Mendenhall highlights business goals in State of City address

By Brice Wallace 

Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall is getting plaudits for her goal to make the city a high-tech hub.

That was among the business-related elements that were part of Mendenhall’s recent State of the City address. The mayor also wants to establish a city department to streamline projects, push for housing affordability across all income levels, boost apprenticeships in project contract awards, bolster business and cultural districts in the city and work to improve environmental sustainability.

“Part of our commitment includes tapping into Salt Lake City’s growth to help make it a hub for innovative high-tech business — bringing more of these high-paying, fast-growing jobs to our city and connecting our residents to them,” the mayor said.

The need for the city to be a major player in life science innovation was “brought into sharp focus” during the COVID-19 pandemic, she said. If the city can reach that goal, it would bring “incredible” long-term employment opportunities for the city, “as well as office environments that utilize lab space and more permanent investment,” she said.

The city last year collaborated with local biotech and life sciences companies and public- and private-sector partners to launch BioHive, a branding initiative aimed at developing life sciences as the first pillar of a broader initiative aimed at creating more high-paying jobs and capitalizing on the great innovation happening in the community.

“Tech Lake City, as we’ve come to call it, will continue to be a driving force for my administration, and this year, we will continue work on a collaborative roadmap that harnesses the growth and economic potential that exists here,” Mendenhall said. “It’s not just about attracting companies to take root here, or even about helping innovative entrepreneurs build their businesses here. We want Tech Lake City to become a tangible connection point of opportunity for Salt Lakers, whether it’s our youth looking to shape their career path or adults seeking a new professional direction.”

The mayor said the next steps in the process will be announced.

The Downtown Alliance and BioUtah praised Mendenhall’s commitment to the effort.

“We applaud the mayor’s commitment to improving resident’s lives by making Salt Lake City a hub for health innovation and high-tech businesses,” said Derek Miller, president and CEO of both the Downtown Alliance and Salt Lake Chamber.

“We wholeheartedly support the BioHive initiatives and collaborations, particularly as Salt Lake City has the fastest-growing health innovation ecosystem in the country. There are 1,100 health innovation companies in Salt Lake City, and our downtown offers amenities, living options, and a quality of life that can be leveraged to attract companies and talent.”

Kelvyn Cullimore, president and CEO of BioUtah, noted that Mendenhall’s address also called for healthcare innovation companies to work with the city to create apprenticeships for residents.

“BioUtah applauds Mayor Medenhall’s vision, which recognizes the importance of Utah’s life sciences industry to the city now and for the future,” Cullimore said. “We look forward to working closely with the mayor and her team to unleash the full potential of BioHive and healthcare innovation.”

Among other elements of the speech that have business connections, Mendenhall wants to form an Innovation Department for the city to “drive projects that aim to make the way city government serves you more nimble, efficient and cohesive.” She is pushing efforts to address housing affordability for all Salt Lakers, wants a city ordinance that incentivizes a percentage of apprenticeships for city project contract awards, and seeks to strengthen the city’s business and cultural districts “and identify funding for neighborhoods to cultivate their sense of place and community pride.”

The environment also is among her priorities. “As a growing city with new development continually in the pipeline, we will also take steps to make sure new projects are green,” she said.

She wants an ordinance requiring all new buildings funded with city money to be emission-free by 2023. “A housing development, hotel or mixed-use project that receives even a dime of RDA (Redevelopment Agency) money will have to be emission-free,” she said.

She also wants to see a cross-departmental Sustainable Infrastructure Steering Committee charged with proposing changes to the city code to remove the barriers to green infrastructure and capitalizing on new opportunities for sustainable progress. Mendenhall also said she will support the RDA’s completion and implementation of its sustainability loan interest rate reduction criteria, “which would further incentivize development that is better for our environment.”

Mendenhall noted that 2020 featured the challenges spawned by a pandemic, an earthquake and wind storms.

“The pre-COVID status quo was not good for everyone. It wasn’t just for everyone. It wasn’t safe for everyone and it wasn’t fair for everyone,” she said.

“Instead of Salt Lake City getting back to normal and re-creating what it once was, we are striving to make our city better through change — to come out of this pandemic stronger, more resilient, more equitable and more just than before.”