Reader comments
New look for lot at University of Utah

Anonymous | 3:31 a.m. March 26, 2008

This is a great idea- as long as the neighborhood directly to the West is preserved.

Jeff | 5:06 a.m. March 26, 2008

I see two opportunities.

1. Make the parking a multi-level structure thus increasing the number of stalls and make it flat in the process. Put a mid rise housing project close to the station and commercial on the no/west corner of the lot. But the stadium needs to be the focus. It is an entrance landmark to campus all by itself whatever is done should tie in well with it. Us the same sandstone the stadium has light fixtures, colors etc.

2. On game days have the normal parking move to the covered lower lot and move tailgating from its current location to this new lot where it should be anyway for "major collage football". Now you have an opportunity to do something more on the corner of 5th and Guardsman Way.

I would also like to see a bridge like the Olympic Bridge on the east side of campus in this area for peds and students that spans 5th. This would tie the east and west sections of campus together visually.

Good luck

Jake | 7:52 a.m. March 26, 2008

1) The stadium is a landmark that can be seen clearly from downtown. Hopefully they don't plan to cover it up behind a bunch of other building.

2) If there's one thing the U loves to do, its building new stuff on top of parking. If people can't park at the U, it doesn't matter how cool it looks.

Comments continue below

Students last | 8:26 a.m. March 26, 2008

Wow - the University is absolutely relentless when it comes to making it harder for students to attend classes. When it comes to increasing their funding at the expense of students - students always lose. The University will sacrifice a quality undergraduate experience even for tiny amounts of benefit.

Strange | 9:21 a.m. March 26, 2008

I think the parking lot is an eye sore, but honestly where are you going to have students park while you are redeveloping it? Also, if you put in condos and all of this stuff, you lose the essense of the stadium and being able to view it from downtown. What does the University gain out of this...and at what cost to the students. It's interesting that students are the customer being served yet never put first.

Nate | 9:36 a.m. March 26, 2008

I love the idea, but please DON'T OBSTRUCT OUR VIEW OF THE STADIUM!

Deltabelle | 9:39 a.m. March 26, 2008

Please, please, please don't wreck the stadium view. It is a landmark in our community. This just sounds like some money-grubbing developers at work.

Matthew | 9:42 a.m. March 26, 2008

Lets see, we are going to include "at least the same number of parking spaces" in the new development but we are going to create new parking demand with new housing, new commercial space and additional university facilities.

That equation equals a HUGE net loss of parking. What grade did this student project get?

Reader | 9:56 a.m. March 26, 2008

Sounds like somebody is dreaming. I wouldn't expect to see this idea get off the ground anytime soon. A ton of issues need to be studied and resolved before it is even determined to be viable.

U Grad Student | 10:11 a.m. March 26, 2008

A year ago I visited Arizona State and the University of Arizona to do some research and was struck by the vibrant and upscale shopping and dining opportunities around those campuses, all within walking distance. Granted the U is closer to downtown Salt Lake City's numerous amenities which are easily accessed by TRAX than are those two universities to Phoenix and Tucson. Still, I think some smart development could make the U more of a destination than it currently is. Just be sure to compliment the stadium architecture rather than obstruct it.

Student | 10:06 a.m. March 26, 2008

With The U Being a commuter school as it is. Parking is vital! There are already to few spaces on campus and the Situation has only became worse as enrollment has increased. While it is an eyesore perhaps the only thing that should be built on the land in a new multilevel parking structure. If they do intend to pursue this project they at the very least should pursue to increase parking availabity elsewhere on the campus.

staff | 10:33 a.m. March 26, 2008

Does anyone really think that the U is worried about protecting parking spaces for students and staff? They make students, staff, faculty and most visitors pay to park and if they build a parking plaza where flat parking spaces once were it will be less spaces and more $$$ to park!

Who is watching out for the students and staff but those who have reserved free parking and, it seems, want to raise the image of the U at the expense of access to the U by those that pay raising amounts of tuition and raising parking fees to go to work for sub par wages.

Resident | 10:43 a.m. March 26, 2008

Being a resident to the direct west of the Stadium, I welcome this development. Yes, it will make parking tighter but that area is served by awesome transportation (the shuttle and TRAX), and commuting by public transportation should be the future anyhow.

My only concern as well is the look, and not obstructing the view of the stadium but with the right design and retail mix this could be an amazing neighborhood enhancement. Bring it on.

Transit Oriented Development | 11:27 a.m. March 26, 2008

This mixed use development is a great idea to enliven the U of U campus. I think people should take off their car-centric blinders and recognize that compact, walkable, energy-efficient transit oriented development is the way of the future. If we go on developing Utah the same way it has been done for the last 40 years, with one car per adult, plus parking spots at home, work and the mall, plus roads to connect up all the parking spots, we'll be in deep trouble. The traffic eats up our time, the pavement eats up over half our usable land, and the air pollution eats up our health.
A developer in Ogden proposed a somewhat similar transit oriented mixed use development adjacent to the Weber State University campus a couple of years ago. What ever happened to that project? Does anybody know?

Parking thoughts | 11:33 a.m. March 26, 2008

If they are going to do this they should build a large multi-level parking structure to the west of the VA hospital (diagonally across from the football practice dome). They should setup a frequent shuttle service on the lower level and then they can feel free to 'develop' the said piece. I agree with other posters that they are foolish if they create a 'net' parking loss for any amount of time. As for cost, time is money. I still laugh about my days there in the late 90s you would see some students idle or drive around for 30 minutes for a prime spot 'on campus.'

