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SALT LAKE CITY — Tom Merrill wears many hats, including leadership roles in the Downtown Community Council and with the homeowners association at the building he lives in.
However, his biggest role is the father of two children. That can be a tricky role at times, living in the heart of Utah's capital city, especially when trying to navigate through the streets and trying to find parks to play in close to home.
That's why he was thrilled when he first learned about Salt Lake City's Green Loop, a project that's been in the city's pipeline since about 2016. The plan calls for a 5½-mile pathway that circles the downtown area, which would add about 60 acres of urban forest and park space, too. The project timeline received a boost when it was included in the city's "Reimagine Nature" plan finalized last year.
On Monday, Salt Lake City leaders unveiled an idea of what a portion of the project would look like. The city opened up a temporary pop-up park at 200 East and 400 South, featuring 190 trees and several activities on Monday, to help gather feedback as planners piece together a final plan.
"We couldn't be more excited for something like this to happen," said Merrill, standing by a makeshift badminton court taped onto the road surface in front of him. "We really need every inch of (recreation space) we can (get)."
A look at the Green Loop plan
Salt Lake City's downtown area is growing quickly, as its residential capacity is on pace to double from 3,846 existing apartment units in spring 2022 to about 8,000 units by about 2025. That's on top of the offices, hotels and venues in the area that bring in more people at any given time.
At the same time, the city compiled an assessment in 2019 that found a glaring need for additional park space in the city, especially in the downtown area. Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall said the city previously set aside $3.5 million to acquire land in the downtown area that could turn into a public park. As the cost of land in the downtown area quickly escalated, it was clear that creating a new park "was never a reality," though.
But city leaders realized they had the land for a downtown park hidden in plain sight, as long as they used a little bit of creativity. They already owned several 132-foot rights of way within the city's massive road system. That's when the idea for the Green Loop blossomed, a pathway and park surrounding the downtown area.
"(It's) incredible untapped resource for us," Mendenhall said.
The idea isn't new at all; there are several cities across the globe with similar systems. In fact, the mayor said Atlanta's BeltLine served as a major inspiration behind Salt Lake City's plan.
The current concept calls for a pathway that uses 500 West, 900 South and 200 East to circle around the city, with either South Temple, North Temple or a combination of the two completing a loop around the city. Those roads would remain open in the future but may end up with fewer lanes by the Green Loop. The boundaries are subject to change as the conception gradually turns into a plan.
The project could also add more than 10,000 trees and shrubs to the downtown area, which has the potential to combat some of the urban island heat effect issues that have worsened as the city grows.
"It would include these walking and bicycle trails but also environmental benefits," the mayor added, noting it's one of her administration's higher priorities moving forward. "The permanent Green Loop could also focus — and will focus — on providing safe, comfortable and attractive corridors for people to move along the linear parkway, not just on a single block but all the way through downtown."
Using a temporary park to gain feedback
In the meantime, the Salt Lake City Council set aside funding for a pop-up park along the proposed route, which will remain in place through June 11. Salt Lake City senior landscape architect Nancy Monteith points out that the city's transportation department has successfully used pop-up activities in the past, such as a temporary roundabout that ultimately led to the permanent home of the 9th and 9th whale sculpture, "Out of the Blue."
This pop-up aims to help residents visualize the Green Loop before any construction begins. She explained that often the city doesn't hear from residents until a project begins, so they decided to create an interactive experience beforehand.
"This is our attempt to kind of start that conversation right at the front end," she said. "It also allows us to really observe the traffic — is this doable from a traffic standpoint?"
The idea has already helped her team gather new insights, just from the process of setting up the venue. Delivery trucks needed some additional space to continue operations on the street, which remains open to vehicles over the trial period.
The pop-up park includes temporary plazas, seating and games, such as the badminton court. The city plans to have food trucks stationed in the area on weekdays and a beer garden every Saturday evening over the next six weeks.
Salt Lake City Councilwoman Ana Valdemoros, who represents the downtown area, said there will be family-friendly events held, too. The primary purpose of this pop-up is to have residents see how one might function so they can provide feedback on what features they like and don't like before a permanent plan is finalized.
City employees will collect feedback in person, while the city also conducts an online survey about the project.
"We definitely want to hear what you think," she said. "We really need to know and understand if you're going to allow this or not."
The Green Loop timeline
Salt Lake City planners will sift through the feedback they received from both in-person and online surveys to help design the final product, Monetih said. This process is expected to take one year to complete. There isn't an estimated price tag on the project right now because it's still being developed; however, she said it could be a project that wins grants from the federal government to help turn it into a reality.
Mendenhall said construction on the project is could begin in the next two to five years, pending approval from the city council.
"We don't know just yet (what the timeline is) because we're not quite sure what we're going to build," she said. "That's part of the ambition of these six weeks — to talk with the community, surrounding residents and business owners about what this experience is like (and) how it could be built in a productive route for everybody."
