We are told that lease negotiations are currently being conducted through the Mayor’s Office. With the deck stacked against them, the city has been conversing with the Bees ownership since at least early 2022. Any new stadium for another major-league sports team in Utah would likely follow that pattern.Īnd it likely can’t happen in the Ballpark neighborhood – the Miller’s don’t have the land assembled and they don’t even own the stadium. There’s little question that the trend in sport stadium development is to combine a stadium with other revenue flows – food and beverage, hospitality, retail, entertainment. Might it be the likely destination for a Major League Baseball stadium and related real estate development? 18 months ago they purchased management rights, future residential and commercial development rights, as well as 1300 undeveloped acres in the 4000-acre Daybreak development in South Jordan. The Millers have been intensifying their real estate activity in recent years. Miller Company are excited about and committed to the advancement of sports and entertainment in this great state.” Notably, Gail Miller, the head of the company since her husband Larry’s death in 2009, reasserted their commitment to the Bees in a statement marking the sale: “In addition to our business enterprises and philanthropic endeavors, we are proud to continue our ownership of the Salt Lake Bees, the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. The recent sale seems likely to accommodate the new members of the Jazz ownership team, Arctos Sports Partners, a private equity firm specializing in sports and entertainment ventures. Miller bought the NBA franchise in 1985, which had moved to Salt Lake City from New Orleans in 1979. And it wouldn’t surprise anyone if Major League Baseball were at the top of the local owner’s group wish list, led by the Utah Jazz majority owner, Ryan Smith.Ī week ago the family was in the news after selling a part of their remaining 20% ownership in the Utah Jazz. The owners of the Bees, the Miller family, are likely partners in that effort. Many sports fans, development watchers, and civic boosters are in a tizzy of speculation about what sport could come and where a stadium might be built. It can’t be ignored: the pixie sprinkle in the air of another major league sports franchise coming to Utah. What if the Bees were to leave? How would the city compensate for the loss of frequent events?Īnother question arises for the Ballpark neighborhood and city planners.Ĭould you count it a success if you kept the minor-league affiliate in the stadium, at the cost of significant public investment with, up to this point, no measured economic return? And what if the literal big leagues are just down the road in fancy new digs? Background – The Larry H. The Ballpark neighborhood has been receiving recent media attention for safety, security, and homeless concerns – issues that are unlikely to see quick resolution In the slowly-gentrifying neighborhood. On the table is the team leaving for the suburbs.Ĭity leaders have a lot on the line in the negotiations. Talks at city hall over the Bees’ expiring lease at the city-owned Smith’s Ballpark have been ongoing for months, sources there confirmed to us. It centers the ballpark facility in the neighborhood’s future, counting on frequent events to enliven a “festival street.” The Salt Lake Bees minor-league baseball club is considering a move out of the city – and the timing couldn’t be worse for city hall.Īt the same time, the city council is currently reviewing and likely to rubber stamp the first neighborhood plan for the area. Interested in seeing where developers are proposing and building new apartments in Salt Lake, or just want to support a local source of news on what’s happening in your neighborhood? Subscribe to Building Salt Lake.
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