Of the numerous hotel and residential projects underway in downtown Salt Lake City, few have had the ambitious goals of the West Quarter, now in its first phase. The 6.5-acre site is located on what is known as Block 67, which is between the central business district, with its high-rise offices and the City Creek retail center, and what could be called the city’s entertainment district, dominated by the Vivint Smart Home Arena, which hosts concerts and Utah Jazz games, and the Gateway mixed-use development farther to the west. Ritchie Group, the West Quarter developer, sees the development as a long-missing link between the two districts.
“We see this as support infrastructure,” says Ryan Ritchie, a partner in the Ritchie Group. “The connectivity between the Vivint arena and Gateway and the Convention Center was very poor, but breaking down this block and making it more pedestrian friendly, we think, will be a great benefit to the whole area.”