Salt Lake City: Official Development News Thread - Part 5

[Jbash]

I'm sure nobody remembers, I was a student who competed in an international architecture design competition. A random unwarranted update, but I placed top 15, so that was cool. All that aside, this skyline picture gives me a ton of hope. The downtown core is getting very dense with many buildings of the same height. It's crazy to think in two years downtown will look pretty much like that. I know height isn't the most important factor in urban development, but I can't look at this picture and not get hopeful that this increased density will warrant a new tallest proposal in the near future

[ucsbgaucho]

Interesting article in today's Tribune about the massive LDS real estate holdings in downtown core and how it'll shape the future.

https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2022...fer-clues-how/

Some nuggets from the article:

“They recognize the value of density downtown, and they are building out from the core,” said Dee Brewer, a former executive with Taubman at City Creek, the church’s partner in developing and operating the shopping center under a long-term lease.

“And they are timing their development to support downtown’s growth trajectory,” said Brewer, who now heads the Salt Lake Chamber’s Downtown Alliance, advocating for merchants in the heart of the city.

If you want a strong hint for how the deep-pocketed church land may develop from here, look at City Creek, 111 Main and 95 State at City Creek — now shepherded by the church’s City Creek Reserve, created in 2007.

City Creek Center, built during the Great Recession and providing much-need construction jobs, capped the church’s stated desire to improve downtown and protect the area around the faith’s showcase campus from falling into disrepair.

Bills said there are no immediate changes being contemplated for the church-owned parking lots at North Temple and 200 West and at West Temple and 500 South.

Because of its proximity to church headquarters, the block east of the Triad Center — now blanketed in parking stalls — seems a more likely site for expanding the church’s main campus and could even be a locale for new offices if the 28-story Church Office Building, now a half-century old, is ever demolished.

Anderson said church officials also once assured the city they would not build substantially south of 200 South, which — in lieu of details from the church — leaves the future status of the open block at 500 South even more subject to speculation.

[Utah_Dave]

Originally Posted by Jbash

I'm sure nobody remembers, I was a student who competed in an international architecture design competition. A random unwarranted update, but I placed top 15, so that was cool. All that aside, this skyline picture gives me a ton of hope. The downtown core is getting very dense with many buildings of the same height. It's crazy to think in two years downtown will look pretty much like that. I know height isn't the most important factor in urban development, but I can't look at this picture and not get hopeful that this increased density will warrant a new tallest proposal in the near future

Congrats on your accomplishments. Don’t hesitate to post some more. It’s a little slow on this thread at the moment

[Atlas]

Originally Posted by ucsbgaucho

Bills said there are no immediate changes being contemplated for the church-owned parking lots at North Temple and 200 West and at West Temple and 500 South.

Because of its proximity to church headquarters, the block east of the Triad Center — now blanketed in parking stalls — seems a more likely site for expanding the church’s main campus and could even be a locale for new offices if the 28-story Church Office Building, now a half-century old, is ever demolished.

Anderson said church officials also once assured the city they would not build substantially south of 200 South, which — in lieu of details from the church — leaves the future status of the open block at 500 South even more subject to speculation.

Sorta disappointing that CCR doesn't want to do anything about the 10-acre parking lots anytime soon. Maybe finishing The Cascade or building something at 100S/200E is higher on the priority list?

Here's hoping they just sell Block 40 to a developer. I'd rather they don't build another chapel there or something that will preclude the possibility of future restaurants and bars thanks to one of Utah's inane state laws. Besides, the Newhouse and Exchange Place was where the gentiles hung out back in the day (opposite from Hotel Utah and Temple Square). That land is TRAX-adjacent so a big mixed-use development with an NHL arena or museum as an anchor would be perfect.

[Rileybo]

Those LDS owned lots have been blank since before I was a twinkle in my father’s eye. It’s been ten years since city creek opened. Considering how much the church loves money and how much they have in the bank already, I’m a tad surprised nothing has happened there yet. Someday though, I guess. As it stands, that whole strip of south temple is one of my least favorite areas of downtown. So much potential being wasted. If the church were to sell the land, you bet there’d be a line of developers hungry to use that space.

But in all honesty, I don’t know how excited I can get about future developments anymore… the planet is dying and the great salt puddle is gonna kill us with arsenic dust storms. SLC is gonna be one of the first humanitarian disasters in the country. Maybe I’ll move to Florida— oh wait..

[mattreedah]

Originally Posted by Rileybo

But in all honesty, I don’t know how excited I can get about future developments anymore… the planet is dying and the great salt puddle is gonna kill us with arsenic dust storms. SLC is gonna be one of the first humanitarian disasters in the country.

It’s amazing the devolution that occurs on here when there are little to no news updates.

[Atlas]

Some nice new renderings of the West Village project from the BSL article today:

With over 500 residential units, 8,000 square feet of ground floor commercial and a 180,000-square-foot life sciences building, the West Village has been designed to fill in the footprint of the Granary on its southwest end.

[taboubak]

This project seems on par with the Post District. Its perfect for that area and neighborhood. 10/10

[Marvland]

Originally Posted by taboubak

This project seems on par with the Post District. Its perfect for that area and neighborhood. 10/10

Comparing that to the Post District is a disservice to the Post District. This is Sugarhouse style big box development. It has no appealing angles, no variance in sitelines, no adaptive reuse of existing structures, no rooftop amenities and a very dull retail storefront aspect. The magic of Post is how much thought they put into the different retail components some of them street level some of them interior some of them four stories up rooftop decks etc.

