SALT LAKE CITY — The future of Maurice Abravanel Hall has not yet been decided, but Salt Lake County leaders are discussing the future of downtown outside of the Delta, with the Utah Symphony Orchestra considering a potential sports facility. The center is said to be included in the “entertainment, cultural, and convention district.''
Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson issued a lengthy statement Tuesday acknowledging her office's involvement in discussions with the Utah Symphony Orchestra and Smith Entertainment Group over the entertainment district outside Delta Center. Ta. Smith Entertainment Group, owner of the Utah Jazz and the state's new National Hockey League franchise, requested that the district be built two blocks east of the arena through a process created by the Utah Legislature earlier this year. .
“While much national attention has focused on the new sports arena as part of the Downtown Revitalization Plan, it is important to ensure that arts and culture continues to have a strong and important presence in the downtown core.” All parties are in agreement,” Wilson said. “The vision for the redevelopment project is at an early stage and no decision has yet been made regarding the future of Abravanel Hall.”
Wilson said the county and the Utah Symphony Orchestra are already working on a “comprehensive master plan” to address the renovation needs of the 45-year-old concert hall, and he believes the new district can “accelerate” that plan. He added that there is.
Her statement was released just before a meeting of the Salt Lake City Council, where Smith Entertainment Group officials announced that the Salt Lake City will provide more detailed information about the company's proposals for downtown.
Smith Entertainment Group filed an application to partner with the city on the zone on April 4, about two weeks before acquiring the Arizona Coyotes in a deal to move the NHL franchise to Utah. But most details of the documents were kept private until Salt Lake City responded to a public records request Friday.
The company asked the Salt Lake City Redevelopment Authority for a 99-year lease extension to remain on the block where Delta Center is located, according to a seven-page application. It also asked Salt Lake County for a similar lease for two blocks east of the arena, which would require renovations to the Salt Palace Convention Center.
Smith also called on the Salt Lake City Council to approve the full 30-year 0.5% sales and use tax increase that SB 272 also allows, and to collect “the full amount” that SB 272 would generate. Legislative fiscal analysts say Salt Lake City's tax increases could generate $54 million a year. The application also outlines other public funding and rezoning requests to establish the redevelopment near the arena.
But it also led to concerns about buildings like Abravanel Hall, which is located less than two blocks east of Delta Center. An online petition asking the county and state to protect the venue had already garnered nearly 20,000 signatures as of Tuesday afternoon.
The plan also called into question the future of what remained of Salt Lake City's historic Japantown, which was partially demolished to make way for the Salt Palace Convention Center. Its future will also be addressed at Tuesday's meeting.
The City Council has also set up a public hearing on the issue, scheduled to be held on May 21st.
This story will be updated.