SALT LAKE CITY — Utah’s capital city is close to embarking on its ambitious goal to build a park trail system around downtown.
Salt Lake City is in the middle of designing the “civic center” portion of the Green Loop, a proposed 5.3-mile linear park that would wrap around the city. The first section would reimagine 200 East from 400 South to 500 South, or the road between the Salt Lake City-County Building and Salt Lake City Main Library.
The project would help the city revamp the library’s aging plaza and give an example of what the full project could one day deliver.
“This is an opportunity to reinvent what one of our most beloved downtown blocks feels like. By reimagining the right of way and the civic center together, we can bring more green into the city, strengthen transportation connections and make the entire area more welcoming for daily life,” said Nancy Montieth, project manager for the city, in a statement on Wednesday.
However, planners would also like feedback from residents about what they want out of the first piece of the plan. Salt Lake City Department of Parks and Public Lands officials launched an online survey this week, asking residents about the ideas they have for the block to make it a regular destination, the types of activities they’d like to see in the area and other preferences for the space.
Department officials also set up a “memory box” at the library that seeks to gather ideas about the area. The online and in-person surveys will be open through the end of this month.
Information gathered from the surveys will go toward a “vision study” for the area, which the city is working on, along with the landscape architecture firm GGN. It will help make early decisions on what the block will look like in the future.
The overarching goal for this segment is to make the plaza “accessible, comfortable and useful” for residents and events held in the area, public lands officials explain. Half of this summer’s Salt Lake City Twilight Concert Series lineup was to be held on the block this year, and it’s also home to other popular events, such as the Living Traditions Festival and Utah Pride Festival. It’s also been at the center of many protests over the years.
It will feature more trees, shade and new infrastructure, said Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall.
“By envisioning how the Green Loop meets Washington and Library squares, we can create a true civic destination — a more welcoming, shaded space where we can mingle, play and connect,” she said.
Members of the Salt Lake City Council voted in January to allow the department to use $3.1 million in city funds allocated to the project to carry out more advanced planning. About $3 million toward the implementation of the project is requested in Salt Lake City’s proposed Capital Improvement Program budget that the City Council is expected to vote on next week.
Other parts of the Green Loop could be completed soon, too. Monteith said the city still plans to add a tree canopy to the completed 9-Line corridor, which would signal the completion of the path’s southern boundary. The path has already generated a buzz, drawing as many as 37,000 users per month at different locations this spring, according to Salt Lake City’s transportation division.
The full project calls for the reconfiguring of parts of 200 East, 900 South, 500 West and North Temple/South Temple. It would also add about 60 acres of green space around the downtown area.
It’s unclear yet when the full project will be completed, as it’s estimated to cost $250 million to $350 million. However, city officials remain hopeful it could receive Olympic funding to be completed before the 2034 Winter Olympics and Paralympics.
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