*A rendering of Option 2 for 2100 South, 700 East to 1300 East. This is the Sweet Streets-preferred option.*

In 2024, Salt Lake City will rebuild 2100 South through the heart of Sugar House. Yes, the area has been a hellscape of construction for years, but this is a historic opportunity to re-envision the heart of SLC’s second downtown, and now is the time to act.

For those that have spent time in Sugar House, you’ve likely noticed that 2100 South doesn’t really work for anyone. People driving cars are frustrated with the lack of turning lanes, those on bikes are under duress, pedestrians are on narrow sidewalks next to aggressive traffic, and people on scooters nearly mow down those on foot.

The area has the bones of a delightful urban core, with a diverse array of shops, bars, and housing options — but the street itself is like a circulatory system on life support.

This all could change with the right rebuild, and we need to use our voice to ask for the most transformative change to 2100 South.

The city will reconstruct 2100 South from 700 to 1300 East. This allows us to take a major step toward creating the Sugar House we want for the next generation, including achieving the pedestrian-first vision of the Sugar House Master Plan. One of the goals listed on page two of that plan is to [d]evelop the Sugar House Community to be a sustainable, attractive, harmonious and pedestrian-oriented community.

The city feels the weight of this and has taken its due diligence seriously — SLC Transportation has run surveys, focus groups, and workshops and the city has narrowed down the designs to two main options.

Option 1 is more or less business-as-usual, leaving car lanes as-is, with two lanes in each direction and no dedicated turn lane. The narrow sidewalk would remain in place on the north side of 2100 S.

Option 2 would achieve the vision of the Sugar House Master Plan by transforming 2100 South into a Main Street for the neighborhood. This option not only offers more opportunities for left turns, but increases sidewalk widths on both sides from 5 feet to 10 feet and adds protected bike/scooter lanes. This last piece safely separates walkers from scooters and bikes, which has been a long-running issue across SLC.

The space created in Option 2 increases the opportunity for outdoor dining and a makes for a much more inviting street for all. Whether you’re a parent with a stroller, out with your elderly parents, riding in a wheelchair, biking with your kids, walking to grab dinner or even a driver annoyed by a lack of consistency, it’s time for a Main Street for Sugar House. Option 2 — with its wide sidewalks, its two-way cycle track and its appropriately scaled vehicle lanes — accomplishes that.

It’s time to make Sugar House a place to travel to, not just a place to travel through.

Considering the empty storefronts in the area, there’s a need for more walk-in traffic and a focus on people, not just their cars.

If you want a people-first Sugar House now is the time to speak up in favor of Option 2.

This decision will be made in weeks, so it’s time to get involved. We need you to email the project team, email your representative on the City Council, email the mayor, and have a conversation with your favorite Sugar House business.

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