One final thought: hopefully those with these brilliant ideas ought to consider what I suggest above rather than throw a huge multi-level parking structure up directly west of stadium with student housing, offices, retail etc. Do neighbors who live in the area really need or want hundreds of more cars housed behind their back-doors?

Final thought 2: It seems that there is no end to the dreams and schemes to spend money for the sake of building 'up campus.' Don't just develop because 'you can'--take a course on return on investment.

Kim | 11:53 a.m. March 26, 2008

What is wrong with keeping it just like it is? Everyone knows that parking is already scarce. I know this all too well as I live in the area...especially on Autumn weekends when there are football games. I've heard that developers DO want to sacrifice the old historic homes west of the stadium and put in a strip mall or a mini-Gateway. This OUTRAGES me! There are already plenty of strip-mall-type shopping outlets just a few blocks west on 400 South, also ALREADY on the Trax Line, and therefore convenient enough for University students who use public transit.

There are a number of reasons why I and most of my neighbors live in the established and historic neighborhoods surrounding the U of U, and the fact that they do NOT contain strip-malls is high on that list of reasons. Any greedy developers wanting to come into the area and destroy it this way can count on running into LOTS of opposition from the local residents.

As limited the public land area for university purposes already is, commercializing even one square foot of it unconscionable.

Anonymous | 12:01 p.m. March 26, 2008

Jake, Students Last, Student, staff and others who daily have dealt with U anti-car mentality are right.

To creat the "need" for TRAX, the U shot itself in the foot, transportation-wise, by building lots of new buildings in the 90's without adding parking. A key campus expert stated "...they were plunking down new buildings in the parking lots of older buildings--just multiplying the parking problems for students and staff." Sound familiar?

BYU did it very differently.

They offerred free UTA passes to all students, faculty, and staff for 2 years.

Then, gasp, they asked them if they liked it. (The U-Lords already know what is good for THEIR campus).

A Carter-Burgess consultant poll showed 87% dissatisfied for one reason or another.

BYU retained the passes at a huge discount, for those who wanted them, but decided to provide adequate free parking as well in response to the NEEDS of University patrons and staff.

At a time like this, the U is always looking for new ratholes to stuff the publics money into.

I hope they don't take the little white "house" on the corner below the parking lot. It was once the station for the Emigration Canyon Railway trolley.

MUSS | 2:07 p.m. March 26, 2008

Having looked over the whole plan, this is only the beginning of a terrible redevelopment for the university. Hundreds of parking stalls are being built on and only one parking structure is planned for (in the business loop by the huntsman center) but that is just to cover the spots being taken away from there. I would be all for it if parking structures were better. Come on U, you can't count on the LDS institute to put in more stalls can you?

anonymous | 3:08 p.m. March 26, 2008

People should look at what this project actually is. At this point, it is entirely conceptual. The only renderings are from the students class. The process is just starting and it begins with finding out if anyone is interested in partnering with the U to do it. The design will come later. If you can dig into the documents released by the U (they are not easy to find) then you will see one of the goals is to replace the lost parking and provide an additional 500 stalls on the site for use by the U and an additional 130 stalls elsewhere. The early phases of the project is to simply get all the issues out on the table at the beginning so solutions can be explored.

The U only controls the parking lot. The residential area east of 1300 East is owned by a number of indiviudals and the scope of the project is limited to the parking lot site. The doucment also clearly states that preserving the view corridor to and from the stadium is major design consideration.

Anonymous | 4:13 p.m. March 26, 2008

The last thing the University needs is more construction projects. Can't the administration take some time to stop worrying about more buildings and focus effort and money into bettering education?

Lynn | 4:50 p.m. March 26, 2008

Let's face it, the parking lot has nowhere to expand. Residences to the West, the Cemetery to the South, the Reservoir to the East, Not sure about what's to the North. The need for parking is acute. Best on the West make a ground level drive in parking structure which on the 2nd tier would be ground level at the stadium and 1 tier above the drive in at the West or go for 3 tiers. But then the problem at games is too many cars in the same place trying to come in or go out at the same time.

In other words, leave it alone!

WC | 5:31 p.m. March 26, 2008

I'll echo some of the comments on here. I think it is a great idea as long as it doesn't block the view from downtown to the stadium...it is a cool things to see and sort of a landmark (as another poster said)

SLC'er | 5:32 p.m. March 26, 2008

I think this will be a great project. It would create more housing opportunities for students on campus and provide more commercial areas for these students to shop at eat. Hopefully, it will make the campus more of a traditional campus where every student doesn't need a car.

To Anonymous | 6:57 p.m. March 26, 2008

The U also gave free UTA passes to students for many years. Since I no longer attend the U, I don't know if they still do.

I think this development sounds like a really great idea. It'll be right at a TRAX stop, which means many of the workers and dwellers can ride TRAX.

40,000Free TRAX passes@U | 10:12 p.m. March 26, 2008

The U is the biggest purchaser of "free " passes from UTA. They spend over $1.5 million a year.

Add another 10,000 passes at reasearch park and non-U businesses near the U Hospital.

This is how UTA and tyhe U scammed the public on so-called TRAX "success". Thousands of students, staff ansd faculty were forced out of their cars by failure to build needed parking.

The background of this idea for was noted in a report from the Minetta Transportation Institute.
Force them out of cars with draconian parking controls and "give" free passes to thousands. The title of the report was something like, "Lessons from the Most Successful Transit Agencies in the 90's".

The report mentioned that this worked really well at the Univ. of Florida at Gainesville.

A UDOT engineer told me this was what is known as a forced mode shift.

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