Better lighting along a blighted path. Space for pickup futsal games in a beloved park. A new playground in Poplar Grove.
Those are just a few ideas for the Jordan River corridor at the heart of the west side in an annual process for deciding which major projects get funding from City Hall.
The initiatives, part of Salt Lake City’s proposed capital improvement program, would be part of an ongoing focus from governments, nonprofits and community groups to spruce up the corridor, Jordan River Commission Executive Director Soren Simonsen said.
“A lot of these projects seem to be moving in that direction as well,” Simonsen said, “of thinking about how we transform this corridor from kind of a forgotten, leftover space, kind of the back-of-house for industry and neighborhoods, to becoming a real center of activity, community and biodiversity.”
The City Council allocates dollars each year to fund improvements to city-owned property with a focus on parks and roads projects. This month, the council received a proposal from city staff on how to spend about $43 million across Utah’s capital in fiscal 2025.
What’s in it for the west side?
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) The Jordan River Trail, near Jordan Park, on Tuesday, July 2, 2024.
Mayor Erin Mendenhall’s proposal to the council includes 31 projects, seven of which are exclusive to the west side. Other citywide projects, like the Livable Streets initiative that aims to make neighborhoods safer for bikers and walkers, would result in significant west-side investment.
City officials received 72 internal and constituent-driven applications for funding this year. If all were fully funded, it would cost over $90 million, far exceeding the maximum budget of just under $58 million. Some of those dollars have already been allocated to ongoing obligations, leaving $43 million on the table for new projects.
If adopted as proposed, the Jordan River corridor would get a significant slice of that funding over the next couple of years.
Alongside soccer nonprofit Free the Game, the city could invest in futsal courts at Jordan Park or the 9th South River Park by repurposing unused concrete spaces or adding new ones. Other parks on the east side are also in play for futsal funding.
Nearby, the stretch of the Jordan River Trail between Indiana and California avenues might see a host of improvements with new lighting, safer pavement and better irrigation for plant life along the path.
City Council member Alejandro Puy, who represents the neighborhood, said it’s time to prioritize the river and its paved trail.
“We really need to put our money where our mouth is and start taking chunks of it and improving it,” Puy said. “If you see the Jordan River in other jurisdictions down south, and even up north, you will see how amazing it could be.”
Slightly farther north, the mayor’s proposal reserves funds to create a small pocket park, complete with a playground and a seating area at Jake Garn Way and 600 South on an existing city-owned parcel.
The proposed projects along the trail come as west-siders have frequently criticized upkeep of and illegal camping on the city’s existing properties near the river. Concerns over drug use along the path have resulted in frequent police operations along the trail.
What else council members want
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Bend in the River, a section of the Jordan River Trail, on Tuesday, July 2, 2024.
While no funding in the proposal is allocated toward the new Glendale Regional Park, council member Sarah Young, who represents Sugar House, indicated she’d be open to spending more money there.
The project is already slated to receive millions over several years, but Young supports finding additional opportunities to more quickly make investments in the park.
Council Chair Victoria Petro, who represents the Fairpark and Rose Park neighborhoods, called attention to a currently unfunded constituent application to create a “food forest,” where fresh produce could be grown and eaten by Jordan River Trail users who pass by near Cottonwood Park. Other council members have signaled interest in the proposal.
For his part, Puy said he’ll be looking for funds to improve the International Peace Gardens and the Fred and Ila Rose Fife Wetlands Preserve.
Elsewhere in the city, meanwhile, other initiatives in the capital improvement program include funding for Mendenhall’s proposed Green Loop surrounding downtown, steps toward restoring the Liberty Park greenhouse and urgent repairs at Memory Grove Park.
Council members have to finalize their funding decisions by Sept. 1. The council will hold another public hearing on the proposal at its meeting on Aug. 13.