The Larry H. Miller Co. is looking to take over the site of a failed permanent supportive housing project on Salt Lake City’s west side in a deal that would give it a prime parcel near its proposed location for a Major League Baseball stadium.
If it does ultimately acquire the site of the shuttered Ramada at 1659 W. North Temple, one of Utah’s most influential companies will have access to a key piece of land near Rocky Mountain Power’s North Temple development, the Power District. The Miller company is leading an effort to bring Major League Baseball to the development.
Asked Monday about the company’s involvement in the old Ramada site, Larry H. Miller Co. spokesperson Amanda Covington said that as company officials have worked on creating a mixed-use development in the Power District, they became aware of nearby land that could help provide “a robust and catalytic economic development lift” for the west side, including affordable housing opportunities.
“We continue to evaluate those parcels but have yet to close on any transaction,” she said in a statement. “We are committed to working with local leaders and stakeholders who deeply understand the critical needs of this community, including those who face challenging circumstances and who are building their American dream.”
Salt Lake City Council member Victoria Petro confirmed Monday that the company is looking to take control of the old Ramada site.
Until recently, the land was home to Ville 1659, a proposed 197-unit development that pledged to get unsheltered Utahns off the streets. Although the development received millions of dollars of government funding, the project failed to get off the ground.
Petro, who represents the west-side neighborhoods Rose Park, Fairpark, Jordan Meadows and Westpointe, said that although the loss of nearly 200 units is cause for a “mild level of panic,” the west side has shouldered a disproportionate share of deeply affordable housing options. She wants the lost units to be recouped in a more geographically equitable way.
In the interactions she has had, Petro said, The Larry H. Miller Co. has been responsive to her community.
“In that way,” she said, “my neighbors are in better hands because we were not getting that with the previous developer.”
Fellow west-side council member Alejandro Puy said his community wants to see more amenities, such as gathering places, come out of the redevelopment of North Temple. Residents want places that reflect the diversity of the west side, not another fast food restaurant.
He also hopes to see redevelopment bring more economic opportunities to west-siders.
“We have lost so much footing on the economic development of the west side that reflects the entrepreneurial nature of immigrants and people of color,” Puy said.
In a statement Monday afternoon, Mayor Erin Mendenhall said her administration has expressed frustration with the loss of permanent supportive housing units when the Ville 1659 project unraveled.
“If there is a sale of the property, the new owners should invest in the creation of deeply affordable and supportive housing on that site, which is so desperately needed, even if only temporarily,” she said. “Our community needs that housing now.”
The Miller company revealed in April that it was leading the charge to bring Major League Baseball to Utah’s capital. In January, the Miller company announced its triple-A team, the Salt Lake Bees, would leave the city for South Jordan’s Daybreak at the end of the 2024 season.
