For those unaware, Harbor Bay Real Estate is a developer located in Chicago, which has circulated a potential development concept to be located along University Street at 300 South inclusive of the University’s Fine Arts West building. The website Building Salt Lake published information in May of 2021 about this project found here. The website describes the project as "a 10-12 story mass timber, likely mixed-use, all-studio project (with townhomes along one street frontage)." To be clear, this development concept is NOT a University of Utah sponsored project. U representatives have been approached, most recently in the Fall of 2021, with preliminary concepts. Presently the University of Utah is not engaged in any active redevelopment discussions related to the Fine Arts West building on University St. and 300 S. Many community members provided feedback ahead and during the Jan. 26, 2022, meeting. All feedback has been submitted to President Taylor Randall so he may be fully informed. Community request for follow-up Can the University of Utah representatives connect with President Randall and provide his administration’s position on West Fine Arts and this proposal? It was asked that the Presidents response be provided at the next Community Forum meeting.

The following is an excerpt from a longer article outlining the U's need for additional housing units on campus. "The fall 2020 enrollment data illustrates the need for additional on-campus housing. Fall 2020 saw an overall increase of students to 33,047—up from 32,818 in 2019. Enrollment of first-time freshmen increased 5.5% with 4,484 students, and new transfer students also increased by 9.5% to 1,416. The university also saw a record high in graduate enrollment with 8,404 graduate students. While it’s too soon to determine those figures for fall 2021, it’s expected these record numbers will again be exceeded." Read the full article here.

Features of the housing project:

• Four buildings, 552 units, single student living
  • Residents will be undergraduate and graduate students
  • Residents do not need to be members of the Latter Day Saints faith
• All net proceeds will be donated back to fund University of Utah scholarships
  • Rental rates have not yet been determined but will align with current market rates
• Located at the south-west corner of Mario Capecchi Drive and South Campus Drive
  • Demolition of The Church of Latter-day Saints meeting house at that location is currently underway
  • The proposed project currently sits on 5.4 acres of church-owned property and the title will not transfer ownership
  • Parking stalls will remain at 193 stalls, no net gain or loss of stalls from what currently exists

Additional questions and comments

1. The university should be aware that new housing projects on the U campus may reduce new commuter trips but will not reduce existing commuter traffic to and from the U.
2. Dirt, dust, and mud are already impacting Sunnyside Ave. and the new Ivory University House will only exacerbate the issues. What can be done when community members see these issues arise?
   1. All campus contractors are contractually obligated to first, prevent issues like these, and second, promptly clean the reported area.
   2. Contact Community Liaison Shawn Wood, shawn.wood@utah.edu, 801-585-9244, who will promptly connect with campus partners to rectify the issue.
3. Concerns were raised regarding the access point to the Madsen Clinic at Mario Capecchi and Research Road.

Information about the University Safety Department can be found at safety.utah.edu.

New Public Safety Building 

• The U's existing Public Safety Building on South Campus Drive was built in 1947 and has outlived its original usefulness by several decades.
• The building, located in the Guardsman Way parking lot is scheduled to open on May 3, 2022.
• A new Community Services Division within the department will focus on:
  • Advocacy, information and referrals to campus and community resources
  • Extensive Safety Planning and Danger Assessments
  • Assistance with Requests for Protective Orders and Civil Stalking Injunctions
  • Support filing police reports with UUPD
  • Information on Court Cases and the Criminal Justice System
• The facility will have updated technology that will support the needs of a growing department and more inviting spaces for the community to utilize when report issues on campus

Recent issues with fraternities and sororities

• Historically, Salt Lake City Police have staffed scheduled social events hosted on "fraternity row"
  • University of Utah police have taken over these duties due to staffing shortages experienced in the SLC Police department
  • Enforcement by police officers continues to end parties by midnight
  • Citations are issued as needed as a deterrent to poor behavior
• Jess Turuc is the Director of Fraternity & Sorority Life and can be contacted at jturuc@sa.utah.edu and 801-581-8061

How does the University of Utah Police department differ from BYU's police department and the issues experienced there?

• The University of Utah is a public, not private, institution and subject to all state and federal regulations
  • University of Utah officers must adhere to all rules and regulations set by the Peace Officer Standards and Training (Post)
  • Subject to open records requests (GRAMA)
  • Compliant with state and federal laws when it comes to transparency and compliance
  • Judicial standards are identical to Salt Lake City Police Department

University of Utah Police can be contacted at 801-585-COPS (2677) and calls will be routed accordingly.

