Downtown Farmers Market may become a year-round fixture at revitalized Pioneer Park
Driving the news: Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall and the Downtown Alliance signed an agreement Thursday to revitalize Pioneer Park with plans to build a permanent structure for the market and form a public-private partnership to manage the 10-acre park.
Why it matters: Pioneer Park, which hosts the Downtown Farmers Market each summer, has suffered a poor reputation for decades, perceived as unsafe and affected by homelessness.
What they're saying: In a statement, Downtown Alliance executive director Dee Brewer said he believes "we can change the chemistry of the park."
"We have done it every summer Saturday for 34 years with the Downtown Farmers Market," he said. "Pioneer Park is safe, active and communal on market days. We are ready to build on that success to vitalize the park and the neighborhood."
"Pioneer Park is a cornerstone of our downtown heritage, and it has long been full of untapped potential," Mendenhall said in a statement.
State of play: Under the memorandum of understanding, the alliance is proposing lawn games, cafe-style seating, a beverage bar and staffed bathrooms.
The permanent building would also host community and private events and downtown ambassadors, who will have a daily presence at the park.
That's on top of the projects already funded and included in the city's Pioneer Park Vision Plan.
Construction is planned to begin this fall on amenities including a picnic pavilion, a mist fountain plaza, a contemporary playground, a basketball court, and six pickleball courts.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Axios
07-07-2025
- Axios
Downtown Salt Lake City's social scene drives economic growth
An increase in visitors, residents and workers is powering Salt Lake City's downtown economy five years after the COVID-19 pandemic reshaped daily life. Why it matters: A bustling downtown can boost local businesses, attract investment and generate tax revenue to fund city services. What they're saying: "The social economy is really what's driving the downtown economy," Dee Brewer, Downtown Alliance executive director, told Axios. Previously, the area was seen as a "vertical office park," but now much of its activity occurs between 6pm and midnight, he said. Driving the news: Downtown Alliance recently released its 2024 economic benchmark report. Here are a few highlights: Visitors 🎫 $4.05 million in tickets to performance venues were sold last year, an 18.4% increase from 2023. 🎭 Days that attracted the most visitors in 2024 corresponded with major conventions, Delta Center events and performances held at Abravenal Hall, and Eccles, Capitol and Rose Wagner theaters. Workers 💼 The number of worker days jumped 10.5% year over year. 🏢 Just 19% of workers said they worked in the office full-time as of January 2025, while 57% go in three to four days a week, 13% are on-site one to two days per week, and 1% are fully remote. Residents 👪 The residential population grew 27.5% from 2023, and it's projected to increase an additional 28% by 2030. 🎓 Downtown residents are more likely than Wasatch Front residents to be unmarried, college-educated, between the ages of 20 and 39 and not own a car.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Yahoo
80% of the world is now within 1 stop of Salt Lake City thanks to its newest direct flight
A small cheer erupted at Gate A25 when a Delta Air Lines gate agent got onto the intercom to welcome passengers to the inaugural flight between Salt Lake City and Incheon, South Korea. Some passengers were still sifting through meal boxes set up in the corner, including a cookie featuring a logo to celebrate the occasion. A few were also taking photos with Delta's mascot, Widgey, which made an appearance. A louder cheer broke out moments later when representatives from Salt Lake City and Incheon international airports gathered to cut a ribbon that signaled the opening of this new daily route. The crowd then began eagerly boarding the fully booked Airbus A350-900, which lifted into the hazy blue sky at noon as it began its roughly 13-hour journey. While this was just one of several flights out of Salt Lake City International Airport that took place Thursday, this new service is major in linking Utah's capital city with the world. It also has importance beyond passenger travel. This flight marked Salt Lake City's first direct flight to Asia in 15 years, eliminating the need for Utahns to fly to another U.S. city before flying to Asia. That means about 80% of the world is now accessible within one stop of the city, said Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall, speaking at a celebration of the new route earlier in the day. It makes it easier for Utahns to travel to Asia, and for South Koreans and residents of other Asian countries to visit Utah. 'This is a monumental step forward … and my invitation to Salt Lakers is to start looking out for more visitors from Asia, and welcome them with open arms,' Mendenhall said. What helps is that Incheon International Airport, which is located less than 20 miles from South Korea's capital of Seoul, is also a key hub for Korean Airlines, which coordinates frequently with Delta. That means passengers flying in from Utah can quickly connect to other major Asian cities. At the same time, it now connects Incheon with all four of Delta's key U.S. hubs, said Daniel Dongik Shin, executive director of the Hub Strategy Group, which oversees Incheon International Airport expansion. 