After nearly four decades at its complex on State Street in Utah’s capital, Salt Lake County plans to pack its bags and move to the suburbs.
In a special 3 p.m. meeting Friday, the County Council voted to buy Overstock’s former Midvale headquarters for $52 million, county spokesperson Liz Sollis said Tuesday. The council met behind closed doors to discuss the purchase, she said, but approved the deal in a public vote.
“I am so excited for this opportunity for our residents. In addition to being an efficient use of taxpayer dollars, it moves county services to the more accessible heart of the valley,” council Chair Laurie Stringham said in a late Tuesday news release. “With this new space, we are creating a one-stop shop where residents can conduct all their county business at one location instead of going from office to office. The new complex is modern and unique, and we can’t wait to share it with everyone in Salt Lake County.”
The Friday meeting did receive a public notice, but the agenda refers only to a generic real estate transaction and makes no mention of the Midvale property. The deal was originally scheduled for the Dec. 10 council meeting but was pulled from the agenda without explanation. A public hearing on the potential move was held Oct. 29.
Sollis said in a Wednesday interview that the final approval happened when it did because the county’s third extension to its due diligence deadline was set to expire Friday at 5 p.m. The extension, she said, allowed county officials to assess the value and condition of the building and continue haggling for a better price.
From the time the deal was yanked from the Dec. 10 meeting to the time the council approved it, Sollis said, officials had negotiated $3 million off the original $55 million purchase price.
The county’s decision to leave for the suburbs came after a review of its current offices at 2001 S. State St. found the complex does not “adequately and affordably” meet public and employee needs.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Salt Lake County Government Center pictured in May 2022.
For the county to stay put, the current government center would have required at least $225 million in improvements, according to a county assessment.
The Midvale building, nicknamed the “Peace Coliseum” for its circular peace sign design and location on Coliseum Way, will need to be retrofitted. Sollis said the move to the new site will not happen until 2026 or 2027.
Until then, the county will perform whatever maintenance the State Street complex urgently needs. The county doesn’t yet have a plan for what will happen to the old facility, but in September, officials considered leasing or selling the property to offset the purchase of the new site.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) The 31,000-square-foot Peace Coliseum in Midvale in 2016.
Correction • Dec. 18, 2:50 p.m.: This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Liz Sollis’ name.
