Transmittal - 11/22/2023
REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY of SALT LAKE CITY
SALT LAKE CITY CORPORATION
451 SOUTH STATE STREET, ROOM 118 WWW.SLC.GOV · WWW.SLCRDA.COM
P.O. BOX 145518, SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH 84114-5518 TEL 801-535-7240 · FAX 801-535-7245
MAYOR ERIN MENDENHALL
Executive Director
DANNY WALZ
Director
DATE: November 22, 2023
PREPARED BY: Corinne Piazza & Lauren Parisi, Senior Project Managers
RE: Ballpark NEXT Update
REQUESTED ACTION: Discussion and potential straw poll
POLICY ITEM: Budget - Use of State Street Project Area Strategic Intervention Funds
BUDGET IMPACTS: Involves potential future budget allocation to utilize State Street Project
Area Strategic Intervention Funds for the Ballpark NEXT Design
Consultant Team
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
In January 2023, the Larry H. Miller Company announced that they will move the Salt Lake Bees to South
Jordan beginning in the 2025 season. This has presented an opportunity for Salt Lake City to re-envision
the City-owned Smith’s Ballpark and the parking lot to the north, located at 1300 South and West Temple,
and comprising ~13.5 acres (“Ballpark Site” or “Project” - illustrated in Attachment A). Since the
announcement, the Agency has been working diligently on the redevelopment potential for the Ballpark
Site, including launching a Community Visioning Process that will establish the community’s vision for
the Project, working with additional stakeholders such as the Larry H. & Gail Miller Family Foundation
and Legacy Fund to identify impact investment opportunities to support the Ballpark Site, as well as next
steps in the redevelopment timeline.
In addition to providing an update to the Board, Agency staff is proposing to utilize additional State Street
Project Area Strategic Intervention Funds to support a Request for Proposals (“RFP”) for a Design
Consultant Team. This Design Consultant will work with the Agency and Project stakeholders to develop
preferred concepts and an implementation plan for the Ballpark Site. The Agency currently has $150,000
within the Fiscal Year 2024 budget to allocate towards the RFP but anticipates needing additional funds for
the full scope of work. Agency Staff requests that the Board conduct a straw poll to indicate support for
Agency staff returning with a budget amendment to utilize State Street Project Area Strategic Intervention
Funds for the Design Consultant RFP once it has been issued and full costs are known.
ANALYSIS & ISSUES:
Background
In January 2023, the Larry H. Miller Company announced that they would not be extending their lease and
instead will move the Salt Lake Bees to South Jordan beginning in the 2025 season. This immediately
presented an opportunity for Salt Lake City to re-envision the Ballpark Site and its revitalization for the
community. Additionally, Mayor Mendenhall announced a partnership with the Larry H. & Gail Miller
Family Foundation to create an impact investment fund that will benefit the Ballpark Site and neighborhood
with a focus on improving community wellbeing and health outcomes (“The Legacy Fund”).
Since then, Agency Staff has been working with the Ballpark community, partners, and Legacy Fund to
identify stakeholder goals and opportunities that will inform the vision for the Ballpark Site.
Ballpark NEXT Design Competition and Community Visioning Process
Following the relocation announcement, Salt Lake City launched the Ballpark NEXT Design Competition,
which invited residents, students, and professionals to submit their ideas for the future of the Ballpark Site.
The Design Competition was managed by the Agency and concluded at the end of May 2023.
The Agency is currently working with GSBS Architects to conduct a Community Visioning Process, which
builds on the themes that were collected from the Design Competition and previous engagement efforts of
the Ballpark Station Area Planning process into the Ballpark NEXT Guiding Principles. These Guiding
Principles will reflect the community’s vision and preferences for the Ballpark Site and will be a key
foundational element in helping inform the next steps of the development process. The Guiding Principles
are anticipated to be completed by February 2024. Please see Attachment B: Ballpark NEXT Guiding
Principles Process for further detail. This information is also available to the public at
www.BallparkNEXT.com.
Proposed Next Steps
Prior to selecting a development partner, the Agency intends to issue a Request For Proposals (RFP) for a
specialized Ballpark NEXT Design Consultant Team to work with the Agency and project stakeholders to
develop preferred concepts and an overall implementation plan for the Ballpark Site. Deliverables will
include a comprehensive site plan that identifies recommended right-of-way alignments, development pads,
building massing and scale, land use mix, and programming to support residents (“Design Framework”).
Primary goals of the Design Consultant RFP are to:
• Ensure that the community’s Ballpark NEXT Guiding Principles are incorporated as a foundational
element of the Design Framework.
• Utilize a team of specialists to advise the Agency on the implementation of human centered design
and programming, impact investment opportunities available through the Legacy Fund, and how
to best incorporate these opportunities into the Project.
• Incorporate additional community representative input checkpoints along the way to inform key
design and programming decisions.
• Incorporate the multiple moving pieces of the Project into a thoughtful Design Framework that
includes existing conditions, neighborhood opportunities, and aligns with existing engagement
efforts.
• Create a collaborative concept to inform the future RFP for a development team (or teams) to
implement the project.
In anticipation of upcoming Ballpark NEXT efforts, Agency staff included a $300,000 appropriation of
State Street Project Area Funds for “Ballpark NEXT Redevelopment Strategy” in the Fiscal Year 2024
Budget. So far, the Agency has utilized $150,000 for the Community Visioning Process. The remaining
$150,000 will be used towards the Design Consultant Team RFP, and the Agency anticipates needing
additional funds to complete the full scope of work.
Once the Design Consultant RFP is issued and a team has been selected, the Agency will identify the
remaining amount needed, and proposes to return to the Board with a budget amendment at that time for
the remaining scope of work costs. Agency Staff requests that the Board conduct a straw poll to indicate
support for moving forward with issuing the RFP, contingent on returning with a budget amendment request
to utilize State Street Project Area Strategic Intervention Funds for the Ballpark NEXT Design Consultant
Team once the full costs are known.
REDEVELOPMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS: N/A
PREVIOUS BOARD ACTION:
• Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Allocation: $300,000 appropriation of State Street Project Area Funds
for “Ballpark NEXT Redevelopment Strategy”
ATTACHMENTS:
• Attachment A – Ballpark Site Map
• Attachment B – Ballpark NEXT Guiding Principles Process
Attachment A: Ballpark Site Map
Attachment B: Ballpark NEXT Guiding Principles Process