Highland High School Property Line Retaining Wall and Park Hill Regrading

Salt Lake City Board of Education is the owner of 29.21 acres adjacent to Sugar House Park on the northeast corner. Currently, about .64 acres of land are used and cared for by Sugar House Park. During the phased replacement of Highland High School, the school district will reclaim and use the full extent of its property. This is not a conversion of parkland, as the land is owned by the Board of Education.

The retaining wall for Highland High School will be on the School District's property, with the regrading of the hill occurring on Sugar House Park Property. The blue box identifies the project limit area. — Existing Salt Lake City School District Survey and Topography.

PROJECT SCOPE OF WORK

Due to the almost 40-foot grade change from 1700 East to Parley’s Creek, an original 300-foot-long and 30-foot-tall retaining wall was proposed by the School District. The Park Authority requested a more park-like experience along the shared boundary line, and the School District provided alternative concepts (see below). The Park Authority's preference was for a reduced single-tiered wall and an extended, regraded hill. All costs associated with the retaining wall, regrading the hill, replacing trees, sod, and the irrigation system, will be covered at the School District’s construction budget for Highland High School.

IMPACT ON SUGAR HOUSE PARK

The hybrid concept will have a retaining wall on the school property and a regrading of the earthen hill on the park property. The hill will require the removal of several trees and the loss of eight (8) horseshoe pits and one concrete volleyball pad. The horseshoe pits and volleyball court were funded by federal grants from the Land and Water Conservation Fund, so the Park Authority is required to replace the lost recreation opportunities in Sugar House Park.

Visual of Hybrid Concept for shared boundary line

Visual of the Hybrid Concept

The hybrid concept calls for a shorter retaining wall and a regraded earthen hill to create a park-like experience. For every tree lost during construction, the Salt Lake City School District will replace it with two trees, using TreeUtah.org to plant them.

WHAT IS NEXT

Salt Lake City School District agreed in the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to pay the Park Authority $97,500 for the current cost of the amenities. The Park Authority will decide whether the lost outdoor recreation elements should be replaced "like for like" or whether to invest in new facilities within the park that better serve the current interests of park patrons, or in upgrades to existing, highly used outdoor recreation features. The park will still have four (4) volleyball pads and one sand volleyball court after the change. There are no other horseshoe pits in the park.

TIMELINE

The Salt Lake City School District will begin work on the shared property line in May 2026. Based on the MOU, the School District will post signs at the project area 15 days prior to any construction activity. They have 24 months to complete all construction activity as outlined above.