Gov. Cox: Salt Lakers should be excited about downtown redevelopment

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — It’s no secret Salt Lake City’s downtown will soon be undergoing a major transformation.

With the introduction of an NHL team, Salt Lake City officials and the Smith Entertainment Group have been eyeing a redevelopment of the two blocks east of the Delta Center into a sports and entertainment cultural district.

It’s a redevelopment that Gov. Spencer Cox said Salt Lakers should be excited about.

During his monthly press conference on Thursday, Cox said the redevelopment of Salt Lake City was so much more than just an arena but something Salt Lakers will greatly benefit from. His only preference for Salt Lake’s transformation is making the new district a vibrant place where Utahns want to be.

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“Throughout my life, I’ve had the opportunity to travel to some of the most iconic cities in the country,” said Cox. “One of the things they all have in common is a place where people want to gather, to dine, to shop, just to interact with one another.”

Cox expressed his support saying Salt Lake City’s current layout doesn’t support a vibrant gathering place. Even as Salt Lake City moves toward making Main Street a permanent walkable promenade, Cox said the convention center provides a divide that is “not great” for the city.

Early conversations for the two blocks east of the Delta Center include a transformation that would bridge that divide with renovations of the Salt Palace Convention Center and the nearby Abravanel Hall. Cox said those conversations are still on the very front end and that there are still a lot of details that need to be worked out but the city, the state, and the Smith Entertainment Group are “aligned” in their vision.

The topic has raised concerns about the iconic Abravanel Hall’s future. Thousands of Salt Lakers rose in support of an effort calling on Salt Lake City officials to preserve the nearly 50-year-old concert venue. Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson previously said she would aim to preserve the Hall in its current form but Cox said he is hearing the Hall could do with some renovations.

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“I don’t know the details. I don’t know how much those renovations are going to cost but there is always a moment at which the cost of the renovations versus building something better kind of crosses over,” said Cox. “That will be a decision that will be left to those decision-makers as we get closer.”

Cox said everyone involved is still finding their way through what the redevelopment of Salt Lake City will look like but keeping the Utah Jazz and the NHL team in the capital city is something everyone wants and that includes a vibrant entertainment district.

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