2027 is shaping up to be a pivotal year for Downtown Salt Lake City. Between the Salt Lake Temple Open House, the closure and reconstruction of the Salt Palace, and the start of construction on the new sports and entertainment district, we're looking at major changes to how people live, work, visit, and move through Downtown.

At our Wednesday, October 21 Downtown Community Council meeting, we're bringing together three guests to discuss what's ahead:

• Juan Beccera — Discussing the 2027 Salt Lake Temple Open House, anticipated visitor activity, and plans to accommodate the influx of people Downtown.
• Lynn Jacobs, Director of Salt Lake City Transportation — Discussing transportation planning, traffic, street access, and the challenges of managing multiple major projects at once.
• Bill Knowles, Downtown Community Ombudsman — Discussing construction coordination, impacts on local businesses and residents, and how the public can stay informed as projects move forward.

We'll be talking about project timelines, anticipated disruptions, transportation and accessibility, and what residents and businesses can expect over the next several years.

Most importantly, there will be time for questions.

Whether you live Downtown, work here, own a business, or just visit regularly, these changes will affect you.

Our meetings are open to everyone, and we'd love to see you there.

Wednesday, October 21, 2026
18 Rio Grande St. @ Gateway Mall (South of the Splashpad)
6pm-7:30pm

About the Downtown Community Council (DCC)

The Downtown Community Council is a volunteer-led organization that gives residents, businesses, and other Downtown stakeholders a voice in the issues shaping our neighborhood. We work to connect the community with city officials, developers, and other decision-makers, encourage public participation, and advocate for a Downtown that serves the people who live, work, and spend time here.

Our meetings are free, open to everyone, and a chance to learn what's happening, ask questions, and make your voice heard.

• ⁠Penthouse at The Metro condos listed at $570/sf (CBD)
• ⁠Live/work corner unit at 185 W 700 S listed at $24/sf (State St)
• SEG releases plans for Sports/Entertainment District (CBD)
  • ⁠Press release video
  • BSL
  • ⁠KSL
  • ⁠Des News
  • ⁠SLTrib
• ⁠University of Utah Health west side campus expansion signals momentum of the Power District (N Temple)
• ⁠SLC opened a new bike lane this year. A local business owner wants it gone (CBD)
• ⁠SLC CRA hosting North Temple Mural Celebration on October 22 (N Temple)
• ⁠SLC International Airport earns Top 5 honors from USA Today
• ⁠Rice-Eccles Stadium's 'suite-en up' project approved by University of Utah trustees
• ⁠Provo's next housing option could be in the backyard
• ⁠Apartment operating costs rise nearly twice as fast as revenue

Didn't see it in the KSL article that was posted, so thought I'd include this here

• ⁠SLC CRA approves $7M in loans for housing, retail in Downtown, Ballpark, Liberty Wells, Central City, and Poplar Grove) (State St, CBD, 9-Line)
• ⁠University of Utah purchases 14 acres in Power District to relocate SLC clinic (N Temple)
  • ⁠KSL
  • ⁠Press release
• University of Utah has a new master plan
  • ⁠SLTrib
  • ⁠Press release
• ⁠Utah's quality of life is slipping. Housing plays a role
• ⁠Utah approves $39.1M Rice-Eccles Stadium renovation. Here's how it will be funded.
• ⁠NeighborWorks Salt Lake shares progress photos from Maltair Lanes affordable townhomes
• ⁠Wasatch Advocates for Livable Communities launches monthly Build Better Collaborative events
• ⁠Big-D Construction and Hines' Seraph nominated for major award (CBD)
• ⁠AIA Utah awards Steve Price of Price Realty Client Achievement Award
• ⁠'Office' is actually having a scarcity problem
• ⁠Even more borrowers choose riskier mortgages, as higher interest rates crush affordability
• ⁠Apartment rents still soft, but improving across most of US

• ⁠Class C industrial at 14 S Jeremy St listed at $13/sf NNN (N Temple)
• ⁠SLC to consider selling $12.2 of Rio Grande District land for $2.5M (Depot)
• ⁠Utah House speaker says he's open to repealing controversial development law
• ⁠BlackRock, Baillie Gifford back Icon in $200M 3d-housing funding round
• ⁠Office support, retail, and logistics face the largest AI workforce shifts
• ⁠Higher rates, rising costs push more CRE loans into distress
• ⁠Data center construction spending up 64.5%, nearly every other category down

