SALT LAKE CITY — Tom Merrill wears many hats, including leadership roles in the Downtown Community Council and with the homeowners association at the building he lives in.
"We couldn't be more excited for something like this to happen," said Merrill, standing by a makeshift badminton court taped onto the road surface in front of him. "We really need every inch of we can ."as its residential capacity is on pace to double At the same time, the city compiled an assessment in 2019 that found a glaring need for additional park space in the city, especially in the downtown area. Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall said the city previously set aside $3.5 million to acquire land in the downtown area that could turn into a public park. As the cost of land in the downtown area quickly escalated, it was clear that creating a new park "was never a reality," though.
The idea isn't new at all; there are several cities across the globe with similar systems. In fact, the mayor saidThe current concept calls for a pathway that uses 500 West, 900 South and 200 East to circle around the city, with either South Temple, North Temple or a combination of the two completing a loop around the city. Those roads would remain open in the future but may end up with fewer lanes by the Green Loop.