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SALT LAKE CITY — The Granary District has become a somewhat unlikely spot for Salt Lake City growth as its downtown core continues to move beyond its existing footprint.
What was once a forgotten warehouse district by the entrance to Utah's capital from I-15 at 600 South, this area southwest of downtown is quickly budding into the next hip residential, restaurant and office space hub.
However, every new development that draws people to the section of the city from about 600 South to 1000 South and West Temple to 600 West adds new logistical challenges. That's why Redevelopment Agency of Salt Lake City planners are looking at sweeping changes to the neighborhood to reflect where it's headed.
The city unveiled its proposed new Granary District Area Plan on Tuesday, which outlines desired road configuration and intersection changes within the 16-block radius.
"The timing felt right to create this transportation-focused plan to be able to improve access, safety, connectivity, comforts for folks outside of vehicles," said Lara McLellan, transportation program and policy lead for Salt Lake City's transportation division.
The ideas included could be implemented within the next two to 10 years once it's approved by the city, she added. It's now up for public review before it's sent to the Salt Lake City Council for adoption.
Anticipating new growth
The Granary District's rise over the past decade wasn't much of a surprise for city planners. It had circled the neighborhood as a potential target area when it implemented a different area plan in 1999, according to Redevelopment Agency spokeswoman Kathryn Hackman.
She adds that the district is also home to the only RDA project area with its own financial program. The Granary District Adaptive Reuse Loan Program was created in 2016 to provide forgivable loans to developers who can revitalize the district's warehouse and industrial buildings.
These fueled the Granary District's growth, helping its population reach nearly 5,000 people last year. But its population is also expected to at least double by 2050, according to "modest" city projections.
About half of the district could qualify as housing and transit reinvestment zones, which aim to facilitate mixed-use, multi-family and affordable housing projects near light-rail and bus stops. These areas alone could potentially support over 10,200 new housing units alone, per the city.
The newly released plan focuses on transportation solutions for the district as it becomes more residential. The city started work on it last year after receiving funding from the Wasatch Front Regional Council to study options for the fast-growing district.
Handling Granary's growth
The plan, McLellan explains, focuses heavily on transportation beyond automobiles because most of the district lacks bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure.
"We're playing a little bit of catch-up, honestly, because the growth and development has happened so quickly in that area," she said. "The transportation infrastructure hasn't caught up yet."
Transportation planners collected input from about 200 neighborhood residents and a dozen businesses as they pieced together the plan. With the help of the feedback, consultants and the Granary District Alliance, they recommend parking options but also a mix of possible midblock connections, buffered and protected bike lanes, and shared-use paths.
There is also a potential linear park along 500 West, which marks the western edge of the proposed Green Loop project. All of these are broken up into "near-term" and "mid-term" projects, targeting the easiest opportunities first.
It's unclear how much all of the projects would cost.
Of course, the district is also poised to receive light-rail access in the future, which could alter how much growth comes to the district.
Utah Transit Authority's "Techlink Corridor" project would add TRAX lines that cut through a section of the district. While it's unclear yet when the project will be funded and constructed, UTA Director Jay Fox told KSL.com earlier this month that the agency is still pushing to complete it in the next decade.
This, the city plan states, would "support the new growth and accelerate access needs and demand to the new services" within the district. UTA hasn't decided if it will build one or two stations in the district, which could impact future growth.
Two stations would generate more transit zone opportunities, likely drawing more development. There are "open-ended" options in the plan to cover these differences, McLellan explained.
"Whether we end up with the number of residents we're currently projected (to have) or even more, we would still want to see the vision in this Granary plan implemented and providing opportunities for people using all transportation modes," she said.
The next steps
The city transportation division opened up a public comment window on the plan this week, where people can read the full plan and leave their feedback on the city's website through the end of August.
It will then be submitted to city leaders for approval before the city officially adopts it. That means it will be presented to the Salt Lake City Planning Commission and Salt Lake City Council, where there will be at least two additional options for residents to provide comment.
If approved, it could be implemented in late 2024 or early 2025 before any construction can begin.
"A big reason for getting this plan written and hopefully adopted by City Council is that we'll have these concepts and this vision that we can turn into funding applications," McLellan said, noting that funding could come from local, state or federal sources. "We'll move forward with the process from there."
