SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Final voting for Smith’s Ballpark redesign plans began Tuesday. Community members were asked to propose their visions of how the 13-acre lot should be put to use following the Salt Lake Bees’ departure from the stadium at the end of 2024.
Dubbed the Ballpark NEXT Design Competition, the community-driven effort is divided into concepts from three categories: one for Utah residents, one for post-secondary students, and one for development professionals. A selected proposal from each category will win a cash prize ranging from $5,000 to $15,000.
“We’re excited to get more input from you on what’s next to help the City reimagine uses for the site that will serve the neighborhood and our residents for decades to come,” said Mayor Erin Mendenhall in a tweet.
Utah residents can vote on a design from each category until midnight on Thursday, May 25.
The Salt Lake Bees, Utah’s Triple-A baseball team, will be moving to a new baseball stadium in the Daybreak neighborhood in 2025. Construction for the new stadium will begin this year, with details on the exact location, design and surrounding amenities to come, according to the Larry H. Miller Company.
A public-private partnership between Larry H. Miller Company, Zion’s Bank, Intermountain Health, and Salt Lake City has also announced a $100 million investment into reinventing the Ballpark area.
Mendenhall said that while she is disappointed in the Bees moving away, she is excited about the opportunity to build on the neighborhood.
“This property will not become an empty pit or a public safety risk,” Mendenhall said in a statement. “I refuse to have this site – which has been so full of energy and history – to sit idle when it holds such tremendous opportunity. We’ve been ready to invest in this spot for three years and now that we know, we’re moving forward immediately.”