A bill that would allow Salt Lake County tax money to go toward the renovation of the Salt Palace Convention Center as part of ongoing efforts to keep the Delta Center in the capital city and revitalize a dead section of Downtown advanced out of Utah Senate committee Monday morning.
Senate Bill 306 was approved with a 3-1 vote, with only Sen. Wayne Harper, R-Taylorsville, voting against it. Three members of the Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee, which heard the bill Monday, were absent for the vote.
If passed, SB306 would allow the county to take its part of a .25% sales tax that would typically go toward county transportation projects and divert it to the Salt Palace renovations, which are expected to have a price tag of roughly $1 billion.
That’s in addition to the nearly $1 billion the city is expected to raise through a 0.5% sales tax increase it approved last year as part of the revitalization effort.
Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson appeared before the Utah Senate committee to support the bill, telling the committee that much of the roads within the county are not under county jurisdiction and are instead maintained by the state or cities in the county.
“Other than our canyons, we’re generally almost built out with city (and) state roads,” Wilson told the committee Monday morning.
She said she was excited at the prospect of connecting different assets of downtown Salt Lake City — referring to the proposed plan of linking the Delta Center to Downtown to the east via an entertainment plaza.
Salt Lake County owns around 30 acres of land downtown that includes the Salt Palace, Utah Museum of Contemporary Art and Abravanel Hall, and that land is the potential site of a new entertainment corridor that Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith and his Smith Entertainment Group wants to build.
When reached Monday, a SEG spokesperson declined to comment on SB 306.
Wilson said as of now, it’s difficult to walk from the Delta Center to Temple Square, but the potential changes to the Salt Palace would change that.
The convention center also disrupts the street grid near the heart of Downtown, as it blocks 100 South and sends 200 West underground near South Temple.
“The rebuilding of the Salt Palace is a win for the community,” Wilson said. “The creation of the sports, entertainment, culture and convention district is an absolute win for the community.”
In addition to setting aside funds, SB 306 would also take a large section of 300 West away from state control and turn it over to Salt Lake City.
Sen. Dan McCay, R-Riverton, who is the bill’s sponsor, told the committee that portion of the bill is being discussed. That stretch of road separates the Delta Center and the western end of the Salt Palace.
McCay said it’s not clear what changes could be made to 300 West as part of the Downtown revitalization. He added one possible solution would be for 300 West to run below a plaza, but nothing is set in stone. Salt Lake City already has a similar road, as 200 West runs underneath the Salt Palace.
With the committee approval of SB 306, it moves on to Senate floor. As of Monday, the bill was on the Senate’s 2nd Reading Calendar, and it’s not clear when it might receive a vote.
0 Comments