Church News

City Creek: development is at 20-mile mark in construction marathon

By Greg Hill
Church News staff writer

Published: Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2010

SALT LAKE CITY

Focusing on the first retail portion to open in downtown Salt Lake City's City Creek development, a press conference was held in its food court Tuesday morning, Feb. 9.

Keith Johnson, Deseret News

A view looking south from the roof of the Key Bank building of the new City Creek development in downtown Salt Lake City February 9, 2010.

The food court has actually been open for several months, but it is steadily expanding in a bit of obscurity. With the ongoing construction of the massive City Creek multi-use development dominating two downtown blocks, the food court, currently with five vendors, is accessible only through an entrance on State Street between South Temple and 100 South and from the Eagle Gate and Key Bank office buildings on each side of it. Four more vendors are scheduled to open during the spring.

City Creek has been "a real marathon, and today … we are now passing the 20-mile mark of this marathon," said Mark B. Gibbons, president of City Creek Reserve, Inc., the Church's arm that oversees the development. "We've received our second wind. The end is in sight and we're excited about the things that are coming."

Along with the food court, the remodeled lobby of the KeyBank Tower and parking underneath have been opened. The rest of the project is on schedule, he said.

Keith Johnson, Deseret News

Bill Coker with A Taste of Red Iguana, one of the restaurants in the new City Creek food court in the Key Bank building in downtown Salt Lake City, looks at renderings of the completed City Creek development February 9, 2010.

The major components of City Creek are being built on the block, previously the site of Crossroads Mall, immediately south of Temple Square, and the block, previously the site of the ZCMI Center, immediately south of the Church Administration Building. The Church is developing the property it owns to revitalize and improve the appearance of Salt Lake City's downtown.

Keith Johnson, Deseret News

Utah artist David Meikle unveils his painting of Mount Olympus that's hanging in at the new City Creek food court in the Key Bank building in downtown Salt Lake City February 9, 2010. The food court is now open with 7 different restaurants and will continue to add others as the development progresses.

City Creek is billed as a "walkable, sustainably-designed urban community of residences, offices and retail stores," according to press materials. Brother Gibbons said the first of the residential components — Richard's Court, directly across the street from Temple Square — will open within the next six weeks. The rest of the project is on schedule to be completed with the opening of the retail component in early 2012.

Keith Johnson, Deseret News

A view looking west from the roof of the Key Bank building of the new City Creek development in downtown Salt Lake City February 9, 2010.

The unveiling of a mural at the State Street entrance to the food court was also part of the press conference. The mural by local artist David Meikle titled "Wasatch Grandeur" depicts a spectacular late afternoon view of the mountains southeast of downtown following a spring rainstorm.

Brother Meikle of the Foothill 3rd Ward, Salt Lake Foothill Stake, commissioned to do the large painting, completed it in two and a half months. He said that it was a major construction project of about 80-90 man-hours to put it in place.

ghill@desnews.com