled transit system.
• I am showing the S-Line traveling all the way into downtown, traveling clockwise around the downtown loop to balance the Blue Line traveling counter-clockwise. This is a personal preference, and there are other ways to balance out the Blue Line. My opinion is that having a Light Rail network and a separate Streetcar network is needlessly complicated, and the mandatory transfer from the S-Line to TRAX at Central Pointe is seriously impairing ridership. So in this scenario, UTA would run the S-Line like a slow TRAX line on the 2 mile stretch from Highland Drive to Central Pointe, then as a regular TRAX line from Central Pointe to downtown.
• I am very happy that the talk of the S-Line expansion seems to be solidifying towards the south. I like the idea of it going to 33rd South, mainly because of the East-West commuter line I am showing here. That line would be built on the north side of I-80, and would include a commuter rail stop between Highland Drive and 1300 East. A transfer to the S-Line at that location is too good to pass up - but at this point the East-West line is still just a fantasy, as the Rio Grande plan is already a big ask all on its own.

I'm sharing all this because it makes me super excited about SLC's transit potential. If it makes you excited too, then consider sharing the Rio Grande plan with your elected representatives! Everyone I've talked to so far is super excited about the potential, with the major doubt being the amount of public support. So let's build that support! This city is our city, and it is up to us to make it the best it can be.

[Blah_Amazing]

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

Location: 1179 S Navajo St.

2.37 acre project area.

58 townhouse units. Development includes a private BBQ area, Playground, Pickleball Court, and Community Garden for residents.

Project Description:

In accordance with the provisions of Salt Lake City Code of Ordinances, Chapter 21A.55, Langue Inc. proposes The Glendale Townhomes as a Planned Development including site improvements and 58 townhomes.

Langue Inc. is pursuing this development in accordance with city code requirements with one exception: Although 24 of the proposed single-family attached homes, or townhomes enfront a public street, 34 do not.

The key reason the project is unable to meet this requirement is that the 2.37 acre project area (463’-6” x 229’-0”) has public streets (Navajo Street and Glendale Drive) on only two sides of its perimeter and no interior public streets. The developer has lined up as many units as possible facing Navajo and Glendale; however, if those were the only units permissible, the bulk of the site would be left vacant. It does not appear this condition would be consistent with the intent of zone CB, the zoning district in which the project is located.

This Planned Development application requests an alternative approach to implementing the provision on street frontage by providing internal circulation and emergency vehicle access drives, as well as community green space for pedestrian use and access between rows of units.

Project Rendering


Project Rendering - BBQ Area


Project Rendering - Community Garden


Project Rendering - Playground


Project Site


Site Plan

[Old&New]

A fully restored 1918 auditorium and multiple new cinema rooms above the front building would actually be incredible at this location. And would perfectly compliment/validate the two blocks south of CCC as being Salt Lake City’s theater/cultural arts district.








https://www.savetheutahpantages.org/blog

Salt Lake Magazine

The group Save the Utah Pantages revealed their counter proposal to Salt Lake City’s plan to demolish a 100-year-old theater in downtown. Earlier this month, Save the Utah Pantages promised proof-of-concept of their vision for the Utah Pantages Theater, and Friday the group released its vision of a restored theater... Save the Utah Pantages hopes to thwart the high-rise deal by gathering enough signatures for a voter initiative. If the group succeeds, come election season, Salt Lake Residents could make the ultimate decision...

https://www.saltlakemagazine.com/pla...tages-theater/