Sandy’s Monroe Street project gets boost from federal funding, NHL announcement

Sandy’s Monroe Street project in the city’s The Cairns urban core district has received a $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Transportation, Housing and Urban Development 2025 appropriations bill. While most federal funding for local street projects comes through a metropolitan planning organization — the Wasatch Front Regional Council in Sandy’s case — the Monroe Street money was allocated directly from the federal agency.

“Now, $1.5 million for a local roads project to receive federal funding is a huge deal; it’s just not done,” said Sandy Mayor Monica Zoltanski. “For our Monroe Street project to receive that endorsement from the U.S. House of Representatives, led by Congressman (John) Curtis, is a huge win and it puts the seal of approval from the Utah delegation.”

Zoltanaski and Sandy city staff campaigned for the funding directly through U.S. Rep. John Curtis. The funds will be used to complete Phase 5 of the seven-phase Monroe Street project — that part of the street that curves from 10600 South toward the northwest corner of The Shops at South Town.

Monroe Street is a major thoroughfare servicing The Cairns, a development within Sandy, first announced in 2015. It encompasses Sandy City Hall; the Hale Centre Theatre complex; America First Field, home of the Real Salt Lake soccer team; and the site of the planned practice facility and office complex for Smith Entertainment Group’s (SEG) new National Hockey League team, the Utah Hockey Club. SEG announced earlier this year that The Shops at South Town would become its hockey home. On July 31, SEG completed the acquisition of the full 111-acre property.

Zoltanski said she likes to call the project “Phase H,” alluding to the future hockey facilities.

“People are recognizing the urgency of [the Monroe Street project] now with the NHL practice facility coming to South Town mall,” Zoltanski said.

Sandy’s public information officer, Susan Wood, said the allocation of the grant was probably influenced by the announcement and the plans to bring the NHL to Utah.

“It’s coming together in such an important way, like pieces in a puzzle,” Wood said. “What’s interesting too, is a municipality couldn’t afford projects like this. I don’t think in any city, municipalities just don’t have those funds, and so we rely on partners to see the vision and work with us and help us out.”

Phase 5 alone has an eight-figure price tag, estimated Ryan Kump, Sandy’s public works director, and partnering with SEG will lead to sharing the cost of the improved road.

“[SEG] is much more willing to work with us than the previous ownership,” Kump said. “And so, while we haven’t worked out terms, we’re already at a point in working with them on the new practice facility where they’re working with us to accommodate a future alignment, and we’re discussing what partnership on road construction would be.”

Sandy officials will have a better idea what that partnership looks like after the training facility is up and running next year.

Sandy Economic Development Director Kasey Dunlavy said with SEG’s partnership, the vision for the project is no longer 10 or 20 years in the future, but closer to three to five years.

Zoltanski estimated a total of approximately $19.5 million has been granted from state and federal funding so far to complete Phase 5 of the Monroe Street project. Dunlavy said that the project is expected to relieve traffic congestion, improve pedestrian safety in the area and be a source for local economic gain for the city through the improvement of roads, sidewalks and public utilities.

“With the increased development, you have the increased property tax and sales tax,” Dunlavy said. He said that the only way to let that be an economic boost to the city is “to get thousands of people in and out. Without Monroe, without this funding, without the widening and those types of things, you can’t move people in and out, and then it’s just going to be congested.”

“This is all new money coming to Sandy,” Zoltanski said. “But it’s money that won’t come out of the wallets of Sandy residents. The Monroe Street project, up to this point, has been almost entirely funded by grants and partnerships.

Kump said that using federal and state money to fund projects in the city is something he likes to think of as “bringing home” the taxes residents are already paying outside of the city’s control. Kump said that of the millions of dollars spent on these big projects, a small percentage is paid for from city taxes.

“There is a small amount of money that goes directly to the city out of the property taxes, but it’s actually a lot smaller than I think most residents appreciate,” Kump said. “I’d say that’s maybe 5 percent.”

No official date has been estimated for the completion of the Monroe Street project because of its dependence on pending and future grants.