Press Room: Deseret News
Growth awards recognize innovations
By Elaine Jarvik/Deseret News staff writer
River corridors, roundabouts and "pedestrian linkages" — these were among the innovations applauded Friday at the first Governor's Quality Growth Awards.
The awards were announced at a meeting of Envision Utah, the private-public partnership invented to guide the state's growth — a need underscored by the fact that since Envision Utah began five years ago, the state's population has grown by a quarter of a million people.
Envision Utah also introduced its new chairman, Farmington Mayor Greg Bell. He replaces Jon Huntsman Jr., nominated as deputy U.S. trade representative by the Bush administration. Banker Spencer Eccles was named honorary co-chairman, replacing Jazz owner Larry Miller.
The Quality Growth Awards were presented to:
- The Riverwoods (Provo City, Terranet Investments and Field Paoli Architects), a "walkable contemporary village along the picturesque Provo River."
- Park City Intermodal Center and Roundabout (Park City Corp., Cooper Roberts Simonsen Architects, and Sear-Brown), an "ingenious solution to Park City's parking problems."
- The City of West Jordan for three projects. "Dare to be Different" will create a city center, more pedestrian-friendly developments, and light rail. The Jordan River Habitat Restoration is a master plan to preserve open space and wetlands. The city's water conservation program is designed to reduce the average per-capita per use of treated water by 15 percent over five years.
- Gateway (Boyer Co.), the largest redevelopment project in the city's history. The 2.5-million-square-foot complex west of downtown Salt Lake City was hailed as a "pedestrian-oriented, mixed-use development."
- Woods Cross Town Center (Proterra Co.s and Woods Cross City), will create a central gathering place for residents and provide shops and services within walking distance of homes.
- Overlake (Tooele Associates), a mixed-use development that includes parks, traffic calming measures, water conservation techniques, and "pleasant commercial development." Each resident "is within walking distance of a park and a corner market."
- South Salt Lake Light Rail Corridor Master Plan (Cooper Roberts Simonsen Architects and City of South Salt Lake), which seeks to guide development around light rail transit stations "to accommodate pedestrian linkages, renovate and redevelop blighted areas, reinforce and expand existing neighborhoods, create open space networks and promote economic development."
- Stanford Court (Proterra Companies), affordable Salt Lake condominiums in "a completely walkable neighborhood."
The state's goal is to accommodate growth while still preserving its quality of life, Gov. Mike Leavitt reminded the audience at the Marriott City Center. But there also is an economic component to growth — a need to provide jobs and attract new business, he noted.
Envision Utah includes developers and real estate brokers as well as environmentalists. Even Los Angeles County has taken note of Utah's public-private efforts and has asked Envision Utah for help, Huntsman said.
Not everyone who attended Friday's award ceremony was completely impressed. Robert Bliss, former dean of architecture at the University of Utah, groused afterward that some of the awards were undeserved, most notably the award to the Gateway project. "They're just feel-good awards," Bliss said.
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