Big
story in the SL Tribune on the arena plans... Here are some highlights (the article is VERY lengthy so even the highlights below are lengthy):
In particular, the plan primarily involves city blocks east of the arena, the current primary tenant of which is the Salt Palace Convention Center. Salt Lake County owns the center’s 515,000 square feet of exhibition space, along with the land the center is placed on — placing the county, too, at the heart of negotiations about the sports district.
Multiple versions of a revitalization plan have circulated among government officials. Most involve a massive downsizing of the convention center, allowing room for the development of Smith’s entertainment district, which would include housing, retail, offices, hotels and restaurants.
Some versions of the plan include reopening 100 South, which is currently covered by the Salt Palace between West Temple and 200 West, as a pedestrian walkway.
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The county also owns the land which includes Abravanel Hall and the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art. Some versions of the Smith group plans see significant changes, renovations or even new buildings entirely for those cultural centers. Abravanel Hall turns 45 this year, and some see the concert hall as potentially needing reconstruction or movement.
Also pointing toward these blocks: this year’s omnibus liquor bill, HB548. It creates a “designated project area zone” of three blocks between South Temple and 100 South from West Temple to 400 West. There, Utah’s laws prohibiting bars near community locations will no longer apply beginning May 1.
A source familiar with the negotiations said that loosening of liquor laws just blocks from Temple Square and LDS Church headquarters would not have been possible without sign-off from Utah’s predominant faith.
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But Salt Lake County Council member Jim Bradley is concerned by the potential changes he’s seen and heard — mostly due to its potential impact on the arts buildings in those blocks.
“Tearing down stuff because it is in the way is not something you just do willy-nilly. Take the example of Abravanel Hall: That would be a tragedy to tear that down and build it somewhere else,” he said. “Some people are saying, ‘Well, it needs more in rehab than what it would take to tear it down and rebuild it.’ Well, that is developers talking, ‘There’s that building that’s in my way.’
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Dugan also hoped to see other areas surrounding the Delta Center improved as part of the project, which could prove difficult. To the north lies land owned by the LDS Church, including the Triad Center and the Park Place parking lot — land that the faith has so far proved reluctant to include in any development plans, saving it for its own use. To the south lies recent development, including two new hotels and an apartment complex.
The Gateway mall stands to the west, but Gateway representatives told The Tribune that Smith had not approached them about the property.
Overall, Smith compared the feel of his preferred entertainment district to that of L.A. Live, the sports and entertainment district in downtown Los Angeles. Built from 2007 to 2009, L.A. Live is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center and Crypto.com Arena, home of the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers, Clippers, and the NHL’s Kings.
To understand the project, Smith said he and “a few” city and public officials toured L.A. Live in the past month. There, they saw the district’s restaurants and bars, concert halls and movie theaters, and hotel and condominium towers on 27 acres.
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That in-arena renovation will be significant, but not at first. This summer, the Smith group plans to make only minor improvements and adjustments to the Delta Center.
For the NHL’s previous preseason games at the arena, it hosted a capacity of about 11,000 fans with mostly unobstructed views. For NHL hockey this October, the team will install bleachers in the corners that add approximately another 1,000 seats. Officials also believe they can open up about 4,200 additional seats — though they have not yet decided whether they will, believing it might impact the overall experience for those fans.
New NHL locker rooms must be constructed for the home and away teams, and other various small changes made to the arena to allow NHL games to regularly be played. But overall, no major changes are expected. The arena also hosts more than 20 significant public events this offseason, such as the Utah Jazz’s summer league, concerts from varied artists like Blink-182, Olivia Rodrigo and Stevie Nicks, and comedy shows from Jo Koy and Kevin James.
Further construction would be in the offseasons to come, but the Smith group wants to wait until the plans are finalized outside of the arena to reveal those inside of it.
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Smith, in his news conference, teased “new technologies” that he believed could create a quality NHL viewing experience with improved sightlines for hockey — while maintaining the Delta Center’s trademark NBA experience. That new technology is expected to involve the arena’s seat risers, which may be able to adjust to different settings, depending on the sport being played.
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The city’s first in-public interaction with the plan comes May 7, when Smith Entertainment Group representative Mike Maughan will present details to the council. That discussion will also involve council members sharing their concerns and key decision points on the project.
Then, on May 21, a public hearing on the agreement is scheduled to take place. The council is tentatively scheduled to vote on the district agreement and tax increase July 2.
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