Multi-use construction project underway in Sugar House

Once the company View Street BRE, LLC receives final approval from the Salt Lake City Planning Commission, the developers will be able to bring more housing to residents with its mixed-use commercial and housing project.

The challenge was to incorporate the commercial street form of the building with the apartments, said commercial developer Rinaldo Hunt. He was pleased with the changes that the architects made to help it fit into the current neighborhood. “Bottom line, you have to take into consideration the neighbors,” Hunt said.

The developers will construct 29 apartment buildings for the development, called 21&View. When completed, it will nearly double the amount of housing available on the lot. The development will have two 1,400 to 1,500 square foot commercial units for office or retail. “The economy is what’s driving the size,” Hunt said.

Sugar House Land Use Chair Judi Short was pleased to see the developers using apartments instead of condominiums.

“The population is growing in Sugar House and there’s a need for housing. In the current economic climate, apartments do better than condos,” she said. “Banks are pretty much not loaning out for condominiums, period.”

The commercial portion of 21&View is proposed at 1327 East 2100 South. The apartment building will sit back behind the commercial units at 2070 South View Street. The mixed-use development will be made up of two identical buildings connected by an open-air pedestrian walkway.

View Street BRE, LLC chose the location because of its access to major transportation corridors, visibility to other commercial buildings, and proximity to the Sugar House Park.

“If [the tenants] of the apartments want to lead an active lifestyle, they can go across to the park,” Hunt said.

Hunt came to the November Sugar House Community Council meeting and the council provided feedback during the visit.

The trustees were concerned about large reflective glass being used as the exterior of the building instead of other materials. They also wanted brick. To mitigate light reflection, a non-reflective glazing will be added to the glass and brick will be used to fit into the neighborhood.

“They’re pretty good changes from the initial design. I think that [the reformed design] looks pretty good,” Hunt said.

Some of the residents living on 2100 South voiced concerns about what kind of parking issues the development would bring. The residents foresee tenants and/or retail users parking on 2100 South, which would keep current residents from parking in front of their own homes.

To accommodate residents more, View Street BRE, LLC got approval to put in extra parking spaces, above what the current code calls for.

“We wanted to work with the neighborhood,” Hunt said.

The developer will have the buildings on the property demolished before they begin construction, including Sugar House Village, which contains 15 dwelling units. The development will remove trees but then replace them with approx. 27 native trees.

View Street BRE, LLC selected Roger Knight Construction for the project. Construction is expected to begin in January or early February and should be completed by next October.