New Trains, New Hospital

A downtown eyesore locals jokingly called “Sears Lake” is finally turning into something real, and that’s only the start of a packed week. We break down the long-awaited redevelopment of the former Sears site near 300 West and 400 South, where Intermountain Health is beginning environmental remediation ahead of a new hospital campus. After years of stalled potential, the cleanup alone feels like the first domino, and the location near TRAX, the Gateway, and the Granary District could change the gravity of that corridor.

Then we get into a genuine transit win: Frontrunner is slated for a major upgrade, with new commuter trains expected to be built right here in Salt Lake City by Stadler. We talk about what a proposed $328 million contract means, how it connects to UDOT’s double tracking project, and why frequency is the real quality-of-life feature riders care about even if the timeline stretches out a few years.

The mood shifts when we zoom out to the escalating data center debate in Utah. Packed public hearings in Tooele County, wastewater permit concerns tied to wetlands connected to the Great Salt Lake, a county moratorium, and the still-paused Stratos project in Box Elder County all point to a bigger question: who gets to decide how land and water are used as Utah becomes a data center hub?

We wrap with the local culture pulse check: Cafe Rio admits fans are right and promises a return to the original sweet pork barbacoa, the Utah Talons go back-to-back, extreme heat safety tips, and a quick look at the Winter Classic plans. If you like smart local news with strong opinions and receipts, subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

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Transcript

Welcome And Week Preview

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What is up, everybody, and welcome back to the Small Lake City podcast. I'm your host, Eric Nilsson, and we have a lot of stuff going on after a very busy week. It's still hot, still very hot, but we've got some legitimately exciting stories this week. Construction is finally happening at the good old Sears Lake, the long vacant ghost near downtown that has been an eyesore for years. Frontrunner is finally getting a major upgrade, and the trains are going to be built right here in Salt Lake City. The Utah Towns are back-to-back champions, and the data center fight in this state has officially become a full-on water and land use war, and it's spreading. Also, Cafe Rio is trying to win us back, and I've got some thoughts. So let's get into it. But before we do, if you missed last week's episode with Jesse Rich, go back and listen. He's an ultra-marathon runner, nutritionalist, and coach. We talked about how we got into ultra running, what a master's degree in nutrition actually taught him about fueling extreme endurance, the running community here in Salt Lake, tips for anyone thinking about long distance, and his favorite gear. Really great conversation, so definitely go check it out. Two big infrastructure stories this week that are genuinely worth celebrating. Let's run them together. First, Sears Lake. If you've driven past the intersection of 300 West and 400 South near downtown recently, you know the lot I'm talking about. The long vacant former Sears site has been sitting there for years. A giant dead parking lot that locals nicknamed Sears Lake because it floods every time it rains. A gravel wasteland a few blocks from the gateway. Well, construction is finally actually underway. Intermountain Health is building a new hospital on the site. Right now, crews are cleaning up petroleum-contaminated soil left behind by the store's old auto shop. Part of the required environmental remediation before any construction can begin. More detailed plans for the project are expected later this year. This is a huge deal for that corridor. Sears Lake has been a symbol of downtown stalled potential for over a decade. An Intermountain Health Hospital campus in that location, walkable to tracks, near Gateway, adjacent to the granary

Sears Lake Finally Breaks Ground

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district, changes the whole gravity of that part of the city. And this cleanup is the first domino to fall. Second big infrastructure story: the Frontrunner is getting new trains. And they're going to be built right here in Salt Lake City. Utah Transit Authority has selected Stadler, the Swiss rail manufacturer with a 500,000 square foot North American headquarters on SLC's west side to build a new commuter train fleet. The proposed contract is $328 million for at least 10 new diesel-powered train sets designed to replace Frontrunner's aging fleet. Stadler was the only company that bid on the project. So these trains are almost certainly getting built locally by nearly 750 Salt Lake City workers. The new trains are tied to UDOT's $3.2 billion frontrunner double tracking project, which would allow trains to pass one another and dramatically cut the current 30 to 60 minute wait times between trains. The contract isn't finalized yet, and riders likely won't see the improvements for at least four years. But

Frontrunner Trains Built Locally

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new trains built in Salt Lake City as part of a multi-billion dollar transit upgrade, that's the direction this state is heading, and it's the right one. Alright, we've talked about data centers before, specifically the Stratos project up in Boxeller County. But this week the fight expanded in a big way, and it's worth a full update. On Monday night, hundreds of Towilla County residents packed a public hearing to oppose a proposed wastewater treatment plant tied to a Utah Inland Port authority development in their county. Here's why that matters. Critics say the facility could discharge arsenic-containing wastewater into wetlands connected to the Great Salt Lake. And one developer has already expressed interest in bringing a data center to that same site. Twilla County has placed a moratorium on new data centers while it studies their impact on water, power, and infrastructure. Inland port officials say they won't advance any data center plans until the county decides how to proceed. But residents aren't waiting. They showed up in force Monday night, and the Division of Air Quality will now decide whether to approve the wastewater permit after reviewing public comments. Meanwhile,

