South Salt Lake studying new redevelopment area

SOUTH SALT LAKE — First-year Mayor Cherie Wood has instructed her staff to begin a redevelopment project between Main Street and I-15 at 2100 South.

The Central Point project, if ultimately approved, would allow the city to give property tax breaks to businesses and developers in the project area. Depending on the legal language used to form the district, schools and other tax collectors could also lose money in the deal.

However, redevelopment proponents say the total income generated from new development is worth more than the tax breaks, so taxpayers come out on top.

"It's the way you do business nowadays to get development in the city," Wood said.

The first step will be a study of whether the area is legally blighted. That was approved unanimously Wednesday night by the South Salt Lake City Council, acting as the redevelopment board. Next, city officials will inquire into market conditions, Wood said.

Furniture giant RC Willey, 2301 S. 300 West, will not be part of the redevelopment area. The store was part of a similar tax-break arrangement when it was built years ago; that deal has yet to expire.

No official plans have been aired for Central Point, but it could be an entertainment district for residents who move to the planned Market Station project nearby. Market Station already is part of a redevelopment area, but funding for the luxury condominium and retail project has dried up.

Elected officials hope the new project also will be like a downtown for South Salt Lake, which has long struggled with high crime rates and an identity problem because of its larger neighbor to the north. What is now an aging industrial area near the freeway interchanges known as the "Spaghetti Bowl" could be transformed into a gathering place with restaurants, shops and theaters, city staffers said.

"The city is stepping up economic development efforts," said redevelopment agency director Garth Day, who came to the city in January.

Day added that the site is nearby two major freeways and is intersected by a light rail line. If South Salt Lake's wishes come true, Central Point will also be bisected by the Sugar House trolley line.

"It's really a phenomenal place with a lot of opportunity," he said. "I view it as a game-changer in this valley."

e-mail: rpalmer@desnews.com