Salt Lake City Mixed-Income Development Serves Wider Community

2022 MFE Awards, Mixed-Income, Grand: The Exchange

2 MIN READ

Tim Hursley

The Exchange connects a diverse group of households through a creative mix of housing, public spaces, and community programming in Salt Lake City.

Located on one of downtown’s most prominent corners, the development is anchored by the mixed-income Avia apartments, the affordable Mya apartments, a 30,000-square-foot creative workspace, and 15,000 square feet of community-focused retail space and a food hall.

“Our goal with The Exchange was to create a true community of opportunity, offering housing across a range of income bands and household sizes,” says Matt Schwartz, co-CEO of The Domain Cos. “What makes The Exchange unique is combining community-focused amenities, such as The Shop and The Local Market & Bar, with project elements that serve the wider community, beyond those that call the project home. These elements support local business and entrepreneurship, offer a range of engaging programming, and provide community amenities and gathering spaces for the entire downtown community.”

His firm developed The Exchange in partnership with Giv Group.

Tim Hursley

PROJECT DETAILS

Location: Salt Lake City
Developers: The Domain Cos. and Giv Group
Architects: KTGY (Avia); Eskew Dumez Ripple (Mya and The Shop Workspace); and Bell Butler (The Local Market & Bar)
Builder: Wadman Corp.
Opened: February 2021
Number of Units: 412 (Avia, 286 units; Mya, 126)
Unit Mix: Studios; one-, two-, and three-bedrooms; and penthouse apartments
Rents: $660 to $3,800

The community’s 412 housing units support a wide range of households. At the 286-unit Avia, there are 228 market-rate apartments and 58 apartments serving households earning up to 50% of the area median income (AMI). At the Mya, there are 126 affordable homes serving residents earning up to 80% of the AMI.

Residents enjoy amenities like an indoor-outdoor fitness center, a clubroom, a media room, a pet grooming center, on-site parking, ski and bike storage, and a comprehensive technology package.

Both Avia and Mya, which have achieved Enterprise Green certification, offer stunning mountain views and a prime location along the TRAX line, next to a public park in the heart of downtown.

The Exchange is also home to The Shop Workspace, a co-working space that provides a rich environment to work and build new businesses.

The retail component includes The Local Market & Bar, a 7,000-square-foot food hall focused on helping local culinary entrepreneurs launch or expand their businesses. The Local includes a partnership with Spice Kitchen Incubator, a project of the International Rescue Committee that helps refugees start their own food businesses and share culinary traditions with the Salt Lake community.

About the Author

Donna Kimura

Donna Kimura is deputy editor of Affordable Housing Finance. She has covered the industry for more than 20 years. Before that, she worked at an Internet company and several daily newspapers. Connect with Donna at dkimura@zondahome.com or follow her @DKimura_AHF.

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