Neighbors with a stake in what happens next for newly empty Smith’s Ballpark urged the city Tuesday to keep control as the site gets redeveloped, in order to maximize its benefits to the public.
In the first public airing of an ambitious design framework for the emptied stadium and adjacent parking lot at the intersection of 1300 South and West Temple, residents said they wanted more affordable homeownership options and green space to be included, along with showing more respect for community needs and the site’s beauty and history.
(Salt Lake City Community Reinvestment Agency, via Perkins & Will) Rendering of a site map for Ballpark NEXT, Salt Lake City's latest vision for remaking Smith's Ballpark into a community asset with a new entertainment venue, fire station, housing, shared green spaces and other amenities.
Several residents dinged the design’s proposed multistory parking garages, some of which threatened to impede the spot’s nationally recognized views of the Wasatch Mountains. On the other hand, the concept of surfacing portions of three buried creeks coursing underground into a new park brought hearty praise.
One key and oft-repeated point among those testifying Tuesday: Residents also want progress on the public-private overhaul by the city’s Community Reinvestment Agency — already in the works for 2 ½ years and set to gear up gradually in phases over 2026 — to unfold as quickly as possible.
“Without defined milestones, it’s difficult for residents and people who own property in the area to hold the city accountable,” said Fraser Nelson, a member of the grassroots Ballpark Action Team. “Given the pace that has occurred for other developments in the region, we’re concerned that ours will continue to fall behind.”
(Salt Lake City Community Reinvestment Agency) A map of acreages for various pieces of the Ballpark stadium remake, including Creek Park and a festival street along West Temple.
The vision aired Tuesday — refined from design competitions, extensive community input and work by a hired consultant based in Chicago, Perkins & Will, is now centered on reusing a south wing of the existing stadium and turning it into an entertainment venue and neighborhood field.
That’ll help launch a larger transformative mixed-use development over those two blocks with multistory housing, intersecting park areas and neighborhood amenities like a new library and fire station, according to this fleshed-out version of what community members chose last year.
With more public input, this latest framework, released last week, will be shaped into some of the city’s first requests for bids from developers, possibly by early next year.
The city is being pulled in lots of directions with regard to what the site should become.
(Salt Lake City Community Reinvestment Agency) A current map of the Ballpark stadium site and adjacent Salt Lake City blocks.
Mark Asnis, project manager on the plan with Perkins & Will, said “what we really want to do is create a natural, beautiful, enduring, beloved space; a public realm that really welcomes the community.”
Development scenarios call for up to 400 units of multifamily housing and 60 units for seniors, with dwellings offered in future phases in a mix of subsidized and market-rate units.
(Salt Lake City Community Reinvestment Agency) Work on the Ballpark redevelopment will proceed in at least two phases, starting with the partial demolition of the stadium and two multifamily housing projects.
Two towering parking garages included in future phases are giving some heartburn, judging from Tuesday’s testimony. Many were also skeptical that housing produced in the redevelopment would be accessible to moderate wage families hoping to own their homes — particularly if the city sells off portions of the 14.8 acres it owns there.
“This site is a rare blank canvas,” said Oscar Arvizu, a resident and winner in one of the city’s design contests, who urged for the plans to include more courtyards and green buffers — and for holding the property in public control.
“It could be a national model for turning city land into something affordable, green and truly inspiring. Please keep developers from driving the vision by default,” Arvizu said. “This is Salt Lake City’s chance to set people-focused standards for decades ahead.”
(Salt Lake City Community Reinvestment Agency) A second phase of the Ballpark redevelopment envisions completion of the entertainment venue in a private-public partnership, along with festival street, additional housing and green spaces.
Jeff Sandstrom, a member of the Ballpark Community Council, said multistory apartments complexes seemed to overwhelm the area. He called for more tree canopy and open spaces.
“I’m asking you,” he said, “to refocus this on community, open space, enjoyment, entertainment and engagement as the cornerstones of this development.”
The 58-page framework, some residents noted, has also dropped the idea of adding a community center, while some council members noted future funding of the permanent library and fire station would be major asks down the road in terms of budgeting public dollars.
Council member Darin Mano, whose District 5 spans the Ballpark neighborhood, referred to more “conversations about what we do, what the next steps are, and how we fund some of the public pieces of this. There’s going to be some pretty big lifts.”
(Salt Lake City Community Reinvestment Agency, via Perkins & Will) Rendering of Ballpark NEXT, Salt Lake City's latest vision for remaking Smith's Ballpark into a community asset with a new entertainment venue, fire station, housing, shared green spaces and other amenities.