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Lake Union Partners builds rare loft apartments in Salt Lake City's Granary District

Lake Union Partners builds rare loft apartments in Salt Lake City's Granary District

Built World Salt Lake City, UT local

Seattle developer's 52-unit Granary Lofts project broke ground earlier this year

Today: Granary Lofts reported with rare true lofts

Overview

Updated 1 hour ago

Lake Union Partners broke ground earlier this year on Granary Lofts, a 52-unit apartment building at 450 W. 700 S. in Salt Lake City's Granary District. Forty-two of the units are true lofts with 18-foot ceilings, a type Building Salt Lake reports is rare in the city's new construction.

The project tests whether a niche unit type can work in a fast-growing warehouse district. If the lofts lease, it could give other developers a template for double-height apartments instead of standard flats.

Why it matters

If the lofts lease, Salt Lake City developers get a template for distinctive, denser housing in the Granary District.

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Key Indicators

52
Total apartments
Granary Lofts will have 52 units at 450 W. 700 S.
42
True loft units
Most of the building's units have double-height living rooms.
18 ft
Loft ceiling height
The true lofts have 18-foot ceilings, according to Building Salt Lake.

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Organizations Involved

Lake Union Partners
Lake Union Partners
Real estate developer
Building Granary Lofts

Seattle-based developer building a 52-unit loft apartment project in Salt Lake City's Granary District.

Timeline

2026 November 2026

2 events Latest: Today

  1. Granary Lofts reported with rare true lofts

    Today Report

    Building Salt Lake reports 42 of 52 units are true lofts with 18-foot ceilings.

  2. Lake Union Partners breaks ground on Granary Lofts

    Construction

    Developer starts 52-unit apartment project at 450 W. 700 S. in Salt Lake City's Granary District.

Scenarios

1

Granary Lofts opens and leases by 2028

Likely Resolves by End of 2028

Discussed by: Building Salt Lake reporting on the project's construction start

Lake Union Partners completes the building and begins renting the 52 units. The project's mix of 42 true lofts would give Salt Lake City a working example of the unit type.

2

Construction stalls and opening slips past 2028

Possible Resolves by End of 2028

Discussed by: Building Salt Lake's coverage of Granary District development

Financing, construction costs or leasing delays push completion beyond 2028. The site remains under construction or unfinished.

3

Lake Union Partners announces a second Salt Lake loft project by 2028

Uncertain Resolves by End of 2028

Discussed by: Building Salt Lake's coverage of Lake Union Partners

If Granary Lofts leases well, the developer applies the same double-height loft model to another Salt Lake City site.

Historical Context

3 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

1960s-1970s

SoHo artist lofts (1960s-1970s)

Artists moved into vacant industrial buildings in New York's SoHo, using open floors and high ceilings as live-work spaces. The city later legalized artist-in-residence occupancy.

Then

Lofts became desirable and expensive.

Now

SoHo became a model for adaptive reuse and loft living.

Why this matters now

Granary Lofts borrows the industrial-scale, double-height form for new housing.

1990s-2000s

Pearl District, Portland (1990s-2000s)

Portland redeveloped former rail yards and warehouses into a dense mixed-use district with lofts and apartments. New housing and retail drew residents.

Then

The district added housing and retail.

Now

It became a template for warehouse-district redevelopment.

Why this matters now

Salt Lake City's Granary District is following a similar path from industrial uses to housing.

1980s-1990s

Denver's LoDo (1980s-1990s)

Denver's Lower Downtown historic warehouse district was revitalized with lofts, bars, and offices after years of vacancy. The area became a residential and nightlife hub.

Then

LoDo drew residents and visitors.

Now

It showed how historic warehouse stock can support residential growth.

Why this matters now

The Granary District has similar warehouse stock and is adding housing.

Sources

(1)
Building Salt Lake