In Pictures: SLC RDA Projects to watch in 2018

Mike Fife on December 12, 2017

According to Dave Ward, a partner in the Boyer Company, the developers are still very interested in developing the property and are currently re-energizing their efforts to put together a proposal that addresses the current market conditions while being respectful of the proposed surrounding developments such as the year-round public market.

The RDA selected LandForge and Community Partners to develop Parcel 2, the Serta Mattress building.  According to Walz this option to Purchase Agreement expired and was not renewed.  The next steps for this parcel will be to re-release an RFQ after the city moves forward on Station Center infrastructure improvements.

Derek Allen, President of LandForge, indicated in an email that his team is still excited about the long-term prospects for Station Center.  Their vision of the Serta Mattress Building is as a backdrop for a public gathering node on axis with the planned festival street on 300 South between 500 West and 600 West.

According to Walz, the proposed improvements include the reconstruction of 300 South into a festival street, the addition of interior streets to break up the large block sizes and the creation of public open space along the north and south ends of a new section of Woodbine Court (approx. 550 West).  RDA staff designed Woodbine Court to be bookended by two historic structures, the already-completed Artspace Macaroni Flats and the Serta Mattress building. The public infrastructure improvements would also include the upgrade of utilities to accommodate the planned increased density of the neighborhood.

The RDA is exploring offering the parcels to be developed at a reduced price in exchange for developers funding the infrastructure improvements.

The initial conceptual rendering of what a festival street (300 South) west of the Rio Grande depot could look like. Image courtesy SLC RDA.
The Rio Grande Depot is a bookend in the Station Center project area.   This stretch of 300 South will be the site of the proposed festival street.  Photo by Mike Fife.
The proposed festival street in the Station Center Project Area as seen looking west on 300 South towards the Intermodal Hub on 600 West. TRAX, Frontrunner, UTA buses, Amtrak and Greyhound all meet at this location. Parcel 1 of Station Center is to the north of 300 South. Photo by Mike Fife
A conceptual design Boyer’s plans for Parcel 1 in the Station Center project area.  Work is underway by these companies to update their plans. Image by Arch Nexus Architects.
Parcel 1 of the Station Center project area as seen looking northeast from 600 West and 300 South. This is the parcel that will be developed by The Boyer Company and Cowboy Partners.  The companies are revising plans for the site based on current market conditions, which have changed in the past two years. This parcel is directly east of the Intermodal Hub.  Photo by Mike Fife.
Parcel 2, the Serta Mattress Building, in the Station Center project area as seen looking northwest from 500 West. Photo by Mike Fife.

Only one project in the Station Center Project Area has been completed, the Artspace Macaroni Flats, a historic warehouse conversion on the 200 South block of 500 WEst.  The flats include eight street-level commercial spaces and 13 loft apartments which are available exclusively to people making up to 80 percent AMI.  The project is located between parcels 1 and 5 in the site plan above.

The Artspace Macaroni Flats development as seen from 500 West. Photo by Mike Fife.

Conceptual rendering of the proposed Utah Museum of History, Heritage, and Art that be included in the Station Center project area.

Rendering of the proposed Utah Museum of History, Heritage & Art.
Conceptual rendering of a year-round public market that would occupy Parcel 5 as seen from 500 West.  Image courtesy Salt Lake City public documents.

State Street Plaza

The now dead State Street Plaza project was to have been a 180-unit mixed-income project. It replaced several single room occupancy hotels that were used by residents transitioning out of homelessness.

Financing and construction issues killed the project that was already under construction. In October the RDA purchased the property a second time for $4 million at a foreclosure auction.  The existing construction will need to be demolished and the RDA will seek new development proposals for the site.

The city is still looking at this project as part of the to-be-built affordable housing portfolio they are actively developing.  According to Walz, the RDA has completed the acquisition of this property and will be releasing a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) in January 2018.

A rendering of the former State Street Plaza proposal.
The ruins of the State Street Plaza Project at the 200 South Block of State Street. Photo by Mike Fife.
The halted construction on the State Street Plaza project as seen from 200 South. Photo by Mike Fife.
The remains of the State Street Plaza project as seen looking east from the 200 South Block of Edison Street.  Photo by Mike Fife.
The to-be-demolished remains of the State Street Plaza project as seen from Edison Street.  Photo by Mike Fife.

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Posted by Mike Fife

Mike Fife grew up in Norman, Oklahoma but fell in love with Salt Lake City upon relocating here in 2001 just prior to the Winter Olympics. Mike's interest in planning and development was turbo charged during two terms on the Salt Lake City Planning Commission. With an Accounting degree from the University of Oklahoma and an MBA from the University of Richmond, Mike had a 30-year career in finance, accounting, and strategic planning with EDS/Hewlett-Packard/Hewlett Packard Enterprise.

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