Sugar House 2015 in Review

District Seven Residents,

As another year comes to a close, let’s take a moment to consider some of the accomplishments in District Seven during 2015.

With thanks to the Sugar House Community Council for its recommendations, the City Transportation Division has added or will be adding key crosswalks at the following locations:

• crossing McClelland Street at the intersection with Sugarmont Drive

• crossing McClelland Street at the intersection with Elm Avenue

• crossing both streets at the 900 East and Elm Avenue intersection

In addition to these, installation of a new HAWK pedestrian crossing signal at the intersection of McClelland Street and 2100 South is scheduled for next summer.

Thanks to Amy Barry, Sugar House Community Council chair, who spearheaded a Capital Improvement Project request that resulted in the city council funding an improved and redesigned pond in Fairmont Park. Construction is scheduled to begin in the spring and be completed during the summer.

The council voted to provide matching funds for the Sego Lily in Sugar House Park just east of 1300 East, on The Draw. The Sego Lily will be the first flood control system in the world designed as a work of art. It will function as both a dam and spillway for intermittent flood waters that occur in Sugar House Park, and help prevent damage to homes and businesses in the area.

Designed by world-renowned artist Patricia Johanson, the Sego Lily will work together with the recently completed “Canyon” pedestrian walkway/bicycle path under 1300 East to help divert potential flood waters.

Police bike patrols are returning to Sugar House. In the coming months as officers are hired and trained, you will notice an increased police bike patrol presence in the Sugar House Business District and parks on the east side of Salt Lake City.

The first draft of a Small Neighborhood Plan for 21st and 21st is complete and ready to be presented to the city council. Work continues on the Parley’s Way Corridor Master Plan. This plan will provide a vision and direction for the corridor as future development opportunities arise.

This is an exciting time for District Seven. I will continue to work with my council colleagues and the city administration to help make our neighborhoods great places to live, work, dine, shop and play.

 

Happy holidays!

Council Member Lisa Adams

Sugar House Community Council Update

2015 was a year where Sugar House finally saw some of the construction come to an end. The fence around monument plaza came down as the city finished construction of our very first pedestrian plaza. People started using our public space, and businesses have started to fill in the heart of the business district. We continue to see great events come to our area with Monday night food truck rally, Friday night Sugar House Farmers Market, free concerts in Hidden Hollow and an amazing Sugar House Art Walk that continue to make our community so lively. 

On a different note, residents also began and will end the year struggling with some major development projects/proposals at 21st & 21st and the old Granite Furniture warehouse. We continue to struggle with how to grow and reduce the negative impacts of this growth.

Sugar House needs to continue to push the dialogue with the city regarding the demolition ordinance that allows for blight to continue in our neighborhood. We need to push the discussion about how we want our neighborhoods to grow and be invested in the process.

Sugar House needs committed efforts to get more affordable housing to meet the needs of those that work in our community, but can’t afford to live here. We are losing out on people who make a difference to our lives in teachers, police, fire personnel, etc. who should be welcomed into our community.

Sugar House will continue to have real problems with traffic impacts due to the growth. We need a transit master plan that makes sense, and we need to pay attention to pedestrian circulation safety issues in the business district.

We finally saw an end to the construction, but it was only temporary in the heart of the community. Not only are we looking at 105’ building on McClelland and Sugarmont, but we are likely to see much of the same thing on the east side of that block. We are just waiting for Craig Mecham to file his plans with the city. Residents need to stay involved in all these developments, since we are the ones that experience the impacts with traffic, parking, etc. We certainly are not done with the construction. The small area plan for 21st & 21st should be completed early in 2016, and we will see something different coming up there, and it is our voices that can help make those projects more compatible with our neighborhoods.

Ultimately we still have such great amenities in our community that is rarely seen elsewhere in this city.