After seven years and even more prior designs, the U.S. General Services Administration on Monday unveiled three proposed plans for the new federal courts complex in downtown Salt Lake City.
Officials are confident one of the three will soon be selected as the final plan for the project and, budget woes aside, believe construction could start in as few as two years.
The three plans are similar in nature. All three feature modern buildings infused with natural light, surrounded by open space and park-like features available to all citizens.
"It's important to understand that this building is really for the people," architect Thomas Phifer said. "We want this to be a place that marks us urbanistically as an important place in the city."
Each design incorporates the existing Frank E. Moss Federal Courthouse, with two of the three calling for an east-facing entrance to the main courthouse set back approximately 180 feet from the back of the 100-year-old building. Visitors would enter the building through a 175-foot glass tower, which Phifer said would become an "iconic glass symbol" for downtown.
The area between the old and new courthouses would be filled with an outdoor cafe — generally located inside courthouses for employees and visitors only — seating and gardens. The area could also be used as a mid-block crossing for those wishing to reach 400 South.
In the third scheme, the entrance to the new courthouse faces south onto 400 South and the tower is replaced with an ornate glass facade. The courthouse is set back from the street, allowing room for outdoor features similar to those in the other two designs.
To the west of the new courthouse, in each of the plans, is a secure parking entrance for judges and U.S. Marshals only, another park area and a federally funded day care. That building would eventually be used to expand the courthouse in an estimated 30 years.
Still, despite architects' community-oriented intentions, skeptics aren't convinced the plans represent the best use of the space, which stretches from Main Street to West Temple and Market Street to 400 South.
The project will wipe out nearly all public parking on the block, some 400 spaces now used by patrons of Port O'Call and Market Street restaurants such as The Melting Pot, The New Yorker, Market Street Grill and the Oyster Bar.
"I think you may not have understood this parking thing," said David Bernolfo, who owns much of the property, including a parking lot, that will be taken for the project. "You will see a huge disappearance of parking in this Market Street area at the same time that you're trying to encourage people to come down here."
In addition to eliminating at least two public parking lots, there will no longer be parallel parking allowed on 400 South or West Temple. For safety reasons, the GSA does not allow parking directly adjacent to its buildings.
"This is the only area of town that works after 5 p.m.," Bernolfo said. "What goes on there works now; it really works."
Bernolfo also worries about "the impact this is going to have on the people that remain."
One of those people is Kent Knowley, owner of the Shubrick Hotel building, which houses the popular nightclub, Port O'Call. His building, on the southwest corner of the block, will be the only commercial property left when the complex is complete.
When plans for the new complex began to emerge, Knowley fought to keep his property out of the plans. He has since changed his mind after learning that two of his three parcels of land will be eaten up by the project.
Knowley filed a lawsuit last month to force the GSA to reconsider its decision to leave his building in place, or at least allow him more input into the decision-making process.
Knowley said he was neither encouraged nor discouraged by what he saw Monday night.
"They really didn't say anything to me," he said. "It was just your basic dog-and-pony show."
Some also wonder if the project will really move forward on the timeline proposed Monday. While GSA has already secured the necessary design funds — some $6 million — it is unclear whether the construction monies will be allocated anytime soon.
Federal courthouse funding was left off altogether from President Bush's budget this year, meaning the GSA must appeal to Congress to appropriate funds for the projects.
The federal government has spent $3 million to date on the project and expects the final budget to be around $115 million.
E-MAIL: awelling@desnews.com