Neighborworks to build townhome development in Poplar Grove
After nearly a decade of owning a 0.54-acre lot on the 1000 West block of 200 South, nonprofit community developer, Neighborworks Salt Lake City, is ready to move forward on the parcel with a proposed 16-unit townhome development.
On Wednesday the Salt Lake City Planning Commission unanimously approved a planned development and preliminary subdivision request for the project, Euclid Corners Townhomes, that would include a mix of two and three-bedroom townhomes in four buildings that are both just over two blocks from two TRAX stations.
Because of the project’s proximity to two TRAX stations, the developers had to go through the Transit Station Area development review process which requires a score of 100 points to bypass the planning commission. The project received 101 points through the current development score review process, but the developers requested several zoning exceptions requiring commission approval.
“It’s been a combined effort in trying to create a nice project for this part of the neighborhood. In term of design, the things that have driven this project were the opportunity to create public, private and semi-private interactions for these residents,” said Pascal Meyer of Carpenter Stringham Architects, the architects for the project.
Unlike the current city trend for townhomes with a one or two-car garage on the ground floor below one to two levels of residential space, the Euclid townhomes will sit above a parking podium with private garages inside of the podium. The podium will be accessed via an alleyway directly north of the project. According to Meyer, the parking podium is necessary because of grading issues and the needed public utilities. Meyer suggested having the podium created the opportunity to include a semi-private plaza area at the rear of the buildings.
The parking podium will be about a half-floor deep and will provide private garages with potential living space separating the garages from the street level. Tenants will be able to access their units from their private garage, which will be for one or two cars depending on the unit’s number of bedrooms.
The townhomes will be three stories each with a raised porch to the front door because of the podium height. The plaza will be accessed from the street level by small stairways at the alleyway to the north and 200 South to the south.
“I believe this is an appropriate development for this location and this zoning district. This part of the Euclid neighborhood will necessarily evolve into a mixed-density neighborhood with single family, duplexes and these type missing middle, small townhouse, small apartment complex types of developments,” said former planning commission member Michael Fife, a resident of the Euclid neighborhood.
The Euclid Corners Townhomes project is Neighborworks’ second large townhome development underway in the city. Construction has started on the Marmalade Courtyard development on the 700 North block of 300 West. The Marmalade Courtyard project consists of 23 townhomes and seven condominium units.
