Ryan Smith reveals first major plan for downtown Salt Lake City project

A 6,000-seat indoor music venue is in the works as part of the planned sports, entertainment, culture and convention district in downtown Salt Lake City.

Smith Entertainment Group, which is spearheading a multibillion redevelopment of the city center, unveiled a partnership Tuesday with Live Nation Entertainment, the worlds largest live entertainment promoter.

It is the first of what SEG says will be many major announcements regarding its plans for the area between the Delta Center and the Salt Palace Convention Center, which will be the heart of the new downtown district.

Our goal has always been to bring enormous opportunities to downtown.

Once the transformation of Delta Center was underway, partnering with Live Nation on what a world-class concert venue could look like in downtown became a top priority, Ryan Smith, chairman and CEO of Smith Entertainment Group, said in a press release.

SEG owns the Delta Center along with the Utah Jazz and Utah Mammoth, which will begin its second season in Salt Lake City this fall.

Renovation of the arena to accommodate both NBA basketball and NHL hockey started in April and will continue for the next two off-seasons.

We have seen the incredible impact hockey has had on downtown, bringing hundreds of thousands of more people to the city and spurring amazing economic growth for downtown businesses, Smith said.

Live Nation Entertainment expanding nationwide SEG is looking to attract the best and most influential brands in the world to invest in the state, he said.

The new venue expects to host 200 events a year, including 100 concerts as well as corporate, conference and community events.

It aims to fill a gap in the market per SEG, and marks Live Nations only purpose-built, large indoor venue in the Salt Lake City area.

Live Nation is expanding its presence in sports and entertainment districts nationwide.

Current venues include the MGM Music Hall at Bostons Fenway Park, with upcoming projects such as Citizens at The Wylie in Pittsburgh, a downtown Indianapolis venue with Boxcar Development, and a new venue in downtown Atlantas Centennial Yards.

Utah is a great market for live music, and Smith Entertainment Group is the right partner to help us deliver a world-class venue to fans in Salt Lake City, Michael Rapino, Live Nation CEO, said in the release.

SEGs incredible vision for the downtown district aligns with our mission to expand access to live music.

This venue will be a hub for unforgettable experiences, connecting fans with the artists they love.

Live Nation partnered with the University of Utah for a Billy Joel concert at Rice-Eccles Stadium earlier this year but that was ultimately canceled after the Piano Man revealed a brain disorder.

Is there room for another downtown Salt Lake City venue? The Delta Center will continue to host concerts and other entertainment events for 12,000 to 19,000 attendees, while the new venue will serve artists seeking a best-in-class, mid-size indoor option, according to SEG.

The venue is expected to scale for concerts, conferences, and community and corporate events from 2,000 to 6,000 attendees.

In addition to the Delta Center, the downtown area already has several large gathering spots, including The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Conference Center, Salt Palace Convention Center, Eccles Theater and Abravanel Hall.

The downtown sports, entertainment, culture and convention district would be built with a combination of private and public funds.

SEG intends to put $3 billion into redeveloping a three-block area in the city center, which includes reconfiguring the arena entrance to face east, pedestrian plazas, building a residential tower and a hotel and providing retail and restaurant space.

The plans, which aim to better connect the east and west sides of downtown, will impact the Salt Palace Convention Center, Abravanel Hall , Utah Museum of Contemporary Art and Japantown Street .

Salt Lake City approved creation of the district, including raising sales tax in the city to help pay for downtown development.

The tax hike is anticipated to generate $1.2 billion over the 30-year life of the agreement, $900 million of which would go to SEG to repay bonds for the project.

The company estimates it will spend $525 million on the Delta Center remodel and $375 million on the other district improvements..

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