They will have a long battle leasing those retail spaces for what they need to yield because they are so unappealing. It's not a mystery nobody wants to bet their families' future underneath ugly apartments. Sugarhouse had the density to support some retail on main level but even those tenants are all on their third or fourth cycle. We need better design in The Granary. I feel the same about the Alfandre project on 400 West and 700 S. They should flip the zoning to form based before it's too late. Keep that garbage out of the Granary.

[Atlas]

Yeah I'd put this in a tier below the Post District. It's much better than things like Central Station and Block 44 but not quite up to the standard of The Exchange or Post. I like the office building and the street frontage on 900S/Montague but that big, blank wall on the south side fronting Faytette is disappointing.

I like the brickwork and I'm glad we are seeing more of that around town. MVE is doing the best-looking infill projects in the city.

Granary is exploding. Running TRAX down 400W needs to happen soon or we are going to quickly see more 1000-stall parking structures.

Edit: btw, I went to the Utes game on Saturday and snapped a skyline photo from the stadium. Great weather and great views up there!

[msbutah]

Modern Display on the corner of 400 E 700 S has moved out and it looks like the parcel has been sold to a "WDG SEVENTH EAST", which comes up with this proposal:

[Paniolo Man]

Originally Posted by ucsbgaucho

Because of its proximity to church headquarters, the block east of the Triad Center — now blanketed in parking stalls — seems a more likely site for expanding the church’s main campus and could even be a locale for new offices if the 28-story Church Office Building, now a half-century old, is ever demolished.

I have been hearing rampant speculation to the current structural condition of COB. I am sure it isn't going anywhere anytime soon since they just spent so much shoring up the parking structure. The building is 50 years old, but steel frame buildings from that era are pretty easy and cheap to renovate and upgrade. I assume once they are done with the current projects they will embark on a mid life overhaul. I don't believe it is the massively unsound structural hazard some think it is, though it probably does need some structural upgrades.

[bob rulz]

Demolishing the LDS Church Office Building seems insane. I don't feel like there's any reason to do that, unless it actually has severe, major structural issues that can't be fixed, but this is the first time I'm hearing about anything like that?

[i-215]

Originally Posted by Paniolo Man

I don't believe it is the massively unsound structural hazard some think it is, though it probably does need some structural upgrades.

I wonder if some of it is psychological. The COB has sort of a "World Trade Center" appearance. Perhaps we associate the narrow columns of windows with the largest high-rise disaster in human history?



It's not a crazy comparison. They both came about in the 1960s and 70s, forever changing the skylines of their cities. Even this writer for the Deseret News from 1971 juxtaposed them in the same column:



As you know, the World Trade Center was a revolutionary design where the weight of the floors carried between the elevator core and the outer walls, with almost no interior columns. This revolutionary design may have contributed to the manner it collapsed on 9/11.

Thankfully, from this Deseret News article from 1971, it appears the C.O.B. is as boring and bland construction as a building can be. A bunch of girders welded together into cubes with concrete floors poured:



As others have pointed out, there's a LOT to work with for this box. The church could gut the building back down to the steel frame as shown above and basically have a brand-new office building when they are done. And for far cheaper than starting over.

(What **WOULD** take this building down is if Risk Management determines it isn't ready for a major earthquake.)

[Rileybo]

Originally Posted by mattreedah

It’s amazing the devolution that occurs on here when there are little to no news updates.

Lol. Yes, what lunacy I speak.
Check the news in ten years, I’ll be right.

[Rileybo]

The idea of demolishing the COB is redick. It won’t ever happen.

There has been plenty o talk on this forum about reclading the building.. which I also find silly. If anything, the church may renovate the base and lobby of the building… similar to what happened to the key bank tower, which actually may be cool. I don’t see that happening anytime soon though. I’d imagine if it was renovated, future city and skyscraper lovers would regret the change.

Comparisons to the twin towers is interesting to me. Y’all realize that there are dozens of other buildings IN NEW YORK that have the same narrow window facade right? Wasn’t unique to the WTC. It was a trend of the 1960s and 70s. However the twin towers had a modern gothic vibe, which was a tad unique.

The twin towers, as boxy and bland as they may have been, were way cooler than the COB. Reclading the church tower to look similar to the twins would feel tacky as all hell. Standing next to the towers felt really surreal.. COB does not feel cool in any way.

Anywho I dunno where I’m even going with this.. I do miss the twins though.

[Reeder113]

Originally Posted by Rileybo

Standing next to the towers felt really surreal.. COB does not feel cool in any way.

I mean......the height of the towers does play into that.

[freeshavocado]

Originally Posted by Rileybo

Reclading the church tower to look similar to the twins would feel tacky as all hell.

Literally no one has ever considered doing that.

[Atlas]

I know a lot of people hate the COB for various reasons but I'm not one of those people. The architecture is a little bland but it's an artifact of its time and a local landmark at this point. It's already lost a lot of its dominance over the skyline and I think that will continue over time, so any symbolism of that is fading.

It could be worse. Boston has this 600 ft modernist eyesore in the very center of the city:

One Boston Place

[delts145]

^^^
That building is ghastly!!