SALT LAKE CITY — A building boom in downtown Salt Lake City is continuing despite the COVID-19 pandemic which forced an estimated three out of four employees to work remotely at home.
The pandemic put most office and commercial construction on hold. Yet, nothing appears to be stopping the residential projects.
"It’s turning into this big boom that we’ve never seen before,” said Salt Lake City Planning Director Nick Norris.
Norris said 47 housing projects been built or started in five years. Most of the units will be rented at the market rate which is roughly $1,400 for a one-bedroom apartment according to apartments.com
"We’ve approved and seen built more housing projects in the last five years than we have in any period of growth in our city’s history,” said Norris.
When current projects finish, the number of housing units will have increased by 367 percent in five years to nearly 7,000.
Norris adds the growth holds pace with the city’s historical projections.
For downtown resident Deb Casper, she wants people come back to the city by the time the projects finish.
"I’m hoping things will get back to normal so these buildings can be filled up and work,” said Casper.
The Downtown Alliance says there are roughly 260 underutilized or vacant lots in the city.
