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Murray City’s I-15 corridor gets approval for redevelopment makeover

May 17, 2018 03:41PM ● By Shaun Delliskave

Tim Tingey, Murray City’s Director of Administrative and Development Services, oversees downtown redevelopment plus two new development zones. (Shaun Delliskave/City Journals)

By Shaun Delliskave | [email protected]

Overseeing the transformation in the Murray City Center District would keep anyone busy enough; however, Tim Tingey, Director of Administrative and Development Services, has more development plans in store for Murray. At the April 17 Murray City Council meeting, the council adopted Tingey’s proposal for creating new business and professional office parks.

The creation of these new zones clearly indicates that the future focus of Murray’s redevelopment will be along the I-15 corridor. Presently the area between I-15 and 300 West features an eclectic mix of industries, businesses, and warehouses.

According to Tingey, a Business Park Zone is a new zoning designation that was defined in the City’s new General Plan to encourage a wide variety of office spaces, creative services, light manufacturing and technology uses, and employment opportunities in Murray.

The Business Park Zones can best be seen as two geographic areas, the largest of which are the city blocks near the I-15/4500 South interchange and also the areas that extend along 300 West from 5500 South to Murray’s southern border. Currently, there are no specific designations that are being proposed, but the City’s General Plan anticipates this zone to be located in areas along the I-15 corridor that are currently in manufacturing or industrial use areas.

“We are hoping that this zone will allow for a variety of uses to replace heavily industrialized areas of the city and to facilitate redevelopment and growth of new businesses, from technology to light industrial businesses. The goal is to also establish campus-type settings for these types of uses,” said Tingey.

Murray City wants to achieve a number of objectives with the new Business Park Zone designation, including: Encourage high-quality development while increasing the number of employers and jobs within the City; allow for the revitalization of areas within the city adjacent to I-15, as well as major arterial and major collector roadways; improve the urban design and streetscape elements in order to create a distinct visual quality for the area; and manage parking and site access in a manner that enhances pedestrian and bicyclist safety, as well as limiting vehicular conflicts.

Map of Murray City’s future planned development projects. (Map: Murray City)

 The city also wants the designation to encourage a safe, attractive, and comfortable environment for pedestrians and bicyclists by providing appropriate open space and landscape buffers, public sidewalks, bike lanes and other amenities as needed. Additionally, the City will encourage property owners, developers, architects, and contractors to use a mix of high quality, durable, low maintenance building materials which allow for LEED certification.

The Professional Office Zone is located in areas along the I-15 corridor, especially near the 5300 South interchange. There are other pockets along State Street as well.

A Professional Office Zone allows for more intensive office and retail uses in close proximity to transit opportunities and along transportation corridors such as I-15. It is different than the Business Park Zone due to the focus on office and retail uses with the potential for high-density projects along the freeway. This zone does not allow for light industrial uses.

“These areas are conducive to more dense office development. Our hope is to have additional large-scale office buildings close to transit and transportation corridors. These areas are more in line with market and land-use patterns that the city wants to see near interstate interchanges,” noted Tingey.

City planners hope these areas create the type of land uses that promote office and technology-oriented development, which aligns with the economic development goals for Murray in future locations that are prime for enhanced reinvestment opportunities. 

Tingey also noted that the zoning changes will not be immediately evident. “It is likely that it will take time to see these areas change to meet the goals for the new zones. Often times it takes multiple years for property assemblage by private investors to facilitate the changes we are hoping for.”