If it was up to Gina Zivkovic all the empty lots and parking strips in the valley would be planted with herbs, tomatoes, fruit trees and flowers. Gina is passionate about gardening and makes her living as a landscaper. In 2004 she started a community garden on a lot that was empty except for weeds and a Reagan Outdoor Advertising billboard at 300 North and 900 West. Reagan … [Read more...]
Archives for June 2013
Carriage Rides, a great way to see Salt Lake City
“This city’s history is written in hoofprints,” says Lisa Deon. She drives one of the elegant carriages that ply the streets of downtown Salt Lake and Memory Grove Park. She is correct. For decades, horses hauled the stuff of commerce that built this city. Now the gentle draft horses create the stuff of memories for their passengers. ”People take carriage rides for any … [Read more...]
Salt Lake City’s Parking Meters
They are blue hungry monsters, and they need to be fed.” said one Salt Lake City business owner describing the downtown parking meters, which cost an estimated $15 million of taxpayer money to collect $2 per hour from residents who want to visit downtown Salt Lake City. This long-time downtown business owner (who wished to remain anonymous) said these meters have caused her … [Read more...]
Trolley Square Utah’s local mall once again?
Trolley Square was facing demolition and irrelevance, when a man named Wally Wright had a vision for the space: to turn it into a place for local artists, boutiques, antiques and food. The character of the building matched the character of the tenants. Wright transformed the Trolley barns into a true community gathering place. At its height in the late eighties Trolley was … [Read more...]
City Creek Center Epitomizes Crony Capitalism
Part II of the Empire Strikes Back Brigham Young would be rolling in his grave from the lessons he learned: local economies are strong when residents support “home industry.” The malls are full of chain stores which send the profits to Wall Street and corporate headquarters. The former local businesses supported local newspapers, local farmers, local ad agencies, attorneys … [Read more...]
City Creek Center’s Impact on Gateway and Downtown
Gateway Mall now has 95,000 square feet available to lease. Gateway is a shell of its former self, as the cannibalization of its best tenants by the City Creek Center is now nearly complete. The fountains at City Creek rise in triumph much taller than the Gateway Olympic Legacy Fountain. The Gateway was the epicenter of the 2002 Games. The Olympics were considered a crowning … [Read more...]