SALT LAKE CITY — While Salt Lake City nears a possible final agreement with Smith Entertainment Group over a revitalization zone, state leaders are moving forward with plans to overhaul another section of the city that may also become home to a “big four” sports franchise.
Preliminary work is now underway on the Utah Fairpark Area Investment and Restoration District, which — like the downtown zone surrounding the Delta Center — was created through a bill passed by the Utah Legislature this year. The district aims to guide growth near the State Fairpark and forthcoming Power District, including a potential Major League Baseball stadium, should Utah land a team.
Most of the work, so far, has been coordinated between major landowners in the area such as the state, Utah State Fairpark and the Larry H. Miller Company, according to Sen. Scott Sandall, R-Tremonton, chairman of the district’s board. The landowners want to ensure that there’s a development plan in place that they all agree on, which outlines where new facilities will be built.
The district is also working with Salt Lake City to secure an agreement for utilities and other services, which must be reached by the end of this year.
“I think it’s a revitalization of the whole area, including the (Utah State Fairpark), and the Fairpark will continue to grow,” he said.
Big plans
Some initial ideas for the district are also starting to form.
“Preliminary mapping” includes plans to repurpose the historic barns at the fairpark to become new retail and restaurant space along North Temple, which would be open year-round and not just for people inside the park, Sandall said. New barns would be constructed north of the existing buildings for the agricultural element of the park.
“That would contemplate the Jordan River kind of being kind of a river walk again — making this a river city,” he told KSL.com. “I think there’s some really beautiful conceptual designs around that.”
New housing, a park structure and activity space are also planned, as well as potential convention space. While the state has its own zoning authority on land it owns, some land outside state jurisdiction does have to go through Salt Lake City processes. The development news outlet, Building Salt Lake, reported earlier this month that the Miller Company started work on a rezone that could open the door for buildings as tall as 400 feet in the area.
The plan’s crown jewel is space set aside for an MLB stadium should the Big League Utah, a coalition that the Miller Company helped launch last year, be successful in its bid to land an expansion team.
This year’s HB562 states a team owner — likely the Millers — would have until June 30, 2032, to secure a team to receive up to $900 million in state funds for a stadium the state would own. MLB hasn’t provided many updates on the expansion process this season, but Commissioner Rob Manfred has said he would like to add two more teams to the league.
The process moving forward
A team to oversee all Fairpark District progress is also coming together. Utah leaders announced Tuesday that Utah Inland Port Authority Deputy Director and Chief Financial Officer Benjamin Buys will oversee the newly designated district as its executive director.
Buys, who previously worked for the Office of the Legislative Auditor General and in other state roles, will start his new job in mid-October.
“I think he comes with a lot of knowledge around the creation of districts … made him a great candidate,” said Sandall, explaining why the board chose Buys to oversee the district. “Establishing a new entity like this is going require that kind of insight.”
Buys received a strong endorsement from Salt Lake City Council Chairwoman Victoria Petro, whose council district covers a portion of the new state district. The two have crossed paths in the past because Petro has served as a nonvoting member of the Port Authority since it was formed.
She said Buys has all the “technical skills” needed to carry out the large project, adding that he’s also been “really sensitive” and responsive in the past to issues impacting the historically marginalized west side of the city.
“I’m thrilled that he’s the choice,” Petro said.
Salt Lake City is still reviewing the proposed zoning and service agreements needed before any major changes take place.
The City Council will take up those discussions “pretty quickly” with the looming deadline, Petro said. That is, of course, on top of the city’s Dec. 31 deadline to approve up to a 0.5% sales tax increase tied to the Smith agreement and plans downtown.
Petro said she’s “optimistic” about what the Utah Fairpark Area Investment and Restoration District can provide the city. She agrees investments are needed to address aging infrastructure and other concerns, but unintentionally displacing long-standing residents and businesses remains her biggest concern about the forthcoming change to the neighborhood.
It’s an aspect she hopes is addressed as the state and other entities plan out the district.
“I’m always an advocate for anything that shows — in a positive light — the assets and resources we have on North Temple,” Petro said. “As long as we’re not building dams around it so the tide can’t get to everyone on the west side, I’m happy with it.”
