Salt Lake City Unveils Concept Designs for Fairmont Park

Sept. 22, 2025 — Three design concepts for the future of Fairmont Park have been unveiled by the Salt Lake City Department of Public Lands. The conceptual designs were developed by Denver-based landscape architecture and urban design firm, Civitas, and were presented by the design team at a community engagement event on Sept. 19, 2025. 

Formally established in the 1930s, Fairmont Park – located at 1040 E. Sugarmont Dr. in Salt Lake City’s dynamic Sugar House neighborhood – is a 27-acre park comprising various athletic fields and courts, playgrounds, pavilions, restrooms, a skate park, a dog area, and a fishing pond. The Fairmont Aquatic Center, Sugar House Boys & Girls Club, YouthCity, and a Public Lands Park Ranger hub share property within the park.

The new conceptual designs address Public Lands’ goal to expand the level of service within Fairmont Park – improving accessibility and interest, and creating a more active and vibrant community gathering space – that aligns with the city’s Reimagine Nature master plan. Each concept thoughtfully considers the extensive input received from more than 250 survey responses, 400 comments, and multiple community engagement events.

“Salt Lake City is committed to designing spaces that meet the community’s needs,” said Kira Johnson, planner for the Department of Public Lands. “We are so grateful for the many people who are engaged in Fairmont Park’s future and who shared valuable insights and their input has directly informed the concept designs.” 

The community feedback established six clear guiding principles for the designs:

• Create a sense of arrival with an inviting entry landmark.
• Preserve what is loved by the community, including the naturalized landscapes, sports fields, and courts.
• Encourage a safe, accessible, and welcoming park.
• Enhance spaces for community gathering, play, and relaxation.
• Expand park users to bring more eyes on the park.
• Build a resilient, sustainable park.

Offering three unique visions for Fairmont Park, the concepts illustrate different ways to address the guiding principles and present the community with a variety of options to consider. Drawing on community feedback, the design team will synthesize the strongest features of each concept into one final design.

The first concept creates a sense of arrival with a welcoming promenade and art feature along Sugarmont Drive. It consolidates the currently dispersed restrooms and pavilions into two centralized amenities aligned with a new playground and the recreation fields. Sport courts and a pollinator garden are added to the park, while the pickleball and skate park facilities are expanded – including a “beginners bay” to enhance accessibility for younger and less experienced skaters. The east side of the park is naturalized and features a more active wooded ramble and prairie grass walk.

Aligning directly with the historic McClelland Trail, this concept establishes a tree-lined promenade through the park, marked by a strong sense of arrival on Sugarmont Dr. and anchored by a multi-purpose headquarters in the “heart of the park.” With a new parking grove in the northwest corner, new sport courts are also added to activate the northern edge. The new circulation path draws people to and around an elliptical central lawn that connects the rec fields and new pickleball courts toward the west with the volleyball courts and a new outdoor fitness zone to the east.

The third concept places the primary arrival and circulation axis in the center of the park, with a new plaza and pavilion at the north entrance, aligned with the McClelland Trail and providing more diverse spaces for community events and markets. On one side of this axis, an expansive nature walk and dog park activate the eastern portion of the park, while the west side features manicured soccer fields and other sports amenities. Connecting the two halves, a multi-purpose hub replaces the currently dispersed restroom and pavilion amenities and joins them with the park rangers’ maintenance facilities for enhanced visibility and safety.

Each of the designs prioritizes pedestrians over vehicles and uses existing paths to improve circulation and strengthen connections throughout the park. The concept designs preserve existing trees, while native landscapes are introduced to areas of the park that are not used for gathering or sports. The locations, conditions, and usage of pavilions and restrooms have been evaluated to enhance gathering spaces and improve maintenance and safety. Visual sight lines, accessibility, and lighting have also been improved within each of the proposed designs.

The Department of Public Lands will be gathering additional community feedback about the three design concepts in an online survey, to inform the development of a single, preferred conceptual design, which will be unveiled in 2026.

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