POWER BALL: A rendering shows placement of a proposed MLB stadium as part of The Power District, a mixed-use development planned for Salt Lake City. (Courtesy LHM)
“Shovel-ready” site for MLB venue
The Larry H. Miller Company, a prominent owner of pro sports teams in Utah, today announced a new mixed-use development planned for Salt Lake City, which extends to a proposed Major League Baseball stadium.
The Power District, a 100-acre site on the city’s west side, adjacent to Utah State Fairpark and the Jordan River, is a public-private partnership, according to a news release issued by LHM and the Miller family, which says it will invest $3.5 billion in the overall development.
The first phase of the development is scheduled to begin later this year with construction of the new headquarters for Rocky Mountain Power, a regional utility serving Utah, Wyoming and Idaho. The overall property would include restaurants, residential units, walking trails and plenty of green space in the shadows of the Wasatch Mountains.
Sasaki, a Boston urban developer and architect, is involved in the early stages of the project, and produced the renderings of a ballpark sitting within an entertainment district, project officials said.
The property includes a “shovel-ready” site to build a 30,000 to 35,000-seat ballpark. Big League Utah, a group of local community leaders and lawmakers, is pushing for MLB to consider Salt Lake City for future expansion. CSL International completed a market study with data that “suggests Utah would be a thriving market for an MLB expansion team,” as stated on a website dedicated to the Power District development.
It could be several years before MLB lands in Utah.
Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred has said publicly that MLB won’t expand with new teams until new stadium issues are resolved for the Oakland A’s and Tampa Bay Rays.
The A’s have a deal to relocate to Las Vegas to build a new $1.5 billion ballpark, but financing has not been completed for the project. HNTB and Bjarke Ingels Group make up the design team.
The Rays are working through the public process to build a new facility next to Tropicana Field as part of a bigger development. Populous is the architect for the ballpark, which the Rays hope to open in 2028.
Charlotte, North Carolina; Nashville, Tennessee; and Portland, Oregon are among the other cities mentioned as potential markets for MLB expansion.
In Salt Lake City, leaders have been in contact with the A’s about making Salt Lake City their temporary home at a new ballpark under construction for the Salt Lake City Bees, the Los Angeles Angels’ triple-A affiliate. LHM owns the Bees and is privately financing the 7,500-capacity venue targeted to open for the 2025 season. The Bees’ currently play at Smith’s Ballpark, a 30-year-old building.
In addition to the Bees, LHM owns a minority share of the NBA Utah Jazz. Over the past few years, the Miller family has sold most of its ownership stake in the Jazz to Ryan Smith, co-founder of Qualtrics, a software firm.
