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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04/13/2026 - Meeting Materials Kerri Nakamura Chair Mayor Erin Mendenhall Salt Lake City Council 451 S. State Street Salt Lake City,UT 84111 April 11, 2026 SUBJECT: PNUT Advisory Board Request for Safety Improvements to 1700 South Mayor Erin Mendenhall and City Council Members, The Glendale Regional park is the first regional park to be developed within Salt Lake City in sixty years. In 2022 the Parks,Natural Lands, Urban Forestry&Trails Advisory Board(PNUT Board) issued a resounding endorsement of the Glendale Regional Park master plan. Phase I park development and construction has proved to be immensely popular and successful for our community, and the PNUT Board eagerly awaits phase II park development. In our endorsement letter for the Glendale Regional Park master plan,the PNUT Board highlighted access concerns and signed onto the Transportation Advisory Board's (TAB's) recommendations for traffic safety improvements along 1700 South,including pedestrian activated traffic signals,traffic calming measures, on-street and off-street parking options, and any other opportunity to negate harm to individuals accessing the park outside of a vehicle. The park's master plan calls for a"road narrowing and an at-grade pedestrian crossing" across 1700 South connecting to 17th South River Park.The master plan also notes that"1700 South's traffic counts are very low for its width, indicating that the road width could be reduced to create safe and comfortable access for pedestrians and cyclists."Crosswalk improvements at the existing western crosswalk are in-process with an additional crosswalk currently slated for completion in phase II. The child struck by a driver of a vehicle crossing 1700 South near the site of the planned additional crosswalk on March 12, 2026,highlights the need for expedited completion of planned safety measures. Residents are eager to access Glendale Park and are already crossing at this location in the roadway. Immediate improvements are needed to ensure pedestrian safety.The PNUT Board recommends immediate temporary safety improvements and to prioritize the timeline for construction of the additional crosswalk.These immediate improvements are necessary to ensure safety and multi-modal access to the park.We encourage and support the SLC Transportation team in implementing these improvements right away. The PNUT Board also recognizes recent state legislation(SB242)will delay and may even prevent the implementation of new crosswalks,traffic calming, or other safety improvements along 1700 South. This is the exact situation that city residents feared: state legislation preventing or slowing response to real safety issues that should be overseen by city officials in coordination with community members. The PNUT Board urges the City to communicate to the Utah Department of Transportation(UDOT)that immediate approvals are necessary. PARKS, NATURAL LANDS, URBAN FORESTRY,AND TRAILS https://www.sic.gov/boards/ ADVISORY BOARD Public Lands Staff Liaison 801-535-6469 Primary Meeting Location- 1965 W 500 S SALT LAKE CITY, UT 84104 Kerri Nakamura Chair Glendale Regional Park is already realizing its potential to create community gathering and event spaces,provide inclusive play places,increase access to water within the park and in the Jordan River, and develop places to increase personal health and well-being.The PNUT board encourages every effort to implement safety and accessibility improvements along the 1700 South roadway to ensure the park's continued success. Respectfully, kem" Nakawwa Kerri Nakamura (Apr 9, 2026 17:43:41 MDT) Kerri Nakamura Chair, On behalf of the PNUT Advisory Board Justice Morath Chair,on behalf of the Transportation Advisory Board PARKS, NATURAL LANDS, URBAN FORESTRY,AND TRAILS https://www.sic.gov/boards/ ADVISORY BOARD Public Lands Staff Liaison 801-535-6469 Primary Meeting Location- 1965 W 500 S SALT LAKE CITY, UT 84104