New renderings show how an MLB stadium in SLC could look

The Miller family’s dream of bringing Major League Baseball to Utah looks a little more vivid now.

The Larry H. Miller Co. released new renderings Thursday of the planned Power District adjacent to the Jordan River and Utah State Fairpark. The 100-acre site, the Millers hope, will one day be home to Utah’s MLB stadium and a mixed-use development.

LHM said it plans to invest $3.5 billion in the project it calls an “economic and cultural catalyst” for Salt Lake City’s west side.

A west-side ‘catalyst’

Drawing from other entertainment districts built around professional stadiums and the Riverwalk in San Antonio, the Millers’ vision for the Power District includes restaurants, residential space and businesses, green space and trails along a “beautified Jordan River walk.”

“The west side is primed for this new development,” Gail Miller said in a news release. “I grew up on the west side, and the people who live here are very proud of their community and what they’ve built. We are excited to continue to partner with them on future opportunities.”

A potential Major League ballpark would be located on North Temple and adjacent to the water, according to the renderings. The new images also show a stadium oriented with the Wasatch Mountains in the backdrop.

“We are passionate about this once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest in our capital city,” LHM CEO Steve Starks said. “This project will serve as a vibrant extension of and gateway to downtown Salt Lake, complements the mission of the state Fairpark, and brings the Jordan River to life. The Power District will be a gathering place for Utah’s families to live, work, play and enjoy the best views in Major League Baseball.”

West-side Salt Lake City Council member Alejandro Puy, whose district includes the proposed ballpark site, said he hopes those behind the project reach out to elected officials in the area for their feedback. Beyond the initial marketing of the idea, he said, he hasn’t had any involvement, something he said was “kind of disappointing.”

While he remains supportive of the project, Puy warned that could change.

“I do want to make sure that if this is not a positive impact for the communities that currently live there in the west side,” he said, “they’re going to lose my support.”

Puy said his constituents want more activity along North Temple and for the area to be energetic on days when baseball isn’t being played. They want better connection points across train tracks. They want amenities like a supermarket.

“This conversation is about lifting all the boats,” he said. “It has to be an amenity not only for those that are going to make money out of this and those that are going to live there, but for the community as a whole.”

While he appreciates efforts to integrate the Jordan River into the design, Puy said he doesn’t want to see the waterway become “a sea of concrete.”

Larry H. Miller Real Estate will work with Sasaki, a Boston-based urban planning and design firm, on the project.

The first phase of construction, a new headquarters for Rocky Mountain Power, is scheduled to begin later this year. The utility’s current offices are on the site at 1407 W. North Temple.

LHM says the project will be a “transformational private/public partnership.” Since its announcement last April, the campaign to bring Major League Baseball to Salt Lake City has had the backing of government officials.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, Utah Senate President Stuart Adams, R-Layton, and House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, were among the local leaders offering support for the project Thursday.

“One of the beauties along the North Temple corridor is the vibrancy and diversity of cultures,” Sen. Luz Escamilla, D-Salt Lake City, said in a statement. “This generational investment will make a huge difference for the whole state of Utah.”

MLB’s timeline

While the Miller family is taking another step with the Power District, it does not necessarily mean MLB is any closer to putting a team in Utah.

Commissioner Rob Manfred said he wants to add two expansion teams, but the timeline is unclear. He first wants to settle the locations of two existing franchises — the Tampa Bay Rays and the Oakland Athletics.

The Rays recently announced plans to stay in St. Petersburg, Fla., and move into a new stadium by 2028. The A’s plan to move to Las Vegas by 2028.

LHM has been interested in temporarily housing the A’s, whose lease in Oakland expires at the end of this season. If the team opts for a temporary stop in Utah, the A’s would move into the new Daybreak stadium that is being built for the Triple-A Salt Lake Bees. But that is not settled and the A’s could simply end up renewing their lease in Oakland before they head to Vegas.

LHM is currently building a minor league baseball stadium in South Jordan’s Daybreak neighborhood. But the Millers have said the capital city and the Power District would be the best place for a major league team one day.

Once Manfred and Major League Baseball are ready for expansion, the Millers and Salt Lake City will be competing with a host of other cities. Nashville, Tenn., is in the running for a team. Portland, Ore.; Montreal; Orlando, Fla.; San Antonio; and Austin, Texas, are, too.

— Tribune reporter Blake Apgar contributed to this story.