Salt Lake City is working to transform the 13.5-acre Smith’s Ballpark site into a new neighborhood hub, utilizing community-driven design concepts to inform an upcoming Urban Design Framework. The project aims to translate guiding principles regarding health, equity, affordability, and joy into physical infrastructure and vertical development once the city selects a redevelopment partner.
A Vision for Community Transformation
The city's vision for the site centers on creating an iconic destination that serves as a catalyst for neighborhood transformation. According to the City of Salt Lake, the project seeks to attract development that uplifts and celebrates local residents and the surrounding area. To guide this transformation, the city has established guiding principles focused on developing a community-centered neighborhood that remains safe, healthy, activated, and connected while highlighting the area's history and natural geography.
Design Competition Results
A central component of the planning process involved the Ballpark NEXT Design Competition, which ran from January through May 2023. The competition invited residents, post-secondary students, and development professionals to envision the future of the site. The City of Salt Lake reported that the initiative received 123 total applications, including 92 from residents, 14 from post-secondary students, and 17 from development professionals.
Community Input and Themes
The selection process for the competition utilized a community-based selection committee and a finalist public vote to determine the winners. While the winning design concepts from the competition will not be built exactly as proposed, the city confirmed that the ideas and themes collected from all 123 applicants were incorporated into the broader Community Visioning Process.
Community Celebration Event
On May 31, 2023, approximately 150 people attended a Winners & Themes Celebration Event at the Urban Indian Center. The event allowed participants to learn about the upcoming Community Visioning Process, provide feedback on which Ballpark NEXT themes resonated most with them, and celebrate the competition winners.
The Urban Design Framework
A critical element of the redevelopment is the development of an Urban Design Framework, which serves as a roadmap for the 13.5-acre site. This framework is intended to coordinate various stakeholders and site realities to inform a future Request for Proposals (RFP) for a development team. The framework will provide direction on several key topics, including physical infrastructure such as streets, parks, plazas, and utilities, as well as urban form like building footprints and allowable building heights.
Planning and Implementation
The framework will also address public and private land uses, including ground floor activation, and community programming opportunities. To ensure the project meets community needs, the city is incorporating additional community representative input checkpoints. Specialists are also being utilized to advise the Redevelopment Agency on human-centered design, programming, and impact investment opportunities through the Ballpark NEXT Impact Fund.
Future Construction Timeline
Regarding the existing structure, the city has not yet decided if the Ballpark building will be demolished. The Urban Design Framework development process is expected to identify opportunities for full, partial, or no demolition. Salt Lake City anticipates finalizing the Urban Design Framework in 2025, after which the Salt Lake City RDA will develop an RFP to initiate construction for Phase 1 of the project.
