The Miller Company Wants To Bring An MLB Franchise to the area.

For a half million or maybe a million dollars, any group interested in landing a Major League Baseball expansion team can hire an architect and get some really nice sketches of a baseball park that are sure to impress someone. Oakland Athletics’ owner John Fisher had a fine sketch of a stadium in Las Vegas that apparently was not going to be used which meant Fisher needed other sketches. In the Salt Lake City market, the Larry H. Miller Company has renderings of a ballpark that would serve as the centerpiece of a $3.5 billion stadium-village called the Power District. The company has put out the usual “economic and cultural catalyst for the state and the westside community” claim and is ready to put a shovel in the ground.

“We are passionate about this once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest in our capital city,” said Steve Starks, the CEO of the Larry H. Miller Company. “This project will serve as a vibrant extension of and gateway to downtown Salt Lake, complements the mission of the State Fairpark, and brings the Jordan River to life. The Power District will be a gathering place for Utah’s families to live, work, play and enjoy the best views in Major League Baseball.” The Miller Company may need a government handout to help pay for the construction of the stadium-village and there does not seem to be a government funding mechanism yet.  Utah Governor Spencer Cox is in favor of tax increment financing, a gadget that allows some of the taxes collected inside an area to go into the pockets of the developer. The governor said that he might support raising the hotel tax in Utah and he added that “discussions and negotiations” are ongoing now. No sports owner builds a venue as a gift for a community. The Utah stadium game has started.

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