Larry H. & Gail Miller Foundation donates $22M to Ballpark neighborhood project
The Larry H. & Gail Miller Family Foundation donated $22 million toward redevelopment of Salt Lake City’s Ballpark neighborhood, specifically Smith’s Ballpark, which will be vacant after the 2024 season.
The Miller family is leading a $100 million fundraising initiative to provide an investment into the city’s Ballpark NEXT project, and its contribution launched the fundraising effort.
“The Miller family and the Larry H. Miller Company have a deep history with and confidence in Salt Lake City and are committed to Ballpark NEXT and the bright future of our capital city,” Don Stirling, executive director of the foundation, said in a press release.
In January 2023, the Miller Company announced a new, privately funded stadium for the Salt Lake Bees at Downtown Daybreak located in South Jordan. It broke ground on the new ballpark last fall. It is scheduled to open for the 2025 season. The company also pitched the Oakland A’s on using the field as a temporary home until the team’s anticipated move to Las Vegas in 2028.
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The city launched Ballpark NEX to reimagine and revitalize the neighborhood around Smith’s Ballpark after it’s vacated.
Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall said in a press release that she’s grateful for the Millers’ contribution.
“Positive momentum and generational opportunities are arising from our intentional action and strength in partnership. We gathered hundreds of comments from neighbors and stakeholders that informed strong guiding principles, which will serve as the backbone of our land-use strategies. This collaborative public-private partnership will truly lift the entire community,” she said.
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Corinne Piazza, a senior project manager at Redevelopment Agency of Salt Lake City, told KSL.com last week that the RDA has been “working diligently” to reimagine the space over the past year.
In an update to the Ballpark Community Council in January, she said the city will ask contractors and developers for timelines regarding when they can get to work as the city crafts a final vision for the ballpark. The city has informed them that they will have some “space” to make sure the job is done well, but there’s a “huge sense of urgency” to make sure the land isn’t vacant “for any significant amount of time.”
The goal is to begin work on a project as soon as possible after the Bees’ final home game in September, though an exact timeline is not yet determined.
