Planners hope to recreate 'Life on State'

SALT LAKE CITY — Back in its heyday, before I-15 was built, State Street was one of Salt Lake County's busiest roads.

Now, the road reaching from South Temple to 12300 South is second or third choice to stretches with more lanes, better scenery or fewer lights.

Ted Knowlton wants to change that.

Knowlton, a regional director for The Planning Center, a consulting company, developed the "Life on State Vision" with help from organizations such as the Salt Lake Chamber, Downtown Alliance, Utah Department of Transportation, Utah Transit Authority and cities across Salt Lake County.

The "vision" emerged from 10 months of planning, seven public meetings and several open houses to determine public opinion and current land use on the street. The resulting plan aims to unify and guide cities in their long-range planning and zoning along State Street, making it a more walkable and livable experience.

"We want to make a more livable State Street, rather than just a place people drive through," said Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon.

The plan deals with everything from how close buildings are to the street to how much landscaping they must have and where parking can be located. There's even the possibility of open, green, piazza-like spaces and monuments to mark each city's boundary along the road. Ideally, this kind of development could even attract a modern streetcar to the road.

But what the plan actually looks like depends on the cities.

"If you think about the different historical character of Salt Lake County cities, it varies so dramatically (that) we had to do a one-size-does-not-fit-all plan," Knowlton said.

The next step, he said, is to present the plan to city councils and planning commissions to see how it fits with the respective long-range plans already in place.

Murray Mayor Dan Snarr said his city would have to make big zoning changes to meet the plan. Much of Murray's stretch of State Street is covered in car dealerships, none of which have buildings close enough to the curb under the new plan. But such changes, Snarr said, are worth making.

"We can enhance the city and business and increase the livability along State Street," he said.

Snarr said he has already spoken with BMW about a glass showroom closer to the curb to meet the requirement.