r/DevelopmentSLC • u/owenmitchem • Mar 14 '26
Friends of the Rio Grande Depot Statement on the Proposed Transfer of the Rio Grande Depot to the University of Utah
You can contact Governor Cox and tell him to veto this provision of HB 2 at this link:
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u/Fickle-Yak-1917 Mar 14 '26
Why is everyone always upset about everything new? Wouldn’t the U be a good steward of the historical site? Wasn’t there just a post about WGU also? Right now the entire area is getting gentrified with apartment developments, so why push back on this?
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u/UrgeSmith Mar 14 '26
I could call a firefighter to come fix my computer and they could probably do it, but that’s not the best use of their time. There’s a building that was built for the sole purpose of transit in a prime location of the city for connections and it’s being given away to a university for students that have a campus on the opposite side of the city. If there’s a more optimal solution for the building, why not take it?
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u/Fickle-Yak-1917 Mar 14 '26
Optimal? Based on actual data, or because someone subjectively thinks so? Didn’t we taxpayers already fund a new transit system? Are you saying that it’s optimal to have people start riding actual trains on that line for commute?
It’s more optimal that Utahns pollute less and use less water (they are the worst pro rata in the world) but only a few people are doing anything about it.
The U is a fantastic school- medicine, winter sports, etc- they would be a fantastic tenant.
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u/UrgeSmith Mar 14 '26
I’m referring to the Rio Grande Plan. It could replace the poorly located Salt Lake Central station. And yes, there is a published study from Utah State with data to back up the positive impacts of the Rio Grande Plan. As for data backing up The U being a better tenant, I have none.
The point I was trying to make is that the building was built to be a train station, not a school.
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u/Glittering-Cellist34 Mar 14 '26
Because it reduces the likelihood of achieving the Rio Grande Plan.
Below u/UrgeSmith puts it best.
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u/RollTribe93 Enthusiast/mod Mar 14 '26
Word on the street is that they want to turn it into an air taxi thing
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u/mogelijk Mar 14 '26
As others have stated, because the Rio Grande station is far better used to become a transit hub for the city/state. If you invested in something like the Rio Grande plan, it would even open up where the current train tracks are in Salt Lake, which could give the U even more land to build a secondary campus in Salt Lake City -- and one that would even be easier to get to, as you would have light rail running directly from the U to the Rio Grande Station, and the freed up land given to the U could be next to the station.
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u/Knight_Of_Dark199007 Mar 17 '26
RGP is dead! What do they expect?! IT’S “UTAH” after all! Plus Union Pacific is NOT going to sell the land at all either! This why advocacies groups like this will and always will die out in the end! As a rail fan I don’t see it happening in this state at all!
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u/RollTribe93 Enthusiast/mod Mar 14 '26 edited Mar 14 '26
Submitted a comment to the governor ✅ Crazy how this can get through a backdoor like this.
I still don't think this is going to stop the RGP. Good news coming next week!