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The company handling the renovation of the Trolley Square shopping mall said Wednesday it has no plans to change the overall look of the historic site.
"We're not doing anything to the exterior of the buildings," said Mark Blancarte, vice president of development for Blake Hunt Ventures, which is partnering with mall owner ScanlanKemperBard in the renovation of Trolley.
The property, built on an old trolley complex in use until 1945, became a shopping mall in the early 1970s. It is a historic site, which means ScanlanKemperBard would have to obtain permission to demolish buildings or radically change exterior facades.
But on Wednesday, Blancarte of Blake Hunt Ventures said his company won't be doing that.
Instead, starting sometime in January, his company will embark on a major interior renovation of the shopping center that will reorient the mall and get rid of the mall's "dark feel" and dated design, he said, noting that skylights will be uncovered and dead-end corridors removed.
Blancarte said better design will add about 20,000 square feet of retail space to the 160,000-square-feet, two-story shopping center.
"There's an opportunity to make Trolley lighter and brighter," he said, adding the renovation also will include making the property more accessible to people with disabilities.
If the company focuses on the interior of Trolley, it does not need to obtain special permits from the city's landmark commission to alter the historic site, said Alex Ikefuna, Salt Lake City's planning director.
Much of the work on the mall will be done after business hours so that existing retailers - and shoppers - are affected as little as possible. Okland Construction of Salt Lake City, which has experience in after-hours renovation work, has been hired to handle the renovation.
In addition to the interior renovation, Trolley's parking structure on the western edge of the property will be rebuilt. More parking will be added under a new 50,000-square-foot retail space being added on the northeast corner of the property.
Sources close to the deal say that retail space will be occupied by Whole Foods, the organic grocer. Blancarte and ScanlanKemperBard representatives would not comment Wednesday on Whole Foods, which also has been vague about its plans. Sources are reluctant to go on the record for fear of angering Whole Foods, which they say likes to announce openings on its own timetable. An announcement could come as early as next week.
Another major change at Trolley, Blancarte said, will be the addition of a number of outdoor elements, such as dining areas, fireplaces and "water" elements, including fountains.
Neither Blake Hunt Ventures nor SkanlanKemper Bard representatives would estimate how many of the tenants of Trolley would change once the changes are made. Rents undoubtedly will be higher in a renovated mall. Some tenants in Trolley have short-term leases and extremely low rents.
Although a number of big names, such as Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware, probably will stay, a number of smaller tenants are unsure of their futures.
Karri Jackson, owner of The Next Big Thing gift shop, hopes she will be one of those who remain. But she worries about rising rents.
"It's a great property and we would love to stay."