Construction crews are wrapping up the first of three Delta Center remodeling phases, but one of the largest pieces of the next phase received a key approval.
Members of the Salt Lake City Council voted Tuesday to approve a zoning map amendment that allows Jazz Arena Investors, a subsection of Smith Entertainment Group, to build a seven-story, 452-stall parking garage outside of the arena’s southwest corner. The vote took place hours after the city and arena owner settled on additional provisions amid concerns about the project design brought up during a work session last week.
“We have (reached) a place where we feel like it’s a good agreement that ensures a better product than what it even is today,” said Salt Lake City Council Vice Chairman Alejandro Puy, before the vote.
Jazz Arena Investors agreed to add three bicycle racks by the south end of the arena and a third by the north end, each of which would have enough space for 15 bikes. Plans to design and plant landscaping along 100 South and 400 West will also be included, and the building owner will provide $75,000 in new funds to “visually activate” the space through some sort of public art through coordination with Salt Lake City planning division and the Salt Lake City Arts Council.
The money would not come from the public benefit ticket fee that fans will see on ticket purchases this year, and the completion date of those changes would be 2031 to better align with plans to change the Delta Center block after the arena remodel is completed in 2027, city officials said. Daily fines are possible if the project fails to comply with the city and Smith Entertainment Group’s development agreement by the 2031 deadline.
Most of the other aspects of the plan remained the same as when the project received a positive recommendation from the city’s planning commission last month. The nearly 95-foot garage, aimed to serve high-end ticketholders, would include a loading area much like the space has primarily been since the arena first opened in 1991.
Project officials had requested a vote by Tuesday so that crews could complete the base-level portion of the parking structure and some of the earliest parts of the second phase of construction by Oct. 2, when the Delta Center reopens for the first time in months for a Utah Mammoth preseason game.
“We have significant time constraints in order to get this open,” said Bruce Baird, an attorney representing Jazz Arena Investors, to the City Council last week.
However, residents who spoke up about the plan chided the proposal last week, saying the project bypasses city plans that call for projects that benefit downtown livability, and that it benefits ticketholders rather than the whole community.
Similar concerns were brought up before Tuesday’s vote, even after the additional provisions were reached.
“We continue to oppose (Smith Entertainment Group’s) request to override Salt Lake City’s ordinance requiring ground-floor activation,” said Josh Valasquez, a member of the Downtown Community Council. “Constructing a private, vehicle-oriented garage with no meaningful pedestrian design undermines the city’s vision for a vibrant, inclusive downtown and betrays community values this ordinance was designed to protect.”
The City Council felt that the project was a “trade-off,” Puy told KSL.com before the meeting. The city, he said, is better off when the arena is active and collecting tax revenue, and when construction isn’t holding up streets.
Before the vote, he added that there’s a goal to avoid some of the concerns that emerged with the Salt Palace Convention Center loading area, which tore into and continues to impact the historic Japantown neighborhood. Addressing that issue now helps as the growth of the city’s downtown spreads to areas south and west of the arena.
“We are trying to mitigate some of these things to ensure the city continues west, and the success of the Delta Center is a success for the whole surrounding area, as well,” he said.