Leaders of Utah’s capital city say they don’t want to wait for Smith Entertainment Group’s downtown plans to move forward with enhancements to what’s left of historic Japantown.
Members of the Salt Lake City Community Reinvestment Agency board of directors, who are all members of the Salt Lake City Council, didn’t take action on the project during a meeting on Tuesday; however, they agreed that they’d like to proceed with a new mural and cherry trees outlined in a planning document presented to them, before moving onto the rest of project funding.
“Really, (we) just want to get something on the ground as soon as possible to signify that this is Japantown, it’s going to stay Japantown and more investments are on the horizon,” said Salt Lake City Councilman Darin Mano, who also serves as the board chairman, after the meeting.
A new vision for Japantown
The conversation followed a presentation by Reinvestment Agency planners, who offered the board a design update on the estimated $11 million project, nearly a decade in the making. Japantown was once home to the city’s vibrant Japanese community, but the Japanese Church of Christ and Salt Lake Buddhist Temple are all that remains of it today after most of it was demolished for the Salt Palace Convention Center and other downtown developments.
The updated vision, which is at a 40% design phase, calls for 100 South — from 200 West to 300 West — to be aligned by cherry trees, much like the row surrounding the Utah Capitol. Some of the block’s existing trees would also remain.
Uniquely designed manholes, street lights and entry monuments, all of which would incorporate Japanese cultural designs, are also included in the plan.
Meanwhile, it calls for a series of historic timeline markers similar to what the city added to Regent Street, and new crosswalks. The number of parking spaces would be preserved, and the crown of the street would also be flattened so the churches can better host events, such as the annual Nihon Matsuri and Obon Festival events. Some of that will require the relocation of utilities, adding to the projected cost.
The design was crafted after “community engagement” and surveys with members of the two churches and others within the state’s Japanese community, said Marcus Lee, project coordinator for the Reinvestment Agency.
While the project only addresses one block of 100 South, Salt Lake City has looked at expanding the project scope from West Temple to Main Street through its future Main Street promenade project.
Lisa Imamura and Jan Aramaki each attended Tuesday’s meeting as representatives of the Japanese Church of Christ and Salt Lake Buddhist Temple. Members of both churches have been vocal in city and county meetings about ensuring what’s left of Japantown is preserved as downtown changes, as they hope history doesn’t repeat itself decades after the neighborhood was decimated.
Imamura thanked the city for including the church in design details, including showing project designs during community events earlier this year, which she believes led to a “beautiful solution” that could turn the street into “an attractive destination.” She also credited the city “turning the burners” and including the project in downtown revitalization plans, as state and private entities zeroed in on the area.
“I really look forward to seeing Japantown become revitalized, to be a gem cultural location for everyone in the state of Utah and the visitors,” Aramaki added.
The next steps
Board members remain unsure on the next steps, but they signaled support for a new mural atop the Multi-Ethnic Senior Highrise on the block, which could be revealed next year, as well as some other smaller pieces of the project.
Funding for the project remains a question. Salt Lake City’s agreement with Smith Entertainment Group over larger downtown revitalization plans surrounding the Delta Center includes a provision that at least $5 million from a “public benefits” account go toward Japantown projects. It’s unclear whether money from that will go toward the project, Mano told KSL.com.
Salt Lake City also reached an agreement with the Ritchie Group, which owns a property that was included in the downtown redevelopment plans earlier this year, over a few concessions. It includes that 10% of any tax increment from “Block 67” goes toward “public right of way improvements” to the Japantown street, Lee said.
Other funding sources, including a combination of city sources, may be needed before the design comes to fruition. The board agreed that full planning funding could be included in the next fiscal year. Other parts of the project could be improved in planning by then, such as exact manhole cover designs.
Meanwhile, city officials anticipate that Smith Entertainment Group will release more detailed entertainment district plans by the summer of 2026, which is why the board considered waiting until then before moving forward with its Japantown project. Board members said they can coordinate designs with project planners, but they agreed that they’d like to move forward as much as possible with city-owned plans.
“I’m encouraged today because it sounds like the board and the City Council are in alignment that we want to move forward with this project,” Mano said. “There’s a lot of work left to be done … but we’ve seen a lot of really good progress.”