Latest news with #SaltPalace
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Petiton started to bring the ‘town' back to SLC's Japantown
SALT LAKE CITY () — A petition has been started online, looking to bring the 'town' back to Japantown and to fill the historic area with Japanese businesses once again. This petition follows the recent announcement that Salt Lake County approved the sale of 6.5 acres of the Salt Palace for a new entertainment district, as well as Delta Center Renovations. The petition says its purpose is to activate 100 South Japantown Street with 'Japanese businesses, restaurants, and artist space within the Sports, Entertainment, Culture and Convention District, especially for any commercial space facing Japan Town Street.' How a Utah-based non-profit is working to fight food insecurity 'The whole thing that I have been focusing on is trying to reinvigorate the commercial aspect on that street, especially because the Smith Entertainment Group has mentioned that they will activate first south, and there's not that many specifics,' Clarissa Park, who started the petition, said. 'But to me, I just hope that they would activate it with commercial space and that they would prioritize Japanese businesses on Japantown Street.' Over two thousand people lived in Japantown before it was destroyed in the late 1960s when the Salt Palace Convention Center was built. It spanned across 100 South in Salt Lake City. Now, only a smart part of it remains, west of the Salt Palace, with the honor title 'Japantown Street.' The Salt Lake Buddhist Temple and the Japanese Church of Christ exist as landmarks that reflect the town's history. Yearly, Nihon Matsuri and the Obon Festival are celebrated in Japantown, focusing on Japanese culture and beliefs. Park wrote another petition about Japantown last year, focusing on , known as the Capital City Revitalization Zone, and asking that the Japanese American community be involved in the Participation Agreement between Smith Entertainment Group and the Salt Lake City Council. This petition received over 5,000 signatures. Park hopes the new one can reach the same amount. Park said that she lived half her life in L.A., and half in Utah, and was inspired by the celebration of cultural diversity she saw there. 'When I moved back, I saw that they had named 100 South between 2nd and 3rd West Japantown Street. I was like, 'Oh, that's so cool,'' she said. 'But where's the 'town' in Japantown? All that's left are the two churches. Coming from L.A., which is so culturally and ethnically diverse, it just made me really want to try to bring elements of what I experienced there back to Salt Lake because I know how ethnically rich Salt Lake is, too.' Park writes in the new petition that it remains imperative that the Salt Lake Buddhist Temple, Japanese Christian Church, and Japanese Garden remain protected and preserved as historical beacons and remaining pieces of Japantown, along with additions to celebrate the local Japanese community. 'I would love a place for me and my family to go to just on a whim. We don't have to be dependent on there being a festival happening or anything else,' she said. 'I just really saw this as an opportunity to get involved in the community again and hopefully raise awareness.' Park is grateful for all the support the petitions have received, and is asking people to continue spreading the word. Tonight, May 9, there will be an opportunity to sign the petition in person at Sugarhouse Coffee during the Sugarhouse Art Walk from 6 – 9 p.m. To learn more, visit the SLC Japantown Instagram. St. George set to host final IRONMAN race this weekend Otter-ly adorable: Help name the new river otter pup at the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium Rule banning off road vehicles in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area overturned Petiton started to bring the 'town' back to SLC's Japantown Pope Leo XIV celebrates first Mass as details emerge of how conclave votes coalesced Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
When will Salt Palace renovations begin? These are some of the next steps
Downtown Salt Lake City is on the verge of a drastic makeover, especially now that Salt Lake County has agreed to sell off a piece of the Salt Palace Convention Center in a deal that should kickstart renovation plans east of the Delta Center. However, that left many in the audience at Tuesday's CountSalty Council vote wondering the same question: What happens next? Those are the types of conversations just beginning as the 'sports, entertainment, culture and convention district' comes together. The next steps are about to get underway. Salt Lake County plans to launch a search for an architectural firm this week to help it map out more detailed plans for the blocks east of the Delta Center that are included in the downtown revitalization district. It hopes to have a firm hired by the end of summer, which will help map out the culture and convention side of the district. Once selected, the winning firm will also handle questions about other key logistics like demolition, site locations, feasibility and programming. Everything will center around the Salt Palace. Tuesday's sale paves the way for parts of the building west of 200 West to be demolished for Smith Entertainment Group's 'mid block' section, which may include mixed-use development on top of a plaza east of the area. It's still unclear how the space will be utilized, but the company's past renderings have suggested that tall buildings could be constructed within some of the spaces currently occupied by the convention center. Building heights of up to 600 feet are permissible within the district, per a rezone of the area Salt Lake City approved last year. Meanwhile, the county plans to build a second ballroom as part of a new convention center. Partial demolition of the existing building could begin as early as 2027, and the new Salt Palace could be completed by 2031, according to preliminary projections. Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson said the county wants to make sure that the new convention center is completed before 2034 because it's slated to be the media center and potential curling site when the Winter Olympics return to Salt Lake City. 'I'm excited that the visitor in 2034 is going to have this incredibly fresh, new, invigorated downtown,' she said, adding that the same can be said for residents. Changes are also planned for other county facilities neighboring the Salt Palace. County leaders voted last year to preserve Abravanell Hall, but county officials said Tuesday that the building's 'back of house' will have to be rebuilt to account for the new east-west walkway. They're currently working with the Utah Symphony as they raise funds and plan out updates to the building's other features. They're also working with the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art on planning out a new museum location after it was determined early in planning that the current building would likely be torn down and rebuilt. Of course, 300 West might be the biggest challenge between the Delta Center and the buildings east of it. State lawmakers floated around the idea of transferring 300 West in the area to Salt Lake City earlier this year, but a proposed bill to do that didn't clear the Utah Legislature. Smith Entertainment Group is 'working closely' with the Utah Department of Transportation on plans to discuss process and timeline, said Smith Entertainment Group executive Mike Maughan, in an update to plans on Wednesday. Whether the road is owned by UDOT or Salt Lake City, plans still call on a portion of it to be tunneled underneath the plaza linking the district together. 'We are going to be doing work on 300 West, and hopefully, (it'll be) done in a way that inhibits traffic the least,' Maughan said. More details about the road could be announced 'in the coming months,' he added. The county's land sale doesn't include a garden currently buffering the Salt Palace or the Japanese Church of Christ. County officials say they plan to maintain the garden moving forward. But church leaders and others with close ties to historic 'Japantown' say there are still 'serious concerns' as the project slowly moves from concept to reality. Lynne Ward, a Japanese Church of Christ elder, called for a series of construction mitigation steps before Tuesday's vote. Her congregation would like to see vehicle access for both its and the Salt Lake Buddhist Temple's parking lots during demolition and construction, along with ways to mitigate the dust, debris and potential damage caused when demolition begins. They'd also like to see that future buildings have multiple access points to avoid congestion along 100 South once new buildings are constructed, as well as new security measures to protect the church grounds. Those closest to the churches remain cautious about the future, especially since creating and expanding the convention center wiped out most of what once was a neighborhood with thousands of residents. 'If the two churches end up getting run over, shame on everybody,' said Brent Koga, a member of the Salt Lake Buddhist Temple board. Salt Lake City will largely oversee construction approvals within the district section. City leaders have expressed an interest in preserving and enhancing what's left of the neighborhood. Its agreement with Smith Entertainment Group last year included a provision that at least $5 million from a 'public benefits' account — generated from Delta Center ticket sales — go toward Japantown revitalization. Maughan says the company heard the comments. It plans to engage with residents and churchgoers before construction shifts to those parts of the district. 'We want to move as efficiently as possible and disrupt as little as possible,' he said.
