Trolley Square’s owner has resurrected long-standing plans to build hundreds of new apartments and town homes on a block just south of the Salt Lake City shopping center.
Historic-preservation and planning experts at City Hall are reviewing a new set of requests from Trolley Square Ventures to demolish or move five dilapidated brick homes along the perimeter of one of the mall’s main surface parking lots, centered at 644 E. 600 South.
Between that lot linked to the shopping center by a familiar metal sky bridge and the aging single-family home lots along 600 South and on midblock Ely Place, the plan would clear about 3.75 acres for residential development.
Trolley Square Ventures says it is pursuing construction of up to 350 new homes on the spot, according to city documents, much like it did almost nine years ago. The latest blueprints show new apartments and town homes would be spread through as many as seven structures, ranging between two and five stories tall.
(Salt Lake City) Rendering of housing proposed for construction south of historic Trolley Square in Salt Lake City. The mall's owner is seeking approval to demolish several aging homes to make way for the new residential development.
Because the site falls within the Central City Historic District, the mall’s owners request to raze four of the aging homes — and possibly move the fifth — requires review and approval by the city’s Historic Landmark Commission. So will any construction designs for new housing.
Known for its red-brick trolley barns, landmark water tower and wrought-iron balconies, Trolley Square was a streetcar facility until 1971, when it was converted into a shopping center. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.
Like several other legacy shopping malls along the Wasatch Front, Trolley Square has struggled with high vacancy rates as shopping preferences shifted increasingly online.
Business executive and philanthropist Khosrow Semnani — who has owned Trolley Square since 2013, when he bought the mall and surrounding lots out of bankruptcy — did not respond to requests for comment on the latest housing plans.
‘Much progress’ on plans
(Courtesy | Utah State Historical Society) Aerial view of the car barns, now Trolley Square in January 1945.
Existing zoning on the parking lot and home properties would allow multifamily construction “with relatively high density,” the mall owner says in the latest application, along with potential amenities such as a park and swimming pool.
Semnani and Trolley Square Ventures pushed a similar residential proposal in 2016 — and secured city approval for demolishing several of the deteriorated homes along 600 South and Ely Place, many of which were originally built more than a century ago.
(Chris Samuels | The Salt Lake Tribune) Khosrow Semnani presents “They Shaped Utah,” an exhibit of 60 prominent or underappreciated Utahns throughout history at Trolley Square in 2022.
Those construction plans had to be shelved, Trolley Square Ventures says in city filings, due to the financial fallout from COVID-19, rising interest rates and construction costs as well as “the nationwide demise of retail buildings due to online purchasing.”
The original city permits granted to demolish the deteriorated homes also expired.
In 2016, Semnani said he hoped that adding adjacent residential options, including apartments with multiple bedrooms, would lure individuals, families and retirees to complement the mall by giving residents walking access to its stores, restaurants and other amenities, including its anchor Whole Foods Market, the popular Old Spaghetti Factory, a fitness center and a range of businesses offering personal services.
In its latest application, Trolley Square Ventures says that as of last July “architects, engineers, planners and economic forecasters” have been rehired to push the housing development forward.
“Much progress has been accomplished,” the firm said in its City Hall application, which records show has yet to be scheduled for a public hearing.
(Salt Lake City) Rendering of apartments and town homes proposed for construction south of historic Trolley Square in Salt Lake City. The mall's owner is seeking approval to demolish several aging homes to make way for the new residential development.
The application includes engineering reports and architectural studies to support its assertion that the aging homes are uninhabitable, structurally unsound and vulnerable to seismic damage. The structures remain boarded up and disused, the application notes, with some having sat unoccupied for more than 30 years.
Housing — and customers — nearby
Previous plans for more residential spaces featured a main apartment structure with red-brick facade and historic elements. The designs also included a hotel, but it is unclear if that would be part of the latest proposal.
Since 2017, two other major housing developments have surfaced within walking distance of Trolley Square as the city continues to add residents amid a spurt of development.
Liberty Square, north of Trolley at 639 E. 500 South, has 48 town homes in eight buildings and another five residential units in a modified version of the old Ensign Floral Building.
Another project remains in the city’s development pipeline, proposed on the site of Western Garden Centers, east of Trolley at 550 S. 600 East. The latest version of those designs calls for 116 apartments.
Several other nearby properties are slated for sale or are in the process of other development.
Since Semnani purchased Trolley Square, his company has poured millions into refurbishing its exterior and support facilities. The mall has installed a kid-friendly museum and recruited an art gallery, coffee shop, fitness and yoga centers, a barbershop and a sizable events center available for private and corporate functions.
As now designed, the main new apartment complex south of Trolley would also include underground parking.
