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SALT LAKE CITY — It has been a little more than a year now since its Arizona-based owner announced a $100 million investment into The Gateway, and change has slowly but surely come to the area.
Once a retail shop destination in downtown Salt Lake, the complex is taking shape with its goal to be an entertainment center, said Eddie Trott, marketing director for The Gateway. It’s an adjustment anticipated to fully mold over the next few years, but residents may begin to notice more in 2018.
“When Vestar (the Phoenix-based company that purchased The Gateway in 2016) bought the property, it wasn’t to re-tenant it as a retail shopping center; it was to re-tenant it as an entertainment destination,” Trott said. “I think people are going to be really amused and excited about the future announcements that we have.”
Vestar didn’t retain stores like Hollister and Dick’s Sporting Goods. It also ripped out the mall's traditional food court, replacing it with arcade-restaurant franchise Dave & Busters — slated to open in April 2018.
MidiCi The Neapolitan Pizza Company is also expected to open in April 2018, and La Barba Coffee will open a location in the center, Trott added. The eateries will be added to a slew of restaurants already established in an area Trott referred to as “restaurant row.”
With residential growth happening around the property, Vestar opted for white-collar companies over traditional retail at The Gateway. The Internal Revenue Service announced it had officially moved its Taxpayer Assistance Center to The Gateway on Dec. 5.
Recursion Pharmaceuticals is also set to move to the aforementioned Dick’s Sporting Goods building, located across the street from Vivint Arena. The building has been vacant for nearly a year.
That has led to an increase in workers and residents in the area, which The Gateway hopes to cater to, Trott said.
“There’s a lot of development going on in Salt Lake City, in general, and so we want to provide an atmosphere for those condo-dwellers to eat, work and play,” she said.
In keeping with the entertainment theme Vestar projected for The Gateway, more event programming, such as flea markets and movie screenings, were also installed throughout the year. Food trucks have been added on a Monday-Friday basis.
Art has also taken over the decor across the property. A giant screen projecting various artistic videos at all times of the day was added earlier in the year. Large murals were also added in a couple of elections, with more artwork in other areas on the property.
While a good chunk of 2017 was spent overhauling infrastructure — such as replacing the escalators, fixing elevators and updating parking garages — Trott said more events like that are slated for 2018 and beyond. While progress has been slow, she said, it is moving.
“I think a lot of the general public thought Vestar bought the property (and) this thing is going to be turned around in a year. And unfortunately, development doesn’t happen that quickly, especially if you have a goal in mind and a vision in mind,” Trott said. “Obviously, we want a lot of different types of businesses here and we want it to make sense and we want it to be the right fit so that we can really reinvigorate The Gateway.”