• ⁠Class C industrial at 135 S 1400 W listed at $283/sf (N Temple-ish)
• ⁠Pioneer Park upgrades nearing completion, with reopening set for November (CBD)
• ⁠Here's why Utah homeowners in these 5 counties are suddenly slashing listing prices--now more than anywhere in the US
  • Spoiler: Davis, Salt Lake, Toole, Utah, and Weber
• ⁠Former Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon joins the 2027 race for SLC mayor
• ⁠Can a walkable downtown thrive in the heart of suburban sprawl? Utah City is putting that to the test.
• ⁠From childhood poverty to life of service: Remembering Pamela Atkinson
• ⁠A new space for affordable homes: above the library
• ⁠Office market stabilizes as sublease space falls and supply contracts

Here are the top 50 largest electric electrical contractors for this year. I bet most people would not guess Cache Valley Electric is number 12 on this list, $1.2 Billion for the year. Many of these are large equity holding companies that incorporate other trades than just electrical, such as Emcor, which owns Wasatch Electric that operates in the area.

The striking thing about this list to me is the fact that a lot of these companies have 25 to 50% increase in revenue for this year over last year because of Data Center’s and the AI boom.

• SLC impact fees to nearly triple
  • BSL
  • KSL
  • SLTrib
• Ryan Smith sports district business survey (CBD)
  • KSL
  • Axios
• Drunk driver crashes into downtown SLC concert venue, police say (State St)
• Are mortgage rates going to keep heading up?
• Olene Walker Housing Loan Fund 10/15 agenda published 
  • New SLC applications
    • 273 Apartments, First Step House, 50 units, 273 E 800 S
    • Friendship Manor, Friendship Manor Corporation, 178 units, 1320 E 500 S
    • Northwest Pipeline, Housing Authority of SLC, 63 units, 315 E 200 S
    • The Lupine, Housing Authority of SLC, 133 units, 333 E 200 S
    • The Jefferson Apartments, Great Lakes Capital, 182 units, 1376 S Jefferson St
    • The Amelia, Cole West, 144 units, 916 S 200 W
    • The Chicago, Great Lakes Capital, 119 units, 27 N Chicago St
    • The Winston, Chelsea Investment Group, 154 units, 1485 S 300 W

Here's a little flashback video of our local news reporting about the plans for City Creek Center. Can't believe it's been 20 years.

• 0.32 acres of G-MU land listed at $200/sf (Depot)
• Ryan Smith launches survey in search of 'strong local vibe' at SLC entertainment district (CBD)
  • "We want a strong local vibe in addition to iconic brands. Take the survey and let us know what local restaurants and shops you want to see in the district."
• Fees will triple for developers. How might that impact SLC homeowners and renters?
• Now is the time to start breaking ground on CRE projects: Walker and Dunlop CEO
• ⁠Supply will become a double-edged sword over the next few years
• ⁠Fixing the housing market will take a long time, but there is a way to speed up the recovery

• New construction retail and office at 1615 S Foothill Dr listed at unpriced
• Historic SLC chapel restoration project moves forward (Granary)
• Extra Space Storage employees clean up SLC's Folsom Trail (N Temple)
• Utah homeless services board awards $1.8M to 3 cities for winter shelters
• Refinance demand is now half what it was a year ago, as mortgage rates rise again
• Soaring financing costs threaten commercial real estate deals

I’m just bringing this up as a topic of conversation in a time of slow development news. Will it ever happen? Of course not! But I think it opens up a discussion that's more about the future of the area.

Anyway, I bike commute into downtown and use Main Street as my north-south corridor. The traffic is low, the speeds are low, the bike lanes are wide, and the street parking provides a good buffer.

But there’s this one intersection I always encounter and hate with a passion: 1700 South Main Street. The north-south light lasts forever, and I’m always sitting there watching very sparse traffic traveling east-west.

I’m a very good boy and wait, but I’d argue at least 75% of the cyclists I encounter at the intersection will look in both directions and then ride through the red light.

It’s such a comically huge intersection, but there’s a lot of potential in the area, especially with all the street side infill housing that’s popping up nearby. You’ve got Big Willies and Beast From The East there, but also a 7-11 with a parking lot WAY bigger than it needs.

Again… potential.

But as I sit there at the light, I always think to myself how much more efficient it would be if the intersection was a roundabout. Not even efficient, but safer, and would add an element of walkability for pedestrians in the area.

Imagine taking this, and turning it into this.

I think this would also integrate nicely with the master plan the city has for Main Street to make it less… fugly.

You’re also removing the maintenance costs of the traffic lights, plus all the roads are already one lane in each direction, so you’re not road-dieting anything per UDOT’s dumb traffic calming power reach.

Am I being selfish because, mostly, I just want to keep moving? Yes! But everyone wins. Me, the motorists, pedestrians, businesses, all of 'em. That said... I really do think that whole area has got the possibility to become something much more engaging for people, a la 900 South.