- Rocky Mountain Power breaks ground on a 10-story headquarters in the Power District
- The Larry H. Miller Company is building a $3.5 billion mixed-use development on Salt Lake City's west side.
- The project could play home to new MLB stadium the city lands a team.
While the pursuit of an MLB team is still very much in play, Monday saw the official start of construction for a gleaming 10-story office building, the future new headquarters of Rocky Mountain Power, on an expansive site just west of downtown Salt Lake City that may someday also play host to a “field of dreams” for Utah pro baseball fans.
Rocky Mountain power officials along with Larry H. Miller Company CEO Steve Starks, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall and other local leaders turned ceremonial shovelfuls of dirt at the 100-acre plot just south of North Temple near 1500 West as the first phase of the Power District project, unveiled two-and-a-half years ago, gets under way.
RMP President Dick Garlish noted the power company’s current facility on the property is beyond overdue for an upgrade.
“It was built when Harry Truman was president,” Garlish said. “Four years before Disneyland was built. Then we had a remodel in 1978 when Carter was president. And the last time we had an addition on to our facilities here was in 1991 when George Bush was president.”
The new RMP facility represents the start of construction of the Larry H. Miller Company’s $3.5 billion Power District development, which includes the Utah State Fairpark and improvements to the Jordan River. The company is working with the Fairpark board, Salt Lake City, the Jordan River Commission and the state to incorporate various community master and land-use plans into the project.
The planned multifunction, mixed-use development will feature green space and trails, a beautified Jordan Riverwalk, innovative residential options, a focus on local dining and retail and, if the Millers’ pursuit of a big league expansion team is successful, a ballpark. It will be walkable, bicycle-friendly and transit-connected, according to the company.
The site sits between the Salt Lake City International Airport and downtown and is bordered by I-80 and a light rail, as well as the Fairpark and Jordan River. A $10 million investment for infrastructure improvements and site cleanup is moving forward.
Starks said breaking ground for the new 300,000 square-foot RMP facility is a milestone for the Power District.
“This is our first headquarter building here and I think it changes the profile of this whole west side community ... and starts to form an extension to downtown Salt Lake,” he said. “This is coming alive, this is happening.”
The first of many phases
Starks said the pause between the Power District unveiling and Monday’s groundbreaking has been a very busy time as the Miller Company works with its array of partners to move things forward on a variety of fronts. Those include other potential corporate headquarters projects, residential buildouts and remediation of the Jordan River, which runs along the south east border of the development site.
Starks said the company is getting close to announcing the next building project and working on remediation plans for the Jordan which is set to play a feature role in the Power District’s future.
“It will be clean, it will be a place for people to walk along and enjoy,” Starks said. “It’s a great amenity and will be a signature part of everything we’re doing here.”
The district’s plan includes 1.3 million square feet of office space, 4,700 housing units and 320,000 square feet of retail space.
Big League chase is ongoing
The Millers are pursuing a major league expansion team for Salt Lake City. A group called Big League Utah, made up of prominent state, community and business leaders, is supporting the effort.
While a potential future ballpark was not the focus of Monday’s event, nearly every speaker made note of their hopes for a future MLB presence in the Power District. Big League Utah has said it envisions a year-round, multiuse stadium for all kinds of events from sports to concerts to community celebrations.
“There is great momentum in this community, and we are grateful for our many partners who share our commitment to developing this world-class sports and entertainment anchored mixed-use project,” Starks said.
Construction of a ballpark would likely involve a public-private partnership. Utah lawmakers passed legislation last year that would divert a rental car tax increase and other taxes to a stadium project, totaling as much as $900 million.
Last week, veteran sports executive and Utah native Dave Checketts joined a litany of national sports writers and other industry watchers in characterizing Big League Utah’s franchise pursuit at or near the front of the pack for expansion locations, which is expected to include one new team in the East and another in the West.
“The Miller family who I brought into the Jazz in 1985 has sold not only their team but sold all of their auto dealerships. They’re sitting on billions of cash and they’ve bought land just west of downtown Salt Lake. They have a beautiful stadium plan and they’ve got $900 million from the state legislature,” Checketts said on a Front Office Sports panel discussion earlier this month.
“They’re by far No. 1 in the West.”
Checketts built a wide-ranging career as a top sports executive and investor. His tenure as Jazz president/CEO ran through 1990 before he moved on to take over as the New York Knicks chief executive and later became the president/CEO of Madison Square Garden from 1994-2001.
Along the way he founded the New York Liberty, one of the original WNBA franchises, and founded Real Salt Lake, Utah’s Major League Soccer franchise. In 2005, the same year RSL began play, Checketts bought the NHL’s St. Louis Blues.
