Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall delivered her State of the City address Tuesday evening in which she announced a $100 million fundraising partnership to revitalize the city’s Ballpark neighborhood.
“My team and I worked closely with the team’s owner over the past 20 months, but it became clear that the Bees anchoring their development in Daybreak was the likeliest outcome.
“The opportunity we now have — the responsibility we have — is to find a way for the community to benefit from the property 365 days a year.
“Our ambitious Ballpark Station Area Plan was approved in November after 11 months of public comment, and we went to work right away to implement it. A new crosswalk is being designed on 1300 South near the TRAX station to improve pedestrian safety, the traffic analysis is already underway to explore lane reconfiguration on 1300 South, and we’ve assembled a team to review zoning changes.
“The departure of the ballclub gives us the chance to reimagine the neighborhood beyond the streets and sidewalks, building on the transportation and public safety improvements with an even bigger vision that will benefit more residents, more businesses, and more of the city.
“We now have access to 13 and a half acres of prime real estate and I am committed to a creative and aggressive path forward that results in the year-round, daily activation that the neighborhood and the city deserve.
“While the City has a number of really exciting ideas for how to utilize the stadium property, others have great ideas, too, and it’s important to me the community is a partner with us moving forward. I hope you’ll go to BallparkNext.com to be a part of the process and share your ideas.
“Gail Miller and the leadership of the Larry H. Miller Company love Salt Lake City and the Ballpark neighborhood, and they have treasured their time at Smith’s Ballpark. When it became clear that the Bees would definitely move, I urged them to consider their legacy and demonstrate their commitment to the continued strengthening of the Ballpark neighborhood.
“And so, with our city as their partner, I am excited to announce that the Larry H. & Gail Miller Family Foundation has agreed to lead a $100 million public-private partnership, a fundraising initiative that will provide a historic, human-centered investment into the Ballpark Neighborhood.
“In the coming months, along with Salt Lake City, Zions Bank, and Intermountain Health as founding partners, this innovative and collaborative public-private partnership will generate investment dollars that will give life to programs and opportunities that build human capital, improve social determinants of health and economic mobility, and truly lift the entire community.
“There has never been an investment like this in our city before.
“This commitment of human-centered programs and life-lifting opportunities will bring tremendous leverage to the ideas being generated right now in our Ballpark Next competition.
“Gail, thank you for being here tonight, and thank you to your family, your Foundation, and the Larry H. Miller Company. So many thanks, also, to Scott Anderson (Zions Bank) and Mikelle Moore of Intermountain Healthcare.”
Following the Mayor’s annoucement, the Larry H. & Gail MIller Family Foundation and the Larry H. Miller Company issued this statement:
“We are excited to partner with Salt Lake City, Zions Bank, Intermountain Health, and all those who will join us in the exciting and energizing Ballpark NEXT project to help raise $100 million to support programs and development in the area. The Miller family and the Larry H. Miller Company have a deep history with and confidence in Salt Lake City and are committed to Ballpark NEXT and the bright future of our capital city.“
