Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is this project doing?
Salt Lake City is working with the community to understand what land use needs, services, programming and connectivity should be planned for the old Ballpark Site when it is redeveloped. This project aims to translate the Ballpark Next guiding principles into physical infrastructure, vertical development, and community investments to deliver a new neighborhood heart defined by health, equity, affordability, and joy.
Q. What is the Ballpark Community’s vision?
The Community Vision sees the site as an iconic, existing destination for the neighborhood, city, and region,and a catalyst for the transformation of our neighborhood, attracting people and development that uplifts and celebrates the area and its residents.
The Guiding Principles focus on developing a community-centered neighborhood that is safe, healthy, activated, connected, and highlights the area’s history and natural geography.
Q. Will the Ballpark building be demolished?
This has not yet been decided. Ideas and themes from the Community Design Contest included re-use or some or all of the building and concepts that would require full demolition. The Urban Design Framework development process will identify opportunities for each scenario full, partial and no demolition.
Q: Why hasn’t redevelopment begun yet?
Salt Lake City’s priority is to create a structure for redevelopment that best meets community needs and provides the greatest overall benefit. Once the Urban Design Framework is completed, the final phase of the planning process will be to solicit a development partner through a “Request for Proposals” (RFP) process to be certain that the community’s Ballpark NEXT Guiding Principles are incorporated as a foundational element of the final project.
Q. What is an Urban Design Framework?
An Urban Design Framework is a roadmap for the optimal redevelopment of the city-owned 13.5-acre site.
This framework will provide direction on critical topics such as:
- Physical infrastructure like streets, parks, plazas, and utilities.
- Urban form like building footprints and allowable building heights.
- Public and private land uses including ground floor activation.
- Community programming and partnership opportunities
The Urban Design Framework allows us to coordinate the many moving pieces, multiple stakeholders, and realities of the site to inform the Development RFP and provide confidence that the redevelopment will best serve the community’s needs.
The community’s Guiding Principles are the foundation of the Urban Design Framework, and we are currently:
- Incorporating additional community representative input checkpoints along the way to inform key design and programming decisions.
- Utilizing a team of specialists to advise the RDA on the implementation of human centered design and programming, impact investment opportunities available through the Ballpark NEXT Impact Fund, and how to best incorporate these opportunities into the project.
- Incorporating the multiple moving pieces of the project into a thoughtful Urban Design Framework that includes existing conditions, neighborhood opportunities, and aligns with existing engagement efforts.
- Creating a collaborative concept to inform the future RFP for a development team (or teams) to implement the project.
Q. When will construction begin?
Salt Lake City anticipates finalizing the Urban Design Framework in 2025. The next step will entail Salt Lake City RDA developing an RFP for a redevelopment team or teams to initiate the construction of Phase 1 of the project.