Intermountain Health’s plan for urban hospital on old Sears block could move forward soon

SALT LAKE CITY — Intermountain Health’s plan to build an urban hospital on the block Sears used to sit may see some progress soon.

The Salt Lake City Council will hold a public hearing next Tuesday on Intermountain Health‘s plan to build a hospital on the State Street and 800 South site.

Intermountain Health Spokesman Jess Gomez said it’s hoping the council will approve a rezoning request at the meeting. The block is only 9 acres, so they asked for a zone change to allow taller structures.

“We don’t know but we’re pretty confident that it’ll exceed the current zoning limitations. So that’s why there’s a request to allow us to rezone the property and allow us to go a little bit higher,” Gomez said.

In exchange, Salt Lake City Urban Designer Amanda Roman said Intermountain Health must provide one acre of open space that can be accessed from three directions.

“They are also planning on providing a year-round food truck park that is a permanent amenity for both the hospital and the community,” Roman said.

The Salt Lake City Council could approve the zone change for the project during Tuesday’s meeting.

If approved, the design work and construction could get underway.

“In a smaller lot, located in an urban setting, we have to do some different design work. We’re excited about that. And we also think it’s going to be a really unique opportunity to build kind of a hospital of the future,” Gomez said.

Tammy Kikuchi is a reporter and anchor for KSL NewsRadio.

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