Data Centers Become A Water War

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up in Boxhelder County, the massive Stratos data center remains on pause amid lawsuits and a citizen-led referendum. A Utah State University professor warned the project could raise nighttime temperatures in the surrounding area by up to 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Developers and Governor Cox dispute that claim, but the science is being debated publicly, which is exactly the kind of scrutiny large-scale projects like this should face. Here's the bigger picture. Utah lawmakers are studying data center impacts ahead of the 2027 legislative session. And what's emerging as a statewide conversation about something much larger than servers and electricity? Who gets to decide what happens to the land and water near the Great Salt Lake? What are the real environmental trade-offs of becoming a data center hub? And is Utah's rapid growth in this sector happening faster than the infrastructure and the democratic process can keep up with? There are no easy answers, but the packed hearing rooms and active lawsuits tell you this: Utah residents are paying attention, and they're showing up. This next one is personal for a lot of people. Cafe Rio, the fast casual Mexican chain that started in St. George in 1997, built a cult following on the strength of its sweet pork salad and became as much of a part as Utah culture as fry sauce and funeral potatoes. They're acknowledging something that fans have been saying for years. It's not the same as it used to be. Here's what happened: a private equity company acquired majority interest in the company in 2017. Cafe Rio expanded from a beloved regional chain to nearly 150 restaurants across 11 states. And somewhere in that growth, the food changed. The pandemic accelerated it, the company tweaked recipes to accommodate more takeout orders, and the internet noticed. The complaints have been loud and consistent for years. And now the new CEO, Mike Burns, says he's heard them. He's taking the company back to its roots. The habanero sauce is coming back, the medium sauce, the Chipotle lime

Cafe Rio Tries To Win Back Fans

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vinaigrette, and most importantly, the original sweet pork barbacoa recipe. They're also launching a new item called the Utah Handheld Burrito. Seasoned ground beef, pickled pico, chili lime fries, burger sauce, cheese, lettuce, and the chain zone take on fry sauce. It's extremely a Utah, and I respect where they're coming from. Now, will the changes actually land? That's the question. Private equity doesn't usually let nostalgia drive the menu, but burn seems genuine and the pressure from the customer base is real. Cafe Rio is one of those first great Utah food success stories. If they can get back to what made them good, this is worth celebrating. Go try the sweet pork, let me know if it still hits the same. Now, a few other things going on around the state. First, the Utah Talons are back-to-back champions. The women's fast pitch softball team beat the Chicago Bandits 6-1 on Sunday to win their second consecutive women's pro softball title. And they're the first as a Salt Lake City team with a local fan base to celebrate with. The city does not talk enough about the Talons. Back-to-back, that's elite. Second, Twilla County is also one of five spots in the running to host a proposed federal nuclear lifecycle innovation campus after signing an agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy to continue exploring the project. If selected, the campus would bring nuclear fuel research and manufacturing to Twila County, a data center moratorium, and a potential nuclear campus. Towilla is definitely having a moment. Third, a quick heat update. The city matched its all-time record overnight low this week at 82 degrees, with weekend highs hitting 104.

Titles, Heat Safety, Winter Classic

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Cooling centers are open across the county. Check the Salt Lake County website for locations. If you're running or hiking, go way before 9 a.m. Carry way more water than you think you need. And lastly, the Utah Mammoth versus Colorado Avalanche Winter Classic on New Year's Eve at Riceycle Stadium. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster and the Utah Mammoth website. Secondary Market is already active. Ryan Smith has confirmed a post-game concert and ball drop at the Delta Center that night, December 31st. Make sure you get your tickets. Next week I'm sitting down with Caitlin Eskelson, the president and CEO of Visit Salt Lake, the organization responsible for bringing visitors, conventions, and events to this city. We're talking about what it takes to actually sell Salt Lake City to the world, how the tourism landscape here has shifted, and what's coming down the pipeline that locals should know about. If you've ever wondered about how the city decides what it wants to be, this is a really good conversation for that. That's coming up this next week. Well, that's the past week, Small Lake City, new trains, new hospital, back to back champ, and sweet pork barbacoa making a comeback. Summer in the city is never boring. Make sure to follow on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and wherever you can, and tap the link in the show notes to join the Discord. Enjoy a hot but great weekend in Salt Lake, and I will see you next week with Caitlin Eskelson.