22-story tower is taking shape at 222 S. Main
By Jasen Lee
Deseret News
Brandin Lewis and Brad Ney place giant panes of glass on the top floor of the tower at 222 S. Main. (Keith Johnson, Deseret News)
Salt Lake City's skyline is slowly changing as construction on downtown's first high-rise office building in a decade heads into the "home stretch."
Chicago area-based Hamilton Partners is constructing the 22-story 222 S. Main office building that is scheduled for completion in November, according to Bruce Bingham, a partner with the commercial real estate developer. When completed, the 316-foot-tall structure will be one of Salt Lake's tallest buildings.
Bingham said the anchor tenant for 222 S. Main is already lined up: The Denver law firm of Holland & Hart will occupy the top three floors of the tower, and another law tenant is confirmed to lease the space directly below, on the 19th floor.
"We are 20 percent leased in the building," he said. "So we're airborne. We need altitude, though."
Several other prospective tenants have expressed "serious interest" in leasing space in the building, Bingham said. When construction on the building began in November 2007, Bingham said tenants could include enterprises in the banking and financial services industry, accountants, law firms and possibly a restaurant. With the project moving toward completion, Bingham said that the economy is affecting the company's ability to sign tenants to lease space. Many prospective clients are taking longer to make long-term financial commitments in today's uncertain economic climate, but there have been significant inquiries of late, he said.
"We've got one 90,000-square-foot tenant that's looking seriously at the building. … There's another tenant for 190,000 feet that's out there kicking it around, plus some other smaller guys," he said. "Not [happening] as good or as fast as we'd like, but least we're seeing some activity now."
222 S. Main will be the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, certified "Silver" energy-rated Class A office building in the Salt Lake Valley built from the ground up, Bingham said. He said that the building is designed to operate 15 percent below the state's energy-usage code. It incorporates high-efficiency rooftop heating, ventilation and air conditioning units with fresh air monitoring, and potable water use for landscape irrigation and internal use will be reduced by up to 50 percent with the installation of low-flow toilets and faucets, he added.
Don Billings, director of development and construction at Hamilton Partners, said the structure — featuring more than 350,000 square feet of Class A office space — will use sustainable energy resources.
"We plan on purchasing what's referred to as 'green' power for the whole building for the first two years of the project," he said.
Bingham said that contractor Okland Construction has the project moving ahead of schedule and under budget. He added that he is optimistic that the economy will eventually turn around, which could present some opportunities for downtown projects for Hamilton Partners and others, including some of the older properties that are currently vacant.
"There in an influx of people coming downtown. … We see a resurgence of activity that will eventually take care of the 'broken teeth' on some of the streets here," he said.
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WOW... All those parking lots screaming for a future.
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