Foes aim cleats at Fairpark soccer idea

(by Brady Snyder desnews.com 5-28-05)

Penny-wise but pound-foolish — that's how downtown advocates describe Salt Lake City's shift concerning a new Major League Soccer stadium.

Instead of abandoning downtown because of expense and political headaches, city leaders should stick with the heart of Utah's capital, they say.

This past week the city revealed it had a new location for a potential Real Salt Lake soccer stadium. Instead of a downtown block at 600 South and Main the city put forth a cheaper proposed location — the Utah State Fairpark.

"They're so concerned about today's dollars they don't look at the future dollars," downtown real estate broker Vasilios Priskos said. "People get lost in today's dollars and don't look at the future value of a soccer stadium right in the core of downtown.

"We should do what's best for soccer, not what's the cheapest."

The soccer stadium joins other public projects that city leaders had proposed for downtown but couldn't put together because of the various difficulties associated with doing downtown developments — small spaces and high prices.

Notably, a planned 2002 Winter Olympic legacy plaza in downtown slipped to the University of Utah because of disagreements on space and cost.

But abandoning downtown projects because of upfront prices is not wise policy, say Priskos and downtown developer Bruce Bingham.

Instead of eyeing upfront costs, which would be cheaper at the Fairpark as opposed to downtown, Bingham and Priskos said city leaders should consider where the stadium would best thrive.

Bingham, whose Illinois-based Hamilton Partners is building an office tower on Main Street downtown, points to the success of the Delta Center as opposed to Franklin Covey Field, where the Salt Lake Stingers play triple-A baseball

Franklin Covey, which is roughly as far away from downtown as the Fairpark, has struggled to attract fans. The Stingers announced this week they've had a decade of sagging attendance figures since they opened in 1994.

Faced with those numbers, the Stingers — despite being in first place — said they were giving away free tickets to their next eight home games in an effort to boost interest.

At the same time, the Utah Jazz have continued to draw good crowds at the Delta Center, despite having the fourth-worst record in the National Basketball Association.

While the Jazz are a top-level team and the Stingers only triple-A, Bingham said a major difference in attendance is that one stadium is downtown and the other is on the outskirts. Adding to the joy of a Jazz game is the excitement of coming into the heart of the city.

The Stingers don't have that same draw.

"The Delta Center proves that downtown is the best venue," Bingham said. "All you have to do is look at the Stingers' stadium to prove that being downtown is better than being away from downtown."

At the Fairpark, like the Stingers' neighborhood near 1300 South and 300 West, there's nothing else to draw crowds or get them excited about coming to a ballgame.

"There's a greater expense to operating downtown, but there are greater benefits," Bingham said. "It's location, location, location. What do you have next to the fairgrounds? You've got the power plant."

Another drawback to the Fairpark, according to Bingham and Priskos, is that the site wouldn't spur economic development like a stadium downtown would.

Again they point to Franklin Covey as an example.

While downtown's Delta Center has been credited as the catalyst for developments that include The Gateway, there has been little auxiliary development surrounding Franklin Covey.

"If the soccer stadium goes out to the Fairpark it will be a soccer stadium and that's it," said Priskos, who owns Internet Properties. "I don't think there's enough critical mass out there or enough traffic to warrant additional retail."

On that point Tony Weller, president of the Downtown Merchants Association, agrees.

"If the soccer field is going to serve as a catalyst for other development, it's more likely to do that downtown," Weller said.

Weller, who owns Sam Weller's Zion Bookstore on Main Street, also agrees that a downtown stadium is an important investment. In downtown, the stadium would be surrounded by hotels and would likely gain many ticket sales from tourists.

At the Fairpark those tourist dollars would likely be lost.

"Tourists, the farther they have to travel to see the game, the fewer will choose to do so," he said. "You don't want your community spread too thinly. Whenever someone goes to another town they like a certain urban density. They like to be where things are going on, and it would be nice to have that in the background of a stadium."

Priskos maintains downtown soccer is not dead, despite Salt Lake City's Fairpark plan.

Real Salt Lake spokesman Trey Fitzgerald said RSL owner Dave Checketts continues to talk with downtown property owners like billionaire Earl Holding and The Boyer Co.

Holding owns the downtown land where the city initially wanted the stadium, while Boyer has had talks with RSL about putting the stadium on land west of the Gateway, said Jake Boyer, Gateway project manager.

RSL is considering proposals from Sandy and Murray in addition to Salt Lake City. Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson offered the Fairpark proposal after Sandy gained legs earlier this month with a plan to put the stadium near the South Town Expo Center.

Anderson did not respond to a request to comment on the Fairpark proposal. His office did provide a written proposal Anderson has presented to local politicians.

And while many insist downtown is the best place, other Salt Lake City residents say the Fairpark is a decent alternative and would be better than Sandy or Murray.

A Fairpark stadium provides more frequent use of the state-owned facility, which has struggled to find its place outside the 11 days of the annual state fair.

"Utilizing the facilities that we have already is an excellent idea," said Bill Plastow, chairman of People's Freeway Community Council, adding that local residents should be apprised of how the stadium would affect their neighborhood.

Thursday a group of about 25 members of the Fairpark Community Council gathered to discuss the stadium proposal.

"We're concerned about the parking situation," Fairpark Community Council Chair Vicky Orme said. Many area residents don't have off-street parking and can't find parking places when events are going on at the Fairpark, she said.

Going with the Fairpark comes down to price, said Tom Guinney, whose Gastronomy partnership owns several downtown restaurants. The city could cough up $10 million to $20 million to buy 10 acres downtown for a stadium or look to land that is already publicly owned at the Fairpark.


"It's because of the cost factor," he said. Moreover, Guinney said, if RSL goes under, the city won't be stuck with an unused stadium eyesore downtown if the Fairpark site is chosen.

It's expected that any proposal for a $60 million-plus, 25,000-seat soccer-specific stadium would include about $30 million in private funding and another $30 million in public dollars, likely gained if voters approve a Salt Lake County-wide bond vote. Before that vote, however, county leaders have said they want to see RSL's attendance figures at its temporary Rice-Eccles Stadium location, where the University of Utah plays football.

RSL has a lease with the U. for this year and next and has an option for a third year. The team maintains it needs a smaller soccer stadium to create an atmosphere lacking at the cavernous Rice-Eccles Stadium.

Some, including the Utah Taxpayers Association, have opposed any public funding for a stadium and have rejected claims that sports stadiums are economic generators to be funded by taxpayers.