Intermountain Health has moved a step closer to turning the vacant former Sears site in Salt Lake City into a new medical campus. The organization filed a formal municipal planning permit this week for a 10-story hospital at the corner of State Street and 800 South.
New renderings show a high-rise facility connected to a seven-floor medical office building. The site plan features a large parking garage on the north side and an additional structure on the west side of Main Street, joined by a pedestrian bridge. Plans also include a helipad on the roof of the main tower.
Public amenities are part of the design, with three public plazas intended to include trees, art, and space for food trucks. A 2024 agreement between the nonprofit and the city requires at least an acre of green space and ground-floor retail, such as a pharmacy, to ensure the project integrates with the surrounding neighborhood.
City officials previously expressed concerns about the project creating a barrier to pedestrian traffic near downtown. The company stated in its application that this project serves as a catalyst for future high-density development in the area, aligning with existing zoning goals.
Permit filings suggest this facility may replace the aging LDS Hospital in the Avenues. Crews finished soil remediation work at the site earlier this summer. The project now awaits approval from the local planning commission before construction can proceed.