South Salt Lake City works out rental deal with Pioneer Craft House

The Pioneer Craft House and South Salt Lake City officials have come to an agreement regarding the lease for studio space. The agreement will allow the city to collect fair market value for the rent and allows artisans that have studio space and hold classes there to stay in their current location.

PCH Board President Jeff Hatch said ongoing negotiations with the city have been resolved so that both parties are happy with the agreement.

“I think we finally have something we can live with at the Pioneer Craft House,” he said. “The rent is definitely something we are comfortable with.”

The final proposal is currently being worked out. Hatch said the changes will go into effect June 1. At that time, PCH will make its first rent payment. Hatch declined to give the monthly rental amount because PCH and the city are still working out details.

Mayor Cherie Wood made the decision in April to terminate the long term lease PCH had with the city. In the past, the craft house has been rented from the city for $1 a year but state law requires properties to pay fair market equivalent in rent, said South Salt Lake City Attorney Lyn Creswell.

There was talk earlier about PCH renting individual rooms from the city on the campus to hold classes and other events. These rooms would be rented at an hourly rate, similar to room rentals done at the Columbus Center. Hatch said the PCH board did not agree with those terms and the lease was renegotiated to rent half of the campus for dedicated studio and classroom space.

Hatch said renting out half of the space is a better idea for PCH since most of the buildings are already occupied with equipment. The other rooms and buildings not used by PCH will be rented out at the city’s discretion. The city will continue to act as the landlord and be responsible for building repairs and landscaping.

Although the details haven’t been finalized, Hatch said PCH has a big job ahead of it to attract more students.

“The more students and classes we have, the better chance we have to pay rent,” he said. “Having a formal understanding with the city helps PCH move forward and make plans for the future.”