Desert News: ‘Historic redemption': Abandoned building restored as SLC affordable housing, commercial space

Ashley Fredde, KSL.com

A once-abandoned building that sat on 255 S. State will now see new life as a three-building space that includes residential, commercial and public use.

The Aster was unveiled in a ribbon-cutting Tuesday with Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall and Salt Lake City Council members in attendance. The multimillion-dollar project included 12 funding streams, including $14.5 million from the Redevelopment Agency of Salt Lake City.

The project includes 168 affordable studio to four-bedroom living units and 20,000 square feet of commercial space. Between the two buildings, 95 units will be rented at rates affordable to residents earning 20% to 50% of the area median income and 73 will serve those making 51% to 80% of the area median income. Additionally, a public plaza is featured between the space to connect State Street to midblock Floral Street where the third building is located.

The third building is a renovation of a historic building, the Cramer House, which will become home to a local business. The Cramer House, once a residence and floral shop, has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since the 1980s.

The register deemed the building significant "as one of only two single-family residences remaining in the downtown area. It documents not only the probable presence at an earlier time of other single-family residential architecture in the area, but also the combination of homey residence and business in one structure in the business district."

The Cramer House's restoration and inclusion in the Aster project encompasses Salt Lake City officials' push to renew single-family residences in the now-modernized downtown.

"This is what urban modern-day barn raising looks like. It takes a village to put these housing units up. No one entity nor the private market can do it alone, we have to come together and we're getting really good at doing it," Mendenhall said.

The ribbon-cutting Tuesday represented the finish line to a project that has been ongoing for a number of years. The mayor recalled the project being discussed since her time at City Hall in different positions, around 10 years.

"This project is truly historic redemption," said Danny Waltz, Redevelopment Agency of Salt Lake City director. "Anyone who's been around long enough knows that this property sat as an abandoned six-storied steel, concrete structure rusting and covered in graffiti for a number of years."

The building was purchased but ultimately went into foreclosure, which prompted Waltz to stand on the courthouse steps as it was auctioned in an attempt to salvage it as an affordable housing opportunity. The city purchased the building in 2017 and began the long road of securing funding for the project and renovations.

"This is what the RDA does, this is our job. Today we celebrate a job well done," Waltz said tearfully at the ribbon-cutting.

To Waltz, the success of the project is best illustrated by new resident and single mother Stephanie Ramirez.

"How we got here is after a few challenges and making tough decisions to become a single mother, I ended up without the place to call home," said Ramirez, holding her 4-year-old son. Ramirez's son, James, signaled his approval with several thumbs-ups to the audience.

Members of the Aster management team reached out to encourage Ramirez to apply for Aster's housing, she said.

"After a month of patience, I got the keys to the door of my very own place. I have met amazing people on a similar life-changing journey trying to do better and be better and break generational curses," said Ramirez. "Since the doors opened here for me and my son, I have become a better version of myself. I am stronger —mentally, physically and in every aspect since I got here."

Mendenhall, who has declared this year as the year of affordable housing, called for continued partnerships to further meet the need for affordable housing.

"We're good at this stuff. We want to do more of this. And so to all of you, many of whom we've partnered on other projects and projects that are in the ground right now, let's keep going; stay with us," the mayor said.

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