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CRA staff ask board to approve $250,000 increase to USA Climbing reimbursement for Salt Lake Mattress Company reconstruction
Summary
City staff presented amended term-sheet language asking the CRA to increase USA Climbing’s reimbursement cap for reconstructing the Salt Lake Mattress Company building from $6,000,000 to $6,250,000, prompting board questions about preservation goals, project viability and alternatives such as modern or smaller reconstructions.
Salt Lake City Community Reinvestment Agency staff on Feb. 10 presented an amended term sheet that would increase the CRA reimbursement allowance to USA Climbing from $6,000,000 to $6,250,000 for reconstructing the historic Salt Lake Mattress Company building as part of the organization’s Rio Grande District training center.
Ashley (senior project manager) told the board that the amended language would require USA Climbing to "reconstruct the Salt Lake Mattress Company building to match historic conditions, including building placement, massing, and fenestration patterns," and that the CRA would reimburse up to $6,250,000 for design, demolition and reconstruction costs. Staff said the change reflects additional costs tied to careful deconstruction, brick cleaning and reuse.
Board members raised financial concerns and alternatives. Board member Lopez Chavez asked whether staff had analyzed the cost of a contemporary rebuild rather than a historically reconstructed brick building; Ashley replied staff could obtain an informed estimate but that the board’s original policy decision years earlier prioritized preservation. Board member Pui said she remains supportive of the project’s objectives but is open to alternatives, including partial reuse or a smaller footprint, given fiscal stewardship of taxpayer dollars.
Several members emphasized the historic-preservation policy context and the higher costs of reuse. Ashley said the earlier $6,000,000 estimate represented CRA’s most educated estimate of the cost to bring the building to a warm shell and that the additional $250,000 request creates a funding gap the applicant has asked the CRA to cover. Staff noted the new construction and the mattress-building work can be treated as separate funding scopes within the larger project.
No formal approval or vote on the amended term sheet was recorded on the meeting transcript. Board members asked staff to convene small-group follow-ups with CRA staff, the applicant and council members to explore options and return with more information before committing additional funds.
