I have watched closely since the announcement of the moving of the Utah State Prison, what the state would do with the 600-plus acres of prime land. The land belongs to the people of the state of Utah. I have also followed the various efforts to get public input on what should be done with the land. I attended the open house held Aug. 12 at Fred House Academy and was again unimpressed.
In an open house held at the Loveland Aquarium several years ago, I sat in the audience as different scenarios were presented to the handful of people in attendance. We were all given a clicker and would click on the option we liked best. At the end of the presentation an attendee stood and expressed an opinion held by most in the room. “Is this all there is?” The heavily development-driven plans were rife with high density apartments, high rise office buildings, a higher education component and very little open space.
My friend who accompanied me to the presentation commented, “It is very disappointing to see how money-driven the whole thing is.” The new plans recently created by a world-renowned urban planning team, Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, are glitzy and glamorous with lots of brick and mortar, glass and pavement. There are many storied office complexes, housing units, commercial nodes and promises of enhanced traffic innovations with a “balanced mix of land uses reducing off-site traffic and more walking.”
I was also dismayed in reading the narrative attached to the plan stating development would be uniquely Utah. I saw nothing that was unique to Utah. I have thought of many innovative attractions planners could have used, for example, a pioneer themed park, or homage to innovations that came from Utah, namely, Philo Farnsworth’s invention of TV. There are many, many more innovators that could be celebrated in a high-tech museum. It is a missed opportunity not to use Utah’s heritage as a focal point of the development.
My greatest disappointment in the plan is the lack of recreational open space. In reading through the public input comments found in the plan, many referred to the desire and need for open space and amenities that would allow citizens in the area to enjoy an outdoor environment. There is a trail system that would link the Jordan River and the mountains called the “River to Range Linear Park,” but in the 600+ acre plan there is only 21% of the land dedicated to open space. There is a “central park” 6 acres in size. In a parcel of ground as big as the prison, 6 acres is woefully inadequate.
As Little Cottonwood Canyon roadways fill with recreation-hungry citizens and local parks and mountains become destinations for so many of the old and new residents of Utah and Salt Lake Counties, I would think that more thought would be given to the need for places people can recreate and escape the hustle and bustle of city life.
Donna Barnes, Lehi