Now, let's hope that Sandy and Salt Lake City can hold their horses until the study is completed rather than running full speed ahead in the chase for the almighty dollar. The plans for The Proscenium, a $560 million proposed "cultural district" in Sandy are premature at best, and should wait until the county completes its study before moving forward.
The Proscenium isn't really an arts and culture complex. It is a large commercial development that the city hopes will include a Broadway-class theater and other arts amenities that will allow it to charge higher rents in the development's three 30-story office towers.
The developers are also hoping that by including theater and arts facilities in their development they can access redevelopment agency and other tax subsidies and then rely on Salt Lake County ZAP funds and Utah Arts Council and other tax-supported funding sources to sustain the operation of these arts facilities once they are built.
If county tax subsidies or funding from county taxes is going to be involved, then the county needs to assess the impact on its overall cultural master plan before construction starts. There are other redevelopment areas in the county that could use the economic boost, many in worse shape than anything in Sandy.
There are areas in the county far more underserved by arts venues than Sandy, if Sandy is even underserved. There are locations in Salt Lake County that would be more appropriate to develop and that have better access to transportation and other necessary services than the 10000 South proposed location of the Proscenium.
Does Salt Lake County need a 2,400-seat Broadway-style theater? Probably. Is Sandy the best place to put it? Probably not. Is the Proscenium the best plan for developing the arts and culture in the valley? I don't think so.
Developer Scott McQuarrie and the Sandy City Council should rein in their horses and let Salt Lake County do the due diligence, then work within the master plan. When it comes to art, profit is usually not the right motive.
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* TAD WIMMER is the development director of the Oquirrh Hills Performing Arts Alliance, an organization dedicated to fostering quality performing arts on the Salt Lake Valley's west bench, and a technical director for the Empress Theatre in Magna.
