While the red lamp hasn’t been lit yet, Ryan Smith is pushing his downtown district plan into the offensive zone following a presentation to the Salt Lake City Council on Tuesday.
(Ryan Smith via X) Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith posted this rendering of the proposed downtown sports and entertainment district on X on Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024.
Smith Entertainment Group carried its downtown entertainment district closer to its goal Tuesday with a presentation to the Salt Lake City Council, revealing a few more details about the massive project.
Ryan Smith, the billionaire pro sports magnate who leads the group, wants council members to approve a half-a-percentage-point sales tax increase that the company says would allow it to tap up to $900 million in public money for the proposal.
While public officials and the entertainment group continue to haggle over how that money will be spent and how the plans would reshape the city’s downtown, there are multiple ways for the public to weigh in.
Salt Lake City
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson, Mike Maughan of Smith Entertainment Group and Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall speak with the Salt Lake City Council about the proposed downtown sports and entertainment district on Tuesday, May 7, 2024.
At the city level, officials are deciding on the sales tax question and a zoning amendment to remove building height restrictions around the Delta Center.
• The City Council will hold a public hearing to get feedback from residents about the proposed sales tax increase at its 7 p.m. formal meeting on May 21 at Salt Lake City Hall. Residents can also tune in online and comment via Zoom. Information on how to access the Zoom meeting will be uploaded at https://bit.ly/3JSLOp0 24 hours before the meeting begins.
• City Council Chair Victoria Petro said she hopes to schedule a couple of more public presentations from SEG on district plans, but the dates haven’t been finalized.
• If you can’t make one of the council’s public meetings, you can still comment by emailing Council.Comments@slcgov.com, calling 801-535-7654 or submitting your thoughts at http://bit.ly/4dDYk9B.
Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall has requested a zoning amendment that would remove all height restrictions for buildings on the western side of downtown. The amendment would also permit erecting stadiums, heliports and commercial parking structures, as well as give property owners more flexibility in adding signs on buildings in the district and using it to advertise events within the district. The proposed changes must go through the city’s planning commission before it goes before the council. Here’s how to weigh in on that proposal:
• The planning commission will take up the item at its May 22 meeting in City Hall at 5:30 p.m. Residents can comment on the proposal there. Meetings also are streamed online.
• If you can’t make it to that meeting, you can share your thoughts by emailing planning.comments@slcgov.com.
• After the planning commission hears the item, it will go before the City Council sometime after the May 22 meeting. That future council meeting will be another opportunity to comment on the proposal.
Salt Lake County
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Mike Maughan of Smith Entertainment Group takes notes while listening to the Salt Lake City Council speak on the proposed downtown sports and entertainment district on Tuesday, May 7, 2024. He is flanked by Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson, left, and Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall.
Salt Lake County will have a role to play in the future of downtown, too, because it owns property within SEG’s proposed district. Specifically, the county will have some say in the futures of Abravanel Hall, the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art and the Salt Palace Convention Center. While County Council Chair Laurie Stringham said it remains unclear if, when and how the County Council will decide on the futures of those institutions, residents can chime in a couple of different ways:
• County Mayor Jenny Wilson’s office will be taking calls and comments on the issue. Wilson gets a regular update on what residents are saying. You can reach her office at 385-468-7000 and via email through a form on the county’s website: https://bit.ly/3R3ei3t.
• Stringham recommended residents reach out to their council representative. You can find an interactive map of County Council districts and council member contact information at https://bit.ly/4afbx5x.
• Three council members sit in at-large seats, which means they represent all residents. Those members include Stringham, Suzanne Harrison and Jim Bradley.
Smith Entertainment Group
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Mike Maughan of Smith Entertainment Group and Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall speak with reporters about the proposed downtown sports and entertainment district on Tuesday, May 7, 2024.
At Tuesday’s Salt Lake City Council meeting, SEG representative Mike Maughan said the company is working to create a website that will provide more details on the project, post regular updates and give those who are interested a place to share feedback. As of Friday, the website was not live. The city has set up a site at https://bit.ly/3ybEUIF.
