With or without baseball, a water-centric landmark is in the works in Fairpark District

For too long urban portions of the Jordan have been overlooked, the developers of an entertainment district in Fairpark say. But in some years it can become a new landmark, similar to New York City’s High Line, or Chicago’s Navy Pier. 

That’s because the Larry H. Miller Company — which is developing a 100-acre site on the west side of Salt Lake City in hopes to attract a Major League Baseball franchise — hired Field Operations, the architecture firm behind those emblematic projects, to restore and design a one-mile loop near the Jordan River.

The district, created by the Utah Legislature in 2024, is a “once in a generation opportunity,” Steve Starks, CEO of the Larry H. Miller Company said during an event Thursday. And it will allow for the river’s ecological restoration.

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“Our goals are clear with this project, restore native habitat and improve water quality, expand public access with trails, gathering spaces and river overlooks, create safe, beautiful connections between neighborhoods and design for resilience, for drought, for growth and for generations to come,” Starks said.

Whether or not a professional baseball stadium is built in the district is still uncertain, and subject to a team expansion decision that may come around 2029, when MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred is expected to step down. But, Starks said, he hoped this project adds momentum and credibility to the district’s potential.

There’s going to be progress soon, he said, but there isn’t a concrete timeline on when construction will start or end. But before then, Field Operations will conduct studies of the river’s hydrology, habitat systems, access points and adjacent communities to draft their design, Richard Kennedy, partner at Field Operations said during the event.

Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall commended the firm and its vision, saying “it will change the ecosystem of the Great Salt Lake. It will change Salt Lakers’ relationship to this valley and the water that sustains us here.”

During the event, South Jordan Republican Sen. Lincoln Fillmore highlighted a bill he’s running this year that would allocate $2 million to help restore the river. 

“We will be investing millions of dollars to make further progress on the riparian corridor along the river, removing invasive weeds, replacing it with native grasses, native plants, to protect the river and to invest millions of dollars in turning the river into a recreational asset,” Fillmore said.

The proposal passed the Senate and is waiting for a House floor vote. 

And while all timelines are undetermined, Fillmore said that he hoped that in April of 2032 “this river will be full of kayaks, canoes and fishing nets, of people waiting to catch the first home run by a left-handed batter hit into this river with Utah’s major league baseball team.”

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