Salt Lake City Police Detective Meinzer has been assigned to work with the East Central and University Gardens community groups. He can also be utilized as a resource when loud parties occur in those neighborhoods. His number is 801-799-3625.

Kerry has been in the position for a year and a half and provides senior administrative leadership for strategic planning and implementation of institutional sustainability efforts at the University of Utah. She oversees the work of the Global Change and Sustainability Center (GCSC), Sustainability Office, and efforts to incorporate sustainability into the academic curriculum. The presentation is available for download as a PDF here.

Key areas of focus 

The University of Utah defines sustainability as the following:

"Sustainability is the integrated pursuit of social equity, environmental integrity, and economic security for current and future generations."

Education

• To further our goals, today 78% of all academic departments at the university include at least one sustainability-related course. Sustainability Course Designations (SUSC/SUSL) allow students to identify sustainability-related courses through the course catalog across departments.
• More than 1/3 of University of Utah students graduate from a program with at least one sustainability learning outcome.
• In 2017, only 7.9% of U students graduated from a program with at least one sustainability learning outcome. By 2020, that number increased to 36.4%.

Research

• The U isa member of the University Climate Change Coalition (UC3): a collection of 22 leading research universities in North America working together to address climate change.
• 65% of academic departments are engaged in sustainability research.
• The Global Change & Sustainability Center's searchable database of research projects can be found here.

Energy

• The U has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 27% since 2007 and is on track to achieve the 50% reduction in emissions by 2025 called for in the U’s current strategic plan. These reductions have been achieved primarily through transitioning our electricity to renewable sources, building new buildings that are more energy-efficient, and improving the efficiency of existing buildings.
  • Currently, 50% of electricity comes from renewables (primarily from off-site geothermal) and when a new 20-megawatt solar project comes online will increase to over 70%.
  • New construction is built to the state’s high-performance building standard and LEED Silver level, and sustainability information is now included in the approval process for new construction.
  • Existing building stock is being aggressively retrofitted for efficiency using a revolving loan fund.
  • Collectively, we have increased building energy efficiency by over 25%, earning us recognition from the US Department of Energy’s Better Buildings Challenge.
• The U has reduced per person water use by 30% over the past decade through irrigation and interior plumbing upgrades. The U is making major investments this year to separate grass and tree watering to allow for less lawn watering while protecting the health of the state arboretum. This hydro zoning helps us prepare for future droughts.
• We have maintained our Tree Campus USA status since 2014.

Transportation

• Over 4 miles of bikeways added in last 4 years. You can find all the campus bikeways on the campus map by turning on the bike route filter under “transportation.”
• The U has earned a gold certification as a bicycle-friendly university and recent improvements include:
  • Mario Capecchi - bike lanes from Foothill to South Campus Drive; multimillion-dollar investment in shared use path from South Campus to 1900 East
  • 200 South reconstruction for enhanced bike/ped/bus infrastructure and a mobility hub at 200 South/University Street per our recent Mobility Hub study
  • North Medical Dr – complete reconstruction (multimillion-dollar investment) with shared use path on both sides of road to the Hospital entrance plus expanded secure bicycle parking areas
  • Sunnyside/Foothill intersection redesign with SLC – safer bike/ped connections and crossings plus extension of the 9 line trail

Health care

• U of Utah Health is a major part of building a healthy and resilient local community. In the past year, U of U Health has done the following:
  • Hired a sustainability team
  • Completed an evaluation of the health care system’s preparedness for climate impacts
  • Received a Practice Green Health Environmental Excellence Award

Looking ahead

• In 2021 the U completed its first climate Resilience Assessment, to identify areas where we are vulnerable to future climate impacts and to begin gathering data to shape our decisions in response.
• In the spring of 2022 a new climate planning process will be launched to help establish our goals and strategies for increasing resilience to climate impacts, both on-camps and within the surrounding communities. It will also help us reaffirm our carbon neutrality strategy and identify ways to better include climate change into our curriculum and research.
• Community input will be vital and Kerry will share more information at future Community Forum meetings. 

Track the U's sustainability progress

• The University of Utah Sustainability Dashboard is an interactive tool to measure sustainability performance. By better understanding the U's progress over time, members of the U community can identify concerns that propel the institution forward. The Sustainability Office reports these metrics to the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS). In 2021, the University of Utah received a STARS Gold rating and the report can be read here.

Q: "I've heard the U Hospital stopped recycling due to COVID?"
A: Changes to have been made to waste disposal procedures but an emphasis remains on recycling and reducing the amount of waste produced.

