- Salt Lake City wants to transform Jefferson Park into a safer community space.
- Two design proposals were released, each include walking paths, gathering spaces and enhanced lighting for safety.
- An additional $300,000 was added to park improvements budget earlier this month.
SALT LAKE CITY — Tucked between the 9-Line trail and the Smith's Ballpark redevelopment area, Jefferson Park could be considered the heart of the Central Ninth and Ballpark neighborhoods' outdoor scene.
It's one of the few current green spaces in the neighborhood, but even city leaders admit it's forgettable.
"I've driven by it a thousand times, and I never felt like it was a park," said Salt Lake City Council Chairman Alejandro Puy, during a recent Salt Lake City Community Reinvestment Agency meeting.
That's because Jefferson Park, 1084 S. West Temple, is primarily a 3-acre detention basin, a feature that helps prevent stormwater runoff flooding in the middle of Utah's capital city.
It was created in the mid-'80s in response to the severe flooding that impacted the area in 1983, yet its design is outdated, with raised edges creating a bowl that has led to nefarious activity, says Amy Reid, landscape architect for Salt Lake City's public lands department. Residents tell her they often avoid the area because of crime.
That's why she hopes a new plan to redesign the space will fix its issues, keeping it as a vital detention basin while turning it into a community asset. While the city added a new playground last year, the department on Wednesday unveiled two potential designs for what the rest of Jefferson Park may soon look like.
Both would feature a walking path around its perimeter, as well as new gathering spaces with seating, native landscaping, and new recreation amenities that all revolve around Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design guidelines. Enhanced lighting to improve safety would be included, too, which is on top of a new playground that was installed last year.
They'd also better connect with the 9-Line and MeadUP, an underpass park that opened last year.
One would focus on a variety of gathering spaces on the concept of bringing the community together; the other would add more walking paths, centering more on connectivity in the neighborhood.
"These concepts reflect what we heard from the community, a desire for a safer, more welcoming space that supports recreation, connection and sustainability while honoring the park's unique function," Reid said in a statement.
The designs were released a week after the Community Reinvestment Agency board agreed to authorize $300,000 toward the project from an infrastructure improvement fund that the agency created during the 2023 fiscal year to enhance areas near State Street in the area.
The project also received $750,000 from the general obligation bond for park improvements across the city, while the city recently directed $530,000 in capital improvement program funds toward a community-led project to add the walking loop.
Investing in the park may help reduce the costs associated with what made the park undesirable, said Salt Lake City Vice Chairwoman Erika Carlsen, before the vote to add $300,000 to the budget.
"It's a steal, compared to the amount that I'd imagine we have historically had to spend investing in responding to crime, investing in responding to neighbors' concerns, and the police departments responding to unsavory activities happening in this park," she said. "I think this is a wise stewardship of funding that supports the neighborhood."
Salt Lake City Public Lands launched a new public survey along with the two conceptual designs on Wednesday. The survey will remain open through March 11, before feedback is used to pick a final design that could be announced this spring, per city documents.
The city will then start looking for a contractor to build out that design, which is expected to take place during the summer. Construction could begin by the end of the year or early next year, Reid said last week.
"It's a passionate neighborhood, and they really want to see Jefferson Park be a place they can use more regularly," she added. "We're trying to make this a safe park."
