When will Salt Palace renovations begin? These are some of the next steps
Downtown Salt Lake City is on the verge of a drastic makeover, especially now that Salt Lake County has agreed to sell off a piece of the Salt Palace Convention Center in a deal that should kickstart renovation plans east of the Delta Center.
However, that left many in the audience at Tuesday's CountSalty Council vote wondering the same question: What happens next?
Those are the types of conversations just beginning as the 'sports, entertainment, culture and convention district' comes together.
The next steps are about to get underway. Salt Lake County plans to launch a search for an architectural firm this week to help it map out more detailed plans for the blocks east of the Delta Center that are included in the downtown revitalization district. It hopes to have a firm hired by the end of summer, which will help map out the culture and convention side of the district.
Once selected, the winning firm will also handle questions about other key logistics like demolition, site locations, feasibility and programming.
Everything will center around the Salt Palace. Tuesday's sale paves the way for parts of the building west of 200 West to be demolished for Smith Entertainment Group's 'mid block' section, which may include mixed-use development on top of a plaza east of the area.
It's still unclear how the space will be utilized, but the company's past renderings have suggested that tall buildings could be constructed within some of the spaces currently occupied by the convention center. Building heights of up to 600 feet are permissible within the district, per a rezone of the area Salt Lake City approved last year.
Meanwhile, the county plans to build a second ballroom as part of a new convention center. Partial demolition of the existing building could begin as early as 2027, and the new Salt Palace could be completed by 2031, according to preliminary projections. Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson said the county wants to make sure that the new convention center is completed before 2034 because it's slated to be the media center and potential curling site when the Winter Olympics return to Salt Lake City.
'I'm excited that the visitor in 2034 is going to have this incredibly fresh, new, invigorated downtown,' she said, adding that the same can be said for residents.
Changes are also planned for other county facilities neighboring the Salt Palace. County leaders voted last year to preserve Abravanell Hall, but county officials said Tuesday that the building's 'back of house' will have to be rebuilt to account for the new east-west walkway. They're currently working with the Utah Symphony as they raise funds and plan out updates to the building's other features.
They're also working with the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art on planning out a new museum location after it was determined early in planning that the current building would likely be torn down and rebuilt.
Of course, 300 West might be the biggest challenge between the Delta Center and the buildings east of it. State lawmakers floated around the idea of transferring 300 West in the area to Salt Lake City earlier this year, but a proposed bill to do that didn't clear the Utah Legislature.
Smith Entertainment Group is 'working closely' with the Utah Department of Transportation on plans to discuss process and timeline, said Smith Entertainment Group executive Mike Maughan, in an update to plans on Wednesday. Whether the road is owned by UDOT or Salt Lake City, plans still call on a portion of it to be tunneled underneath the plaza linking the district together.
'We are going to be doing work on 300 West, and hopefully, (it'll be) done in a way that inhibits traffic the least,' Maughan said.
More details about the road could be announced 'in the coming months,' he added.
The county's land sale doesn't include a garden currently buffering the Salt Palace or the Japanese Church of Christ. County officials say they plan to maintain the garden moving forward.
But church leaders and others with close ties to historic 'Japantown' say there are still 'serious concerns' as the project slowly moves from concept to reality. Lynne Ward, a Japanese Church of Christ elder, called for a series of construction mitigation steps before Tuesday's vote.
Her congregation would like to see vehicle access for both its and the Salt Lake Buddhist Temple's parking lots during demolition and construction, along with ways to mitigate the dust, debris and potential damage caused when demolition begins. They'd also like to see that future buildings have multiple access points to avoid congestion along 100 South once new buildings are constructed, as well as new security measures to protect the church grounds.
Those closest to the churches remain cautious about the future, especially since creating and expanding the convention center wiped out most of what once was a neighborhood with thousands of residents.
'If the two churches end up getting run over, shame on everybody,' said Brent Koga, a member of the Salt Lake Buddhist Temple board.
Salt Lake City will largely oversee construction approvals within the district section. City leaders have expressed an interest in preserving and enhancing what's left of the neighborhood. Its agreement with Smith Entertainment Group last year included a provision that at least $5 million from a 'public benefits' account — generated from Delta Center ticket sales — go toward Japantown revitalization.
Maughan says the company heard the comments. It plans to engage with residents and churchgoers before construction shifts to those parts of the district.
'We want to move as efficiently as possible and disrupt as little as possible,' he said.
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