Stadium construction to begin soon

(by Amelia Nielson-Stowell desnews.com 2-14-06)

SANDY — Funding is in place for the state-of-the-art Real Salt Lake soccer stadium, and construction should begin in the next couple of months.

Dean Howes, president of Real Salt Lake, wouldn't elaborate on where the money is coming from for the 25,000-seat stadium, estimated at roughly $65 million, but said financing is secure thanks to numerous private equity partners.

"Here in Salt Lake, we have a stable and committed fan base," Howes told the Sandy City Council during a Tuesday planning meeting. "We think this is a much more sophisticated market than most people thought, because of our families and because of the young people that go and spend a couple years in international countries and come back.

"We thought Salt Lake was actually much bigger in the world of soccer than it was in size of market."

And the attendance statistics have proven that. Real was second in attendance in Major League Soccer during its first season with an average of 15,000 fans per game. It was also ranked the highest in TV viewership in MLS history.

During the meeting, council members expressed their excitement over Real choosing Sandy as the location of what RSL owner Dave Checketts has dubbed the "Real City." Tuesday's meeting was one of the first updates the council has received on the project since it was announced in early October.

"We liked mixed-use and we liked retail, we liked residential, we liked community, and I think that is where the voice of Sandy will come in a great deal," Howes said.

Members of the Sandy City Council brought up the concern of traffic on the already crowded streets surrounding the stadium's future location, on the northwest corner of 9400 South and State Street. Currently, roughly $20 million to $25 million has been earmarked by the Utah Legislature for a parking garage at the South Towne Exposition Center, across the street from the site. Real could pay for a shared garage, but there is no safe way for thousands of fans to get across the street.

"We're going to have to move people to the Expo Center and back," said Sandy Mayor Tom Dolan. "UDOT (Utah Department of Transportation) is already out planning. No matter what happens, there has to be some improvement on the 90th South interchange" with I-15.

The 22-acre stadium is also close to the South Towne Center mall and Jordan Commons, a factor Howes said will be a huge draw to fans attending a Real game.

"It already has two wonderful anchors within a mile of this thing," he said.

The initial phase of the stadium includes a television studio and hotel, but later phases include practice fields to be used by Utah soccer teams.

The stadium, Howes said, is expected to be finished by 2008. The next steps include detailing project cost estimates, creating site-specific design and working with the county on the shared parking structure.