'This new service is more than just an additional route; it is the opening of a new air corridor connecting the U.S. and Northeast Asia,' he said. The Airbus can seat over 300 passengers, much more than most flights in and out of Salt Lake City, which speaks to the benefit of the city's new airport. The old facility could fit similarly-sized planes, but it was a logistical nightmare. Airlines needed to use three gates just to accommodate its size, which took away from other potential flights in and out of the facility, which is why airlines were hesitant to bring nonstop flights of Incheon size to Utah, Wyatt explained. 'This one would have been extremely difficult to service in the old airport, and now we can line up six of them on the other side,' he told The plane's wider belly means more than just passenger travel, too. It has enough space that it will be easier for businesses to transport cargo between Salt Lake City and South Korea, Wyatt points out. The new service helps cut travel time for pieces of the state's supply chain. Utah exports can end up in South Korea, while items manufactured in South Korea — home to Samsung, LG Electronics, Hyundai and other big global brands — can be imported into Utah faster. Salt Lake City and Utah Inland Port Authority officials are expected to travel to South Korea later this year to bolster these new trade opportunities. It's unclear if the new service to Incheon will open the door for more nonstop flights to Asia, but Wyatt says he does see more international flights in Salt Lake City's future as it is linked even more closely with the world now. 'I see more Europe; I can see more South and Central America, and now we have the facilities to do it, which had always been a constraint here,' he said.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
Pioneer Park revitalization will feature year-round farmer's market
SALT LAKE CITY () — In a major step to revitalize downtown, the Downtown Alliance announced a new partnership with the city on Thursday morning, focused on giving Pioneer Park a makeover. Their freshly signed 'Memorandum of Understanding', between the Downtown Alliance and Salt Lake City, aims to breathe new life into Pioneer Park — an area that's long been plagued by low visitation rates — by creating an all-year-round public market building. 'Now, let's be honest. Pioneer Park has a bad reputation,' Dee Brewer, executive director of Downtown Alliance, said at the annual meeting in the Gallivan Center. 'Last year, the average daily park visitation was less than 170 people a day.' The Downtown Alliance saw a solution to this problem in the park's farmers market, which has proven to be a magnet for the community's foot traffic. Pioneer Park will get a facelift in 2025 – Here's what Salt Lake City is adding According to Brewer, 65% of park visits occurred on just 21 days, all of those being when the farmers' market was open. The new public building aims to keep this momentum going all year round. Preliminary plans include a beverage bar, clean restrooms, a large hall, and a community gathering space that would become home to an all-year-round farmer's market, according to Carly Gillespie, director of Urban Food Connections of Utah. 'We want to continue to create social and economic prosperity in the neighborhood and in downtown Salt Lake,' Gillespie said. The Downtown Alliance's proposed building would also provide a permanent space for the Downtown Ambassadors, offering a visible presence in the park to create a stronger sense of safety. Salt Lake City said that the Public Lands Department collected feedback from over 2,800 people and worked with community groups to choose the planned amenities. The park is also seeking a SITES certification — a framework that recognizes sustainability and resilience in design, development, and management. The alliance said in a press release that they are looking to actively conduct public outreach and feasibility assessment throughout this year. A clearer timeline of completion is expected once those steps are finished. 'We look forward to the results of the feasibility study, which the Downtown Alliance will begin leading this summer,' said Blake Thomas, Senior Advisor on Real Estate and Capital Projects. 'This study, along with the efforts our Public Lands team has undertaken, has the potential to transform this park into a year-round destination and serve as a model for public-private partnerships to enhance our City assets.' The project complements the Pioneer Park Vision Plan, which was developed in 2021 to revitalize the area, following the City Council's approval of $3.44 million in 2019. In 2022, $10 million in funding through the City's $67.5 million Sales Tax Bond was approved for the project. In 2024, an additional $.96 million was allocated for the Vision Plan, allowing the city to begin implementation. 'Pioneer Park is a cornerstone of our downtown heritage, and it has long been full of untapped potential,' said Mayor Mendenhall. 'This public-private partnership with the Downtown Alliance paves the way for positive change and increased public safety — while working in concert with the long-planned park improvements Salt Lakers have asked for.' GOP campaign arm tells Republicans to 'go on offense' messaging Trump agenda bill Crimson Cliffs wins 4A soccer title over Dixie, 3-0 Pioneer Park revitalization will feature year-round farmer's market Israeli Embassy suspect charged with murder of a foreign official Bodycam footage released from officer-involved shooting near Lake Powell Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
