A once potential affordable housing site to be torn down. Could a new plan make up for it?
Nov 7, 2024, 3:00 PM
FILE: The Ramada Inn at 1659 W. North Temple in Salt Lake City is pictured on Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2021. (Kristin Murphy, Deseret News)
(Kristin Murphy, Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY– The old Ramada Inn at 1659 W. North Temple was once going to be transformed into nearly 200 beds of deeply affordable housing.
This plan has become a distant memory. Now, the new owners of the inn want to level it for a different development.
The Larry H. Miller Company purchased the Ramada as part of their plans for a new Power District. And as potential site of a Major League Baseball stadium on Salt Lake City’s west side.
The company told KSL NewsRadio in a statement they, “will incorporate that land into the master plan of the Power District, which will be complementary to the Fairpark’s master development plans … We are excited to partner with the Westside Community, the state of Utah, and Salt Lake City on this project. We have worked with city planning staff since early summer to ensure we are collaborating on the broader vision for this area.”
There has since been a request for a demolition permit filed with the city. At the time of publication, the request to demolish the Ramada Inn and the lobby was still under review.
Initial plans for the Ramada Inn
Andrew Johnston, Salt Lake City’s Director of Homeless Policy and Outreach, told KSL NewsRadio the Ramada was initially leased by Shelter the Homeless from Ville Properties to be used as a temporary shelter as part of the county-coordinated winter services plan.
It would provide 197 beds for, “Various populations experiencing or at risk of homelessness,” according to the city’s website.
However, the project never saw the light of day for various reasons outlined by The Salt Lake Tribune.
But, there is another larger plan that could help make up for those beds that never were.
Utah’s Homeless Services Board recently came up with a plan for a transformative, centralized campus with 1,200 beds on site.
The board is currently looking for a location to build the campus on by December 15. So far they are set to review three viable locations along the Wasatch Front.
The board has set a deadline of October 1, 2025 for these 1,200 beds to be built.
