Aided by a $7-million donation from Real Salt Lake, the city's major league soccer team, sitework on the $22.8-million project got under way in 2010. It was halted a year later by a lawsuit challenging rezoning of the area and concerns about potentially dangerous runoff into the river. After several court rulings in the city's favor, work began again this year.

Jay Bollwinkel, principal of MGB+A The Grassli Group, says plans for the complex now include a 200-ft buffer between the playing fields and the river.

"We took about 40 acres of the property and turned it into a buffer area, and it has been improved with wetlands and some wildlife habitat along the river," he says. "We also have a pond that collects runoff and keeps it contained on site."

The fields are designed for high-level competition play, with specialized soil and turf, Bollwinkel says. There are areas for teams to set up "camps" with tents. But future plans for permanent restrooms, maintenance sheds, a field with a grandstand and lights and several baseball diamonds will have to wait for later phases and more money, he says. The fields will be planted this year but won't open for play until August 2015.

Marmalade District

The latest project by Salt Lake City's redevelopment agency is taking shape in the Marmalade District, a neighborhood north and slightly west of the city center.

"The Marmalade block lies at the heart of one of Salt Lake City's most historic neighborhoods," says Ben Davis, agency project manager. "It has long been identified as a potential neighborhood node and, with the right amenities, will no doubt serve as a gathering spot for the community at large."

One of those amenities, a new branch of the city's library, will soon go up on a long-vacant block in the district. City planners hope the building will serve as an anchor for subsequent phases to be completed with private development partners. Clearwater Homes has already contracted to build townhouses east of the library. Davis says the city is still taking proposals from developers for other retail and housing projects on the block.

Groundbreaking for the $9-million, 20,000-sq-ft library occurred in May. The building will occupy the northwest corner of the four-acre parcel, with open space to the west. In addition to book collections and computer stations, the facility will include a multipurpose space, café and terraces on the upper floor.

Salt Lake City's Blalock & Partners is designing the library and townhouse project. Blalock architect Chad Parker says early planning meetings with the neighborhood revealed enthusiasm for the development.

"This block has been empty, and there hasn't been much happening in the neighborhood for a long time," he says. "The library has a unique proximity to an elementary school and a high school, and I think there is going to be a wide range of people using it."

Parker says designers are drawing inspiration from the eclectic look of the area, which includes light industry, proximity to the railroad and historic Victorian-style homes.

"The mix of the neighborhood is one of the things people like about it," Parker says. "We are proposing to use materials like weathered steel, concrete panels and terra cotta."

According to Becker, the city will continue to work with both public and private groups to create strong developments. To that end, it is set to hold public hearings on expansion of the street car project, which opened in February in the Sugar House neighborhood. Officials also are conducting a feasibility study with technology giant Google that includes the city as a candidate for the next phase of its Google Fiber high-speed network.

"We want to invest with entities like the Utah Transit Authority and Utah Dept. of Transportation on transit issues and the business community on programs that reflect people's needs and desires for clean air and a better quality of life in the city," Becker says.