Salt Lake City CRA backs $50,000 straw poll to activate Mead Avenue underpass

The Salt Lake City Community Reinvestment Agency (CRA) board gave unanimous support by straw poll to release $50,000 from the State Street strategic intervention fund to help convert the Ninth South/Mead Avenue underpass into activated public space, contingent on executed use agreements with the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) and Salt Lake City.

The project, initiated by the Central Ninth community, proposes transforming the space beneath the Ninth South off-ramp into programmed public use, including a futsal (street-soccer) court proposed by RISE Athletics Foundation. Councilmember Mano told the board the site is UDOT-owned but that UDOT has been “a willing partner.”

Why it matters: The underpass bisects the Central Ninth neighborhood and the Ballpark area and has been a site of encampments and loitering, residents and council members said. Supporters say activation and regular programming could increase visibility and pedestrian use and reconnect the neighborhood’s residential and commercial sections.

Doug Flagler, a project presenter, described recent community work at the site including a large cleanup, painting of bridge pillars and moving fences to open sidewalks. “We have a group of about, you know, a dozen people that are meeting every other week that are looking at ways to activate the space,” Flagler said. He said architects were preparing renderings and that the community has received grants to run summer programming.

Nick Raimondo, representing RISE Athletics Foundation, described plans to install street-soccer courts and to use the courts for free, community programming. “What we do is try to make soccer more accessible in our communities,” Raimondo said. He told the board his group, Real Salt Lake and the Miller Family Foundation and local donors had raised more than $15,000 for summer activation and shorter-term improvements.

Councilmembers voiced support while asking for data and documentation. Councilmember Pietro asked that the project include baseline data collection to measure calls for service and other public-safety indicators before and after activation: “Could we create a baseline to understand how many calls for service… and could we ask for reporting on instances of uses if those calls go down?” he asked.

Councilmember Mano proposed the straw poll: “I propose a straw poll that we release $50,000 of the State Street strategic intervention funds for the construction improvements as part of the Mead up program with, the contingent contingent upon execution agreement of agreements with UDOT in Salt Lake City for the use of the space.” An amendment — accepted by Mano — asked that the community document improvements and provide before-and-after photos and reporting; project presenter Flagler confirmed the community already has substantial documentation, noting a walking tour with the mayor and community photos.

The board signaled unanimous approval by “thumbs up.” The action was recorded as a straw poll rather than a final funding disbursement; CRA staff and the project team must complete formal agreements with UDOT and Salt Lake City and document how the $50,000 would be spent before funds are released.

Next steps: CRA staff said they will work with the project team to refine the expenditure plan and prepare necessary agreements. The CRA meeting record indicated there were no public comments on this agenda item at this session and invited the public to the next board meeting on 04/08/2025 for further input.