Smith Entertainment Group, Salt Lake leaders unveil updated downtown vision

SALT LAKE CITY — No, Smith Entertainment Group isn't seeking 600-foot skyscrapers, as some wondered when it secured a zoning amendment of land east of the Delta Center for a new "sports, entertainment, culture and convention district" in and around the Delta Center.

The primary owner of the Utah Jazz and Mammoth is planning to move forward with a mixed-use development that brings new housing and business options downtown, including a hotel reaching nearly 250 feet.

It would surround a brand new, taller Salt Palace Convention Center, along with a new Utah Museum of Contemporary Art building, according to new renderings that Ryan Smith, the company's chairman and CEO, unveiled in a video on Wednesday, which also featured Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson and Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall.

Abravanel Hall will also undergo renovations, but most of the building will be preserved following a push to save the historic building in 2024. Construction tied to the larger project is on track to begin next year, with a goal of completing the entire district before the 2034 Winter Olympics.

"This is a massive win for Salt Lake City," Mendenhall said. "When we think of our downtown, we need connection. ... The new district breaks down that wall and creates a walkable pedestrian connection all the way from City Creek to the Delta Center, bringing more energy and vibrancy that is desperately needed in any thriving urban core."

Smith's plans

Wednesday's vision update is the biggest update in over a year.

A 6,000-seat Live Nation concert venue, hotel, housing, shops and offices will fill the space next to a rebuilt convention center, renderings show. The music venue aims to host 80 to 120 concerts every year, Smith said.

Approximately 400 feet of active loading docks will be removed as part of an effort to make the space more vibrant, he added.

"We're replacing (the docks) with retail, with office, with streetscape, with murals. So that'll be another great experience coming up 100 South," Smith said. "It's truly a place for families and people to gather, and that's going to be something that everyone can participate in."

Most of the buildings are planned to be less than 200 feet in height, shorter than many of downtown's existing buildings. To put that into context, Astra Tower is the city's tallest building at nearly 450 feet.

A walking path helps connect the district with City Creek, making it easier to walk from the outdoor mall to the Delta Center. The district will be capped with new Jazz and Mammoth statues at the center of the project, while the Delta Center's exterior will be redesigned to give it a more east-facing appearance toward the new district.

Smith launched a survey last week seeking feedback for a "strong local vibe" within the retail spaces, which will be mixed in with "iconic" national brands.

Partial demolition of the Salt Palace will begin as early as March 2027, starting with the section that Smith acquired from Salt Lake County last year.

Many projects had been vague and conceptual as Smith Entertainment Group pursued a partnership agreement with Salt Lake City, which ended in a 0.5% sales tax increase to help pay off up to $900 million in bonds Smith sought for the arena and district.

But now that crews have completed two-thirds of the three-year renovation project, the vision for the land across the street from the arena is slowly coming together. State leaders signed off on a $1.8 billion reinvestment zone in April 2025 to facilitate it.

Salt Lake's end

The zone includes a new Salt Palace and Utah Museum of Contemporary Art. Many of the new renderings released on Wednesday show the convention center's interior, but it will be much taller than the current building.

It features two ballrooms, "flexible" meeting rooms, new exhibit halls and other new elements, Wilson said.

"This is a once-in-a-generation chance to reimagine the Salt Palace from the ground up," she said. "Our goal is to be the single best destination to host national conventions and even some international conventions."

County officials previously estimated the new center can generate $105 million in added revenue annually from the current layout because it will feature two ballrooms, seeking to draw in multiple conventions at the same time.

KSL was the first to report that the Salt Palace will close for approximately three years beginning in fall 2027, as that project commences.

That's not all. Renderings released Wednesday show how everything will connect within Salt Lake City's goal to revitalize what's left of historic Japantown along 100 South, as the loading docks are removed.

Once complete, the entire district is projected to attract 5 million visitors every year, Mendenhall said. She noted that the Delta Center already generates more than $970 million in annual economic activity for the city.

"That economic engine helps pay for our roads, our infrastructure and our vital city services," she added.

Other projects

The video didn't cover what's next for 300 West, as the Utah Department of Transportation oversees that area.

The agency received $300 million from the Utah Legislature last year and said it was considering a plan to lower a portion of the road by 10 feet, while raising a pedestrian plaza over it by 10 feet above the existing ground.

Renderings still show a plaza that lets people walk between the district and the arena.

UDOT didn't immediately respond to KSL's request for comment on where the project is in development and when construction will begin.

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