business-friendly environment all factored into the firm’s decision to invest in the Beehive State, evidenced by Valley Grove, amulti-phase, 62-acremaster-planned development just east of the Pleasant Grove Blvd./I-15 Interchange that ultimately will include 1 million SF of space in six major office buildings, eight different retail sites
and 10 additional pad sites. The anticipated $300 million investment is expected to generate $800 million in tax revenue for the state, county, and city, while hosting 7,000+ employees. “Ed and I are partners; we boiled it down to three markets – Seattle, Portland and Salt Lake, and when it came to making
the decision, I picked Salt Lake because of regulatory and business environment and the fact that the population is growing with natural (in-state) growth. We’re a speculative builder; we didn’t have anything pre-leased, no financing, we just started building. We put $35 million into the project before we got any financing. We figured we had this great location that other developers had passed over.” Projects include Grove Tower, a 190,000 SF, six-story Class A office building, and Grove 1, a 170,000 SF office building that broke ground in July and should be completed by August 2019. Designed by Beecher Walker Architects of Holladay and built by Jacobsen Construction of Salt Lake, Grove Tower’s entrances and dramatic six-story edges create angular cutouts that capture natural and man-made light in unique ways. Materials include gunmetal gray and warm wood-colored metal panels – in addition to walls of glass – that reflect and aid in the play of light coming into the spaces of the building at all times of the day. The sensory experience continues into the two-story lobby where visitors are greeted by a sea of reflective finishes juxtaposed to matte ones. The 30’ X 9’ LED screen on the opposite wall can’t be missed as is plays a continual loop of iconic and dramatic Utah scenery. High-end finishes continue with 5 ft. x 10 ft. light-colored, marble-looking floor tiles, the largest of its type available, surrounded by smaller, matte porcelain tiles, which offers a subtle contrast in light reflection. Poured- in-place GFRC panels encasing the elevator have a polished black finish, offering yet more dramatic design contrasts. St. John’s boasts a notable development portfolio with more than 18 million square feet of space in eight states spanning three regions, including office, flex/research, warehouse and retail, in addition to residential units. Besides Maryland, it has offices in Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin; Colorado and Nevada are western locations besides Utah. Thomas expects the local economy to hum along, both short- and long-term, and said St. John remains bullish on his Utah investment. “He loves it – he’s spending a
40 | UTAH CONSTRUCTION & DESIGN | Aug|Sept 18
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