Q: "What do you think about the new bill proposed in the State Legislature that would curb the U’s water use? The U consumes a huge amount of water in Salt Lake. 'The University of Utah uses 10% to 15% of all the water in Salt Lake City on an annual basis,' said Frankel. 'But because they’re exempt, they don’t pay any property taxes whatsoever. Under this bill as it’s proposed now ... those kinds of entities would pay $250 per acre-foot upon their water use.'”
A: We are aware of the current legislation on water use, which is focused on irrigation, and are prepared to meet the requirements should it pass.

Q: Are there any plans to do away with the gas powered mowers and edgers as they contribute to pollution?
A: We have been looking at different alternatives and this is an area where opportunities exist where we can make positive investments. Fortunately, the technologies in this area are getting better that allow landscape crews to keep up with the demands of their position without the pollutions that are produces for these tools.

Simultaneously, the U is limiting any installation of new sod to recreation areas and actively working, year-over-year, to remove some of the existing sod on campus, while still maintaining areas of campus where students can enjoy the grass during breaks and lunch hours.

Q: There is no good way for a cyclist to access the University of Utah campus from the East Bench. More needs to be actively done to fix this issue in future planning.
A: This is on the radar of the U's Active Transportation Manager to make sure that we're doing everything we can to provide safe solutions for cyclists and pedestrians.

Q: Has the U ever done a study to determine how much of the traffic on Foothill Drive is directly relates to the University of Utah and people using that road as an artery to get to the U?
A: The University is focused on incentivizing commuters to travel via modes other than their personal vehicles. One of the ways we are doing this is by investing in infrastructure that makes non-vehicle modes more convenient, like the mobility hub improvements and added bus and shuttle improvements to accommodate enhanced service.

Q: Are the U Health and Research Park building included in the data you provided?
A: Yes, for U Health buildings but some the remote clinics may not be included. In Research Park it depends on if the U has operational control and are paying the utilities bill for each building.

Campus Mobility Hub Study

• Beginning 2019, University partnered with 5 other agencies: UDOT, UTA, SLC, WFRC and the VA
• Desire: understand how to take the next leap in transit services
• 48% commute to campus without car (25% via transit)
• Click to see the University of Utah Campus Mobility Hub Study

What is a Mobility Hub and what were the study results?

• A series of large or small improvements clustered together for the purposed of adding convenience and accessibility to various modes of transportation.
• Campus needs a variety of strategically placed hubs to serve its complex needs. Programming Possibilities include:
  • Bike/scooter share
  • Bike storage
  • Live transit updates
  • Retail/coffee
  • Rideshare services
  • Bus/shuttle
  • Restrooms
  • Parking
  • Enhanced waiting areas
• Three areas on main campus have been identified as possible Mobility Hub locations. Each location would vary in size and complexity in what they accomodate.
  • South Campus Drive near a existing Trax station
  • Marrio Capecchi Drive is also near an existing Trax station
  • University Street and 200 South would be a smaller facility since Trax is not near-by
• Medical Center — Hub Concept :
  • This location is currently the only project the U is actively pursuing with others in the planning stages. Features include:
    • Multiple bus stalls for UTA and U Commuter Services pick-up, drop-off and staging
    • Covered waiting areas for commuters
    • E-bike charging stations and bicycle storage units
    • A pedestrian bridge is currently under construction as part of the Healthcare, Educators, Leaders & Innovators Complex (HELIX) building
• 200 South & University Street — Hub Concept
  • This location currently an unfunded project but is still actively being pursued in partnership with Salt Lake City. Features to include:
    • Improved features for pedestrians and cyclists
    • Improved pull-off locations for buses and shelters for commuters
• South Campus & 1800 East — Hub Concept (near Huntsman Arena)
  • Also unfunded but actively being pursued. Features to include:
  • Trax, bus and bicycle connections
  • Additional amenities could be possible with the appropriate funding

The presentation is available for download as a PDF here.

Q: "Why must the U of U continue to grow. The growth impacts housing, transportation and environment. Perhaps stop growing!!!!!"
A: The University of Utah is on an upward trajectory and halting that growth is not in the best interest of the university, Salt Lake City and the state.

Q: Where are the planned hub locations in Research Park?
A:  Three locations have been identified: 1) Along Arapeen Drive, close to the intersection with Wakara Way. 2) Chipeta Way and Wakara Way. 3) Chipeta Way and Arapeen Drive.

Q: "What is your timetable to have the mobility hubs actually constructed and operating?"
A: These projects are not yet funded. The Medical Mobility Hub is actively being pursued and we are seeking federal assistance for that project. The rest of the Hubs are hoped to be completed within the next 5-10 years.