Officials Hope MLB Expansion Would Be Part Of Utah’s Tourism Ecosystem

Dec 20, 2023, 3:17 PM | Updated: 3:20 pm

salt lake ballpark rendering MLB expansion...

Rendering of a potential MLB ballpark to be built in Salt Lake's west side Power District.

SALT LAKE CITY – Big League Utah is taking the next step in showing Major League Baseball leadership they have what it takes to be the site of future expansion. Officials announced the creation of two advisory boards that will help advance the campaign’s commitment to bringing big-league baseball to Utah.

Larry H. Miller Company CEO Steve Starks appeared on KSL Sports Zone to talk about the latest developments in MLB expansion with DJ & PK.

“We’re all in on baseball and we’re all in on that site,” Starks said of the expected Power District location for a new ballpark.

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“It’s the intersection of people, diversity, our city, and accessibility. We couldn’t be more excited about it. It is so rare to have that level of support already for a specific site and for an ownership group. It gives us a huge advantage as we compete with other cities.”

The Power District is an approximately 100-acre, shovel-ready site in the heart of Salt Lake City’s west side, off of North Temple.

“We’re putting all of the pieces together to be the most prepared and ready-to-go expansion city. We think that within months, we would be ready to go. We want to continue to send the message that everything is lined up in Salt Lake for Major League Baseball.”

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Honorary Advisory Board

The honorary advisory board is made up of Gail Miller, co-founder and owner of the Larry H. Miller Company, and local elected leaders, including Governor Spencer J. Cox; and Senate President J. Stuart Adams; House Speaker Mike Schultz; Utah State Senator Luz Escamilla; Utah State Senator Lincoln Fillmore; Utah State Representative Sandra Hollins; Utah State Representative Ryan D. Wilcox; Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall; Salt Lake City Councilmember Victoria Petro; former Congressman and former Utah House Speaker Rob Bishop; Point of the Mountain State Land Authority Board Co-Chair and former member of the Utah State House of Representatives Lowry Snow.

Community Advisory Board

The community advisory board includes Steve Miller, Chair, of the Larry H. Miller Company; Greg Miller, Vice Chair, of the Larry H. Miller Company; Steve Starks, CEO, of the Larry H. Miller Company; Scott Anderson, President and CEO, Zions Bank; Dave Checketts, businessman, and sports executive; Spencer P. Eccles, Co-Founder, and Managing Partner, The Cynosure Group; Maria Garciaz, CEO, NeighborWorks Salt Lake; Kem Gardner, CEO, Gardner Companies; Natalie Gochnour, Executive Director, the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute; Gary Hoogeveen, President and CEO, Rocky Mountain Power; David Huntsman, President and COO, Huntsman Foundation; Derek Miller, President and CEO, Salt Lake Chamber; Todd Pedersen, Founder, Vivint Smart Home, and businessman; Thayne Shaffer, President and CEO, America First Credit Union; Dr. Sidni Shorter, President and CEO, Utah Black Chamber; and Spencer Zwick, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Solamere Capital.

Follow MLB Expansion Talks With KSL Sports Zone

Big League Utah is a broad-based community coalition that believes Utah is a five-tool player when it comes to the future of Major League Baseball expansion.

KSL Sports coverage of Big League Utah can be found here. 

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“We have this tremendous site close to our capital city, which is important to Utah, that we keep our professional sports downtown,” Starks stressed. “There’s a whole lot of things that we like.”

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Officials Hope MLB Expansion Would Be Part Of Utah’s Tourism Ecosystem