The Delta Center rebuild and Salt Lake's sports district, explained
A half-cent sales tax is paying to remake the Delta Center and the blocks around it, while a separate group pursues a Major League Baseball team for the city's west side.
Continuing story: Downtown arena and the sports district
Two big sports projects are reshaping Salt Lake City. Downtown, Smith Entertainment Group, which owns the Utah Jazz and the NHL's Utah Mammoth, is renovating the Delta Center and planning a sports, entertainment, culture and convention district around it. On the west side, Big League Utah, backed by the Larry H. Miller Company, is pursuing a Major League Baseball expansion team for a ballpark at the Power District. [1][2][4]
The downtown work relies on public money. On Oct. 1, 2024, the Salt Lake City Council approved the district and a 0.5% citywide sales tax increase under the state's Capital City Revitalization Zone Act. The tax is expected to raise about $1.2 billion over 30 years, with up to $900 million for the Delta Center renovation and the district. [1]
How it got here
April 2023: Big League Utah announced its bid for an MLB expansion team. [4]
Summer 2024: The arena's first level was renovated to prepare for NHL hockey. The team now called the Utah Mammoth played its first game there Oct. 8, 2024. [3]
Oct. 1, 2024: The City Council approved the district and the tax. SEG agreed to public benefits, including a fund paid for by ticket fees that can support affordable housing, Japantown and public art. [1]
April 30, 2025: Renovation of the Delta Center began. When finished, the arena is expected to seat about 17,000 for hockey, nearly 19,000 for basketball and 14,000 for concerts, with an east-facing entrance and plaza added in future offseasons. [3]
Oct. 14, 2026: SEG released renderings of the full district, including a new Salt Palace Convention Center, an updated Abravanel Hall, a new art museum, a 6,000-seat Live Nation venue expected to host 80 to 120 concerts a year and a walkway from City Creek to a new Delta Center east door. [2]
Where it stands
Demolition is set to begin in February and March, with the district to be finished before the 2034 Winter Games, The Salt Lake Tribune reported. Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson said the new Salt Palace will be a hub during the Games. The plans also replace about 400 feet of loading docks in Japantown. [2]
Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall said the district is expected to draw 5 million visitors a year and noted that the Delta Center generates more than $970 million a year. [2]
On baseball, nothing has been awarded. USA Today columnist Bob Nightengale reported in May that Utah and Nashville are "heavy favorites" for expansion teams, and MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred wants expansion advanced before his term ends in January 2029. Big League Utah has public funding support for a ballpark at the Power District, a site described as shovel-ready. [4]
What to watch
The start of demolition early next year and further Delta Center work in coming offseasons. [2][3]
How the ticket-fee public benefits fund is spent. [1]
Any formal MLB expansion decision, and whether a fight over the league's labor contract affects the timing. [4]
Sources
- Salt Lake City Council · Council approves Sports, Entertainment, Culture, and Convention District (Oct. 1, 2024)
- The Salt Lake Tribune · Renderings show Salt Lake City's downtown sports district (Oct. 14, 2026)
- Delta Center · About us
- KSL Sports · Bob Nightengale on Utah and MLB expansion (May 26, 2026)
Background explainer by The Utah Ledger. AI-assisted reporting, checked against the sources above.