Salt Lake City Vista as seen from Sugar House Park
by kris247
Trail's Development Project » To link park with Hidden Hollow under 13th East.
By Derek P. Jensen
The Salt Lake Tribune
A fashionable stretch of Sugar House soon could be transformed, but it has nothing to do with the promised shops and condos on the Granite Block corner.
Instead, envision a sun-dripped tunnel -- draped with lush vegetation -- luring Sugar House Park regulars west under 1300 East to Hidden Hollow and nearby boutiques then back again.
Besides making the neighborhood more walkable, the route eventually could become a haven for bikers and hikers interested in spanning the south side of Salt Lake City from the Bonneville Shoreline Trail to the Jordan River Parkway.
In recent days, Salt Lake City and Salt Lake County agreed to tap open-space funds to buy property owned by Woodbury Corp. to make the long-planned tunnel possible. Once the agreement is signed, officials say they can solicit contractors as early as January and begin work this winter.
"It will be a much nicer experience to not have to cross that many lanes of traffic," said Maggie Shaw, new chairwoman of the Sugar House Community Council. "Having a park and open space connected in close proximity to a shopping area … it just makes it more walkable and aesthetically pleasing."
The tunnel and trail connection long has been the vision of the nonprofit Parleys Rails, Trails and Tunnels (PRATT) coalition. The group's goal with the so-called "Draw at Sugar House" is to complete an essential connection in the Parley's Creek Trail, as well as enhance the biological corridor.
An artist commissioned to do the design pictures a tunnel that would invite natural light and living vegetation "reminiscent of the historic ravine that once occupied this site."
To finish the tunnel, the county has agreed to kick in $275,000 and the capital city $110,000 to purchase the parcel on the west side of 1300 East between 2100 South and Wilmington Avenue. PRATT's Lynne Olson warns Woodbury has yet to sign off on the sale, although there is no hint of a holdup.
"An improved walking route will lead to less driving and cleaner air," said Emy Storheim, the city's open-space-lands program manager. "We support the concept. Everybody's real excited."
While the city will own the land, an interlocal agreement calls for the county to maintain a preservation easement for the "draw," according to Lorna Vogt, former county open-space manager.
"That way there are two agencies owning and protecting the property."
Vogt notes the open-space boards from the county and city first approved the project in 2006. In the interim, while appraisals were done, the parties have made an even bigger push on fundraising to cover the estimated $3 million price tag.
Much of the money is in the bank. That includes a 2005 federal appropriation and tier-two money from Zoo, Arts and Parks coffers, along with cash from the county's parks and recreation division, PRATT and the Utah Department of Transportation.
"It's quite a complicated and involved project," Vogt said. "We hope to start work this winter."
Eventually, the scope is bigger still. PRATT sees the pedestrian tunnel under 1300 East as a key cog in an east-west path to connect -- in phases -- the east bench and the Jordan River.
Already, Parley's Creek Trail is being extended along Interstate 215. And last year, hikers and bikers cheered the completion of a 140-foot steel-truss bridge over Interstate 215.
PRATT hopes that, besides linking open space with the Sugar House business district, the draw will encourage walkers, runners and bikers to get more exercise.
Once completed, the recreation route also will skirt a planned trolley car that can ferry residents to the neighborhood from across the valley -- without car keys.
"As time goes on," Shaw predicted, "just being tethered to your car may become a thing of the past."
Elevations of Coming Sugar House Projects by adjustable pliers - http://flickr.com/photos/adjustablep...7603954228023/
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