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- Salt Lake City Council approved $3.1 million for Green Loop's planning as it gets closer to construction.
- The project aims to add 54 acres of green space downtown, potentially starting with the city's "civic campus."
- City leaders have expressed a desire to complete the project before the 2034 Olympics.
SALT LAKE CITY — A "linear park" that could circle downtown Salt Lake City within the next decade has taken another step toward reality.
Members of the Salt Lake City Council voted this week to release a little over $3.1 million in previously allocated funds for more advanced planning and to develop construction documents for Salt Lake City's Green Loop's "civic campus" section in Central City, following a request from planners behind the project. The section would include Washington Square and Library Square to provide a possible blueprint for the rest of the project as planning inches closer to construction.
"The civic campus and downtown have the greatest green space needs in the city," said Blake Thomas, senior adviser on real estate and capital projects for the Salt Lake City Mayor's Office during a presentation on Tuesday.
A portion of the money will also go toward initial design work for a section along 500 West, from North Temple to 900 South, despite some pushback from council members.
The Green Loop is a proposed 5.3-mile linear park surrounding Salt Lake City's downtown core, which was included in the city's long-term parks plan to creatively address a shortage of green space in the downtown area. It's now estimated to add about 54 acres of new green space to the city by reconfiguring parts of 200 East, 900 South, 500 West and North Temple/South Temple.
City officials launched a temporary pop-up park along 200 East near 400 South in 2023 as part of an initial feedback process as the loop is planned out. It held a similar event last year in the Granary District, where the proposed southwest edge of the loop would exist.
City officials estimated in August that the project would cost $250 million to $350 million, likely being completed in phases over the next decade because of its cost and complexity. It's one of the projects that could receive funding ahead of the 2034 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, as the city prepares to host the global event.
Officials had indicated at the time that construction could start with a section of 500 West as early as 2026, before moving to the 200 East section.
Over $1.5 million of the newly released funds — allocated through the city's Capital Improvement Program — will go toward advancing "conceptual planning" for the 200 East section so it can coincide with the city's Library Square visioning process, as well as developing construction documents for the civic campus. Another $628,000 would go toward planning on the 500 West section to develop a conceptual design that's about 30% of the final design.
According to a memo to the City Council, the rest would be used to develop guidelines related to "project development and public space management" and to cover cost contingencies.
Members of the City Council appeared more enthusiastic about releasing civic campus funds. Salt Lake City Council Vice Chairman Alejandro Puy said he views that section as a good starting point to "prove the concept." However, the council was split on whether 500 West was ready for planning before ultimately agreeing to include that funding piece.
"I think it's time to move forward to get a more concrete plan," said Salt Lake City Councilwoman Sarah Young, arguing that it could help prepare for future resource and construction needs before possibly delaying efforts to advance the project.
Meanwhile, project leaders said the project can also incorporate parts of the city's new public safety plan as it moves forward. Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall unveiled the plan earlier this month following concerns outlined by state leaders.
Thomas said the new plan could be "complementary" to Green Loop efforts by adding more security. He referenced the plan's increased downtown police presence and potentially closed-circuit cameras similar to Seattle as ways that the public safety plan can "enhance the broader vision, operation and maintenance" of the Green Loop.
