CITY PICKS 'ADAPTIVE REUSE' OPTION
Brice Wallace
Business Journal
Where once there were three, now there is one.
Salt Lake City government is moving forward with a plan for “adaptive reuse” at the current site of Smith’s Ballpark at West Temple and 1300 South. That was one of three options the city revealed late last year for the site’s future.
In her recent State of the City address, Mayor Erin Mendenhall said the city was moving forward with the adaptive reuse option, with details about the design to be announced this spring.
“Housing, community gathering spaces, and human-centered investments to create a new pulse in the heart of this great neighborhood,” she said in describing the option. “The Ballpark will be a place where families grow, where businesses thrive, and where the community’s pulse beats strong, drawing us all back to one of the most historic neighborhoods in Salt Lake City.”
The concept retains only the western part of the stadium as the site becomes a hub to house an entertainment venue, creative spaces and retail. East of the stadium would be fields for gatherings, sports events and festivals, and for the neighborhood to enjoy when events are not taking place. West of the stadium would be a “festival street” along West Temple.
The concept calls for the area north of the existing stadium to include a mixed-use neighborhood, a parking garage, arts and culture workshops, and a food hub/produce market. East of the stadium would feature a fire station, community/fitness center, a public library, an outdoor performance stage and a neighborhood square. To the south would be a mixed-use neighborhood.
That design scenario “will simultaneously create something new while honoring our history,” the mayor said.
Mendenhall said the city has “dug deep” to listen to families and residents in the neighborhood since the Bees announced they would leave Smith’s Ballpark. “It might actually be the first time I’ve heard a government being accused of asking too many questions of the residents,” she said. “But that feedback led us to a decision for the future of the Smith’s Ballpark site that I know neighbors overwhelmingly approve of.”
While the adaptive reuse concept retains part of the existing stadium, the other two options were a “Preserve” concept that would have retained the ballpark as a centerpiece for a year-round venue for professional, amateur and community sports, and a “Nature” concept that eliminated the stadium entirely in favor of a place with ecology and nature as the focus.
The 13.5-acre site of the ballpark and nearby parking lot will be available after the University of Utah baseball team plays its 2025 season at Smith’s Ballpark while a new on-campus baseball stadium is built. The Salt Lake Bees moved from Smith’s Ballpark after the 2024 season and will begin play in April at an under-construction stadium in South Jordan called Daybreak Field at America First Square.
In the State of the City presentation, Mendenhall also spoke about future changes in downtown Salt Lake City, a community whose population has doubled to 20,000 since 2020 and will add 7,000 more by 2030.
“Twelve months ago, some doubted if the Utah Jazz would still be playing downtown, and the National Hockey League coming to Salt Lake City was just a fever dream,” she said.
But early last year, she committed to keeping the Jazz downtown and shortly thereafter the NHLs Arizona Coyotes moved to Salt Lake City and are playing under the name Utah Hockey Club.
“By the end of last year, the partnership agreement we executed with SEG means we have done our part to keep both teams right here, where they belong, for the next 30 years,” the mayor said. “With the creation of the Sports, Entertainment, Culture and Convention District, the future of downtown is being reimagined. It will continue to be the economic center of our state, and the center of culture, faith, entertainment, transportation, finance and community in the Mountain West.”