Located at the southwest corner of North Temple and 900 West, the 9th Note project is a six-story, mixed-use development designed to provide 110 affordable housing units within the Transit Station Area (TSA) zoning district. The project replaces a used car lot and several one-story retail buildings, consolidating three parcels into a cohesive site. The residential portion consists of 25 one-bedroom and 85 two-bedroom units, with five levels of housing above a ground floor that includes 5,000 square feet of commercial space. Parking provisions include 50 stalls, four EV stalls, and 12 EV-ready spaces, in alignment with TSA regulations. Proximity to the Jackson/Euclid TRAX station and Folsom Trail supports a transit-oriented design approach. The project integrates sustainable and efficient design elements to enhance urban density while maintaining community accessibility.
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Date
location
CLIENT
9th Note
Overcoming Challenges and Adhering to Design
We discovered the soils for this project site were terrible, the worst we have ever seen. Soil mitigation (geopiers) was required to allow the site to support the anticipated structure. This resulted in a more robust foundation design than would otherwise be required. Challenges with getting Rocky Mountain Power to supply power to the project resulted in many design changes, frustrating coordination efforts, and delays in design completion.
We addressed these challenges with constant and consistent communication with the team, including all consultants. We had to accept that sometimes things don’t go our way and we needed to be flexible to adapt to keep the project moving forward even if the solution to the problem is not ideal. In efforts to solve the Rocky Mountain Power issues, we provided multiple site design options exploring alternatives for transformer placement, electrical gear placement and access.
We are proud that we were able to solve a myriad of complex problems and requirements, and still have a nice-looking project in the end. The TSA requirements were extensive and difficult to implement given the constraints of the site, owner programming desires, and other limitations of providing an affordable project. In the end, we were able to achieve a TSA score of 197, where a minimum of 125 was required. Working with the structural team, contractor, and geopier subcontractor, we were able to adequately solve the complex soils and added complexity of building on a near-zero lot line building configuration.