The recent discussion regarding a new public market is a downtown project advanced by the Downtown Alliance and the Salt Lake City Redevelopment Agency. The RDA is claiming that, from two studies, neither of which studied the Fair Park site, the area west of the Rio Grande Depot is the better opportunity over the Fair Park site. James Rogers, the city councilman for the area, stated he has asked the RDA to study the Fair Park area for two years and now a study is about to begin. The steering committee of the recent study was comprised of business owners and government with not one west side community council member on board.
In a recent Facebook post, Jason Mathis, executive director of the Downtown Alliance, said about his support of the Rio area site: “not to enrich private developers but to create positive change for the neighborhood.”
Let’s see what the neighborhood is around Rio and who is being enriched.
West of Rio is a contiguous area of downtown. There is no semblance of a “neighborhood.” There are abandoned lots, light industrial businesses, a rail/bus complex, some apartments and, as far as the eye can see, no private homes.
There is no there there.
I cruised the area on my motorcycle and found blight and no contiguous walkable “neighborhood” remotely near. What this project will accomplish is an extension of downtown populated by apartment dwellers, which will enrich private developers despite Mr. Mathis’s assertion.
The recent RDA study says it is expected to be a walkable community with both commercial space and housing affordable to residents of all incomes. This is preposterous. Crossing multiple railroad tracks from the west side is a non-starter for me.
The partners that the Alliance and the RDA are courting are apartment developers, mainly Cowboy Partners and the Boyer Company. Cowboy Partners, which was on the RDA Steering Committee, is an ultra-luxury developer whose idea of “renovation” is stated at their site as “classy renovation” and “corporate splendor.” A search of their site says nothing about sustaining local neighborhoods nor affordable housing. This from their site, about a development near City Creek Center and Rio: “which includes upscale shopping and restaurants.” The west side needs the basics, not upscale.
Boyer is no different. There is nothing on their site that states any philosophy that supports local neighborhoods.
The RDA’s mission in part is to: “Promote the uniqueness, character, and identity of neighborhoods, and Implement housing policies with a range of housing options, including homeownership, for all income levels.”
The public market concept being considered for the Rio area does neither for any neighborhood, especially the west side.
The Downtown Alliance touts its experience with farmer’s markets, but a public market is more like a mini city, not just fruit stands and art tents. The Public Market in Seattle and the San Francisco’s Ferry Building are prime examples, especially Pike Place in Seattle.
The Project for Public Spaces, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people create and sustain public spaces that build strong communities, lists 10 Qualities of Successful Public Markets. Four key takeaways do not apply to the property west of the Rio Depot: 1) “Reflects Community - The market should be a symbol of community identity; 2) Housing - Nearby residential provides a built-in customer base; 3) Local Economy - Use the market as a hub for local revitalization; and, 4) Spin-Off Opportunities - Market activity should provide a valuable customer base for neighboring businesses.”
This project, if placed at Rio, does much for downtown and almost nothing for the west side.
The board of directors of the RDA is a mirror of the city administration and the city council, same individuals. The west side citizens have some leverage in this matter; the city is asking citizens to approve a tax hike and an $87 million bond issue. Thousands of west side voters may want to think about using this leverage to convince the city to rethink this project.
The public market belongs at Fair Park.
Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune Terry Marasco speaks about a bill he and his group re-wrote as Utahns concerned about environmental health consequences and community impact from creating a state controlled inland port authority in Salt Lake CityÕs northwest quadrant held a press conference in the capitol rotunda, Sunday, March 4, 2018.
Terry Marasco, Salt Lake City, is a businessman and community activist.