Developers debut renderings for redevelopment of former Shopko site
For many urban enthusiasts, it doesn’t get much better than seeing a suburban-style big box store and large surface parking lot get redeveloped into a higher density, mixed-used development. Even in a construction-fatigued neighborhood like Sugar House, over 2,500 residents and community stakeholders participated in an online survey on best ways to redevelop the former Shopko site near 1300 East and Interstate 80.
Last week, developers Sentinel Development in collaboration with real estate investment company, Westport Capital Partners, debuted new project renderings on their promotional website for the proposed redevelopment of the Shopko site.
The development team initially released their tentative plans for the parcels last month, after collecting feedback from residents and stakeholders between since last December. The initial project details mentioned that the project would be a mix of office and residential space and would include a new public street, the reopening of Stringham Avenue.
Updated renderings and project info reveal more details about the project that will replace 9 acres of underutilized land near the heart of Sugar House. The project will add two new east-to-west streets to the north and south of the development that will connect Highland Drive to 1300 East.
According to renderings and project details submitted to the city, the project will consist of three buildings, two commercial and one residential, and a large parking structure.
The largest of the proposed commercial buildings, referred to as Building A, will be located at the northern end of the project area, near 1300 East. That building will be five stories with 170,000 square feet of office space. The building will house a University of Utah health center that will offer full outpatient services, including the Moran Eye Center, primary care, radiology, urgent care and specialist services.
The health center was originally planned for the proposed Dixon Building, planned for the area just north the of the Vue at Sugar House Crossing on Highland Drive. The site plans for the Dixon Building, by developer Craig Mecham Management, will be reconfigured to no longer include plans for the health center and will focus solely on traditional office space.
Building B is a proposed six-story, 150,000 square foot commercial building that will be just south of Building A. The building will have frontage on the rear street facing the freeway instead of fronting Stringham Avenue, the more prominent street that will be added to the project’s northern “front” face. Instead, the parking structure will front Stringham Avenue with Building B sitting atop the parking podium with a significant setback from Stringham with the podium’s roof acting as a surface parking lot separating Building B from the more prominent street to the north.
Instead, the parking structure will front Stringham Avenue with Building B sitting atop the parking podium with a significant setback from Stringham with the podium’s roof acting as a surface parking lot separating Building B from the more prominent street to the north.
Building A will also sit atop the large parking podium, yet Building A has street frontage on at least three sides.
Building C will be a seven-story residential building that with five wood-framed floors atop a two-story parking podium. The building will consist of approximately 200 units. The wood-framed levels will be setback at the podium level with small retail space available at the north end of the building fronting Stringham Avenue.
The developers will need to go before the Salt Lake City Planning Commission for a Conditional Building and Site Design Review (CBSDR). The Shopko project will be one of the several large-scale Sugar House projects to go before the planning commission in recent months. The commission scrutinized the ground floor details and street interaction of two other nearby projects, the Sugarmont Apartments and the Dixon Building, before granting final approval.
