This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Salt Lake County's search for an ideal location for a mid-valley cultural facility akin to the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center in downtown Salt Lake City is back to square one.
After lengthy consideration, the county rejected sites proposed by Murray City (the southwest corner of 4800 S. State) and Taylorsville (5400 S. 2500 West) because neither was close enough to mass-transit lines. In Taylorsville's case, it also did not have surrounding property that could be developed into an entertainment district.
"Neither of the two sites is optimal for development as a 50- or 100-year site," said Erin Litvack, the county's community service director, in advising the County Council of an advisory group's recommendation to drop both proposals and start anew.
"When we're making this kind of significant long-term investment [tens of millions of dollars]," she added, "we feel it is very important to get the location right to assure the facility's future stability and success. To be successful, it needs amenities that will support it, like restaurants and retail."
The County Council unanimously backed Litvack.
"We've waited this long. Let's get it right," said Councilman Steve DeBry, a resident of South Jordan. "I applaud the mayor [Ben McAdams] for putting on the brakes until we get it right. The cities can accumulate more data and maybe come up with a new idea so it's right all the way around."
Added Councilwoman Aimee Winder Newton, a former Taylorsville official whose council district includes parts of both cities: "I feel bad, for Murray and the Taylorsville art community is eager for something. I'm glad you're continuing to look for places to promote arts and culture."
No one from Taylorsville will be available until next week to comment on the county's decision, said city spokeswoman Tiffany Janzen.
Murray Mayor Ted Eyre was disappointed with the county's decision. He thought his city's proposed site, which for many years was the site of Grecian Gardens restaurant, met the desired criteria.
It's on State Street and reasonably close to Interstates 15 and 215 as well as the TRAX and FrontRunner lines, Eyre said, and fit integrally with the city's economic development plans for downtown Murray, which now has three hotels along with Intermountain Healthcare's hospital.
Those hotels will steadily attract visitors to the community, he added, and "they would need the theater for entertainment. We're redeveloping our downtown with bike trails and such and this would be a good addition to that concept. But we'll just have to see what the county wants to do."
Wilf Sommerkorn, one of the county's advisers, said the preferred site would be closer to high-capacity transit lines. The proposed Murray location, he noted, "is not real close [to TRAX]. It would take a hike to access transit. Walkways or covered walkways would need to be developed."
While Litvack said the county will use this decision to "step back and see what's the right way to go," she gave Taylorsville officials reason to keep looking for a better site.
Since the facility is supposed to serve both the west and east sides of the central valley, Litvack noted, the east side of Taylorsville looks like the best location to serve a larger population base.
The mid-valley facility was one of three recommended in a 2008 county master plan to spread arts-and-culture amenities throughout the valley — and not confine them just to Salt Lake City. Not as far along in planning, the other sites are in the valley's southeastern and southwestern quadrants.
She said one option the county will consider involves talking with school districts, which might be looking for a partner to increase the use of high school auditoriums.
And while the Rose Wagner theater was described as being similar in size to the anticipated mid-valley facility, Litvack cautioned "it would be a disservice to take the exact model for the Rose and to plant it into a community. Each community is unique and has its own needs."