Pioneer Park in Salt Lake City. Photo courtesy of Deseret News.
SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake City released a new plan for Pioneer Park last night.
The Salt Lake City Public Lands Team took the results of a 3,000-person survey to make improvements to the city’s park. They include a new park pavilion, more space for the farmer’s markets, and more trees. There were some big changes to the park just a few years ago.
Those who took the survey reported homelessness and crime in the surrounding area as reasons they don’t enjoy visiting the park right now.
The plan expands the park’s greenery by adding more trees to increase shade and create a canopy/botanic walk space surrounding the park.
“The design preserves 85% of the existing tree count, and adds roughly 90 trees to increase the current tree canopy by 20%,” said Anna Laybourn with the planning firm charged with the park’s design.
There would also be a tree grove at the northeast corner of the park, a conservation garden at the southwest corner, and a pollinator garden at the southeast corner.
In a nod to Utah’s water shortage in the midst of drought, a water-saving mist-producing fountain is proposed as the centerpiece of a signature plaza and event pavilion toward the north end of the park.
The signature park pavilion would bring a center space to include restrooms, a cafe, a stage, kiosks, and an area for park rangers that would help keep the park safe for families and bring in visitors to events.
A new multi-purpose field is proposed, focused on the southern end of the park to be used for events and concerts, with re-designed sports facilities to include additional pickleball courts.
An all-ages playground toward the west would feature slides and swings for children, and a fitness circuit for adults. Laybourn says public engagement has brought in the possibility of more basketball courts and a place for skateboarding for future consideration.
The 9.8-acre park serves a community of 5,000 residents and 37,000 employees, but a review of the area surrounding the park shows a big jump in residents. One thousand new housing units are already completed within a 15-minute walk of the park, with an additional 1,000 proposed units nearby.
Construction is slated to begin in 2023 after public feedback has been incorporated.