09/24/2019 - Work Session - Minutes MINUTES OF THE SALT LAKE CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MEETING
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 , 2019
The City Council met in Work Session on Tuesday, September 24,
2019, in Room 326, Committee Room, City County Building, 451 South
State Street.
In Attendance: Council Members Erin Mendenhall, Chris Wharton,
James Rogers, Charlie Luke, Andrew Johnston, Analia Valdemoros,
and Amy Fowler.
Staff in Attendance : Cindy Gust-Jenson, Council Executive
Director; David Litvack, Mayor' s Deputy Chief of Staff; Rusty
Vetter, Deputy City Attorney; Johnathon Larsen, Transportation
Director; Jeff Gulden, Transportation Section Manager; and Scott
Crandall, Deputy City Recorder.
Councilmember Luke presided at and conducted the meeting.
The meeting was called to order at 5 : 58 p.m.
AGENDA ITEMS
#1 . 5:58:31 PM RECEIVE A BRIEFING ABOUT A STUDY COMPLETED BY
THE TRANSPORTATION DIVISION EVALUATING THE FEASIBILITY OF
MODIFYING THE 900 SOUTH FREEWAY RAMP IN THE BALLPARK NEIGHBORHOOD
TO BALANCE THE NEEDS OF THE LOCAL COMMUNITY WITH REGIONAL TRAFFIC
ACCESS. View Attachments
Johnathon Larsen, Jeff Gulden, and Russell Weeks briefed the
Council with attachments . Mr. Weeks said the proposal was an update
regarding a technical study about options/feasibility to shorten
freeway ramps at 900 South. Mr. Larsen and Mr. Gulden provided
background information about the proposal . Comments included issue
ongoing for decades, request by area residents to address the
impact of ramps on the neighborhood (find better way to tie
community together) , noise/traffic issues, ramps creating barrier
to walking/biking, ramps owned by Utah Department of
Transportation (UDOT) (collaborative partnership needed) , study
data analysis, explore/determine potential scenarios to
modify/shorten/realign 900 South ramp, three scenarios being
selected by Steering Committee, potential land acquisition,
eliminating ramp would push traffic to other areas, potential for
short-term solutions, UDOT being content with existing
infrastructure (modifications would have to be initiated/funded by
City) , ongoing maintenance issues, and UDOT being opposed to any
option that would remove traffic lanes .
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Mr. Gulden provided further details/advantages-disadvantages
about the top three options (outlined in attachment) : Scenario A
- 300 West, Scenario B - 400 West, and Scenario C - 300/400 West
combination. He said Scenario C operated the best from a
transportation perspective (better traffic separation) .
Councilmember Mendenhall talked about underutilization of the
southbound route and wanted to expand conversations with
UDOT/community about ramp changes and potential land development
which could revitalize the neighborhood (eliminate berms/barriers,
create walking routes, add lighting and art elements, etc. ) .
Councilmember Valdemoros asked about next steps . Mr. Larsen
said they planned to contact community councils in the coming
month. He said conversations needed to continue and those involved
needed to work together to determine options going forward (find
short and long-term solutions) .
Councilmember Wharton asked about the tunnel (cut/cover)
option. Mr. Gulden said it was not selected by the Committee to be
evaluated in further detail mainly due to costs (traffic would
also be removed with that option) . He said UDOT would still own
the land above the tunnel which could not be used for
development/buildings (potential for open space/park) .
Councilmember Johnston expressed interest in undergrounding
and wanted to explore the feasibility of extending the scope to
include Interstate 15 (I-15) /ramps . He said he felt that could
potentially transform the City in multiple ways . Mr. Gulden said
he could provide as much detailed analysis as the Council desired.
He said he could also do a quick search regarding how other cities
(across the country/world) handled similar situations . He said any
interaction with the freeway would require Federal participation
and approval .
#2 . 6:24:25PM REPORT OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, INCLUDING A
REVIEW OF COUNCIL INFORMATION ITEMS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS. The Council
may give feedback or staff direction on any item related to City
Council business, including but not limited to scheduling items.
Ms . Gust-Jenson said there were no announcements .
#8. 6:24:35 PM REPORT OF THE CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR.
Councilmember Luke said the Milicreek City Council approved
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MINUTES OF THE SALT LAKE CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MEETING
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 , 2019
the interlocal agreement relating to the boundary adjustment with
the City and thanked everyone for their participation . He said
additional steps were needed before the process could be completed.
Councilmember Rogers talked about the County Council voting
(6-3) to deny the North Salt Lake Annexation. Councilmember Luke
said although that was a positive step, the issue would not go
away so the City needed to position itself to ensure participation
in ongoing discussions . He said there was potential for significant
impact to adjacent neighborhoods in that area.
#9 . (TENTATIVE) CONSIDER A MOTION TO ENTER INTO CLOSED
SESSION, IN KEEPING WITH UTAH CODE §52-4-205 FOR ANY ALLOWED
PURPOSE.
Item not held.
The meeting adjourned at 6 : 26 p.m.
COUNCIL CHAIR
CITY RECORDER
This document is not intended to serve as a full transcript
as other items may have been discussed; please refer to the audio
or video for entire content pursuant to Utah Code §52-4-203 (2) (b) .
This document along with the digital recording constitute the
official minutes of the City Council Work Session meeting held
September 24, 2019 .
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