This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
It will be big — 220,000 square feet. And it will be like no other retail outlet in Utah, complete with a 65-foot-tall Ferris wheel and a 16,000-gallon salt-water aquarium.
Scheels, the sporting goods and apparel giant, is coming to Sandy at a new development to be called One Fourteen, at 11400 South between Interstate 15 and State Street.
The official groundbreaking is scheduled for April 6. It is expected to open in the fall of 2012.
"Scheels will be a beautiful addition and will provide a new retail and entertainment opportunity for the residents of Sandy and Salt Lake County as well as provide more than 400 new jobs to our local economy," said Sandy Mayor Tom Dolan in a statement.
Scheels has 23 stores in eight states and offers equipment for hunting, fishing, golfing, skiing, bicycling and canoeing, among other things, according to company spokesman Jason Loney.
The store also sells apparel, and its sport shoe, hiking boot and casual footwear selection covers everyone from toddlers to serious runners and hikers.
The store also will feature "sports simulators" for golf, soccer, hockey, baseball, football and basketball. In addition it will offer shooting galleries and carry a large selection of firearms.
Sandy worked hard to get Scheels to locate at 11400 South, said Nick Duerksen, the city's economic development director. A new I-15 offramp was recently completed at 11400 South, and Scheels will anchor the south end of Sandy's shopping district.
As an incentive, Sandy, along with other taxing districts, including Salt Lake County and the Canyons School District, approved a property tax rebate to the retailer for 25 years. That dollar amount is not yet known pending valuation by the county assessor.
Sandy was competing with Boise to land the retailer, Duerksen said.
"In good times, they are hard to get," he said. "So we are just thrilled."
Scheels is expected to be boon for sales tax receipts and will draw shoppers from out of state, Duerksen said.
The retailer has signed a 50-year lease on the site.
In addition, Scheels is expected to draw other retailers to the One Fourteen development, said Sandy spokeswoman Trina Duerksen.
"Scheels has watched this market for several years," she said. "But the opening of the new I-15 interchange was the key for the go-ahead."