SALT LAKE CITY — Months after the Salt Lake Bees announced they would be making a new hive in Daybreak, Ballpark neighbors like Damon Talbot are still in shock.
“I had been to the opening game at that stadium when it opened with the Buzz," he said. "I was just kind of like, 'Man, this sucks.'”
A resident of the area for five years, Talbot decided to throw his hat in the ring for Salt Lake City’s Ballpark NEXT design competition.
“I think it's just such a rare opportunity for a city to literally go out to its community and its stakeholders and say, 'Hey, what should we do?'" he said.
Talbot's “Ballpark Commons” plan made it to the finals because it lays out what the community needs, he said.
“It really activates the space, day and night," said Talbot. "Whether it's the library and park during the day for kids and families, up to nightlife and entertainment venues for adults that might want to go to axe throwing or arcade bars, things like that in the evening, and restaurants and concert venues for all ages on weekends and holidays and bigger events.”
All the final designs fall under three different categories: professional, resident and student applications. There are three different designs under each of the categories, with nine final designs in total. If you decide to vote, you can vote for one of each under the three categories.
Utah State University student Nicholas Tate Barney's design pulls inspiration from Seattle's Pike Place Market, he said.
“One thing that we really wanted to focus on was bringing those cultures together," said Barney. "The Pride Center is right next to the Ballpark, Urban Indian Center is just down the street. It's a really ethnically diverse area within walking distance of the site.”
Barney and a team of USU students asked the community what they would like to see, and built their plan from those ideas.
“We went out and canvassed a bunch of people within the community, kind of wanting to find out what they wanted within this area," he said. "I mean, the Ballpark is leaving, it's a historic spot, and so we wanted to make sure that everybody was involved in the decisions going into the design.”
From shopping malls to concert venues and food halls, all the designs are focused on making Ballpark the place to be.
“It might not be quite as big of a draw as Temple Square or Golden Spike or some of those things," said Barney. "But it can also be one of those locations here in Salt Lake City that when you are here, you have to go to the Ballpark.”
Voting ends on May 25. You can look at all nine of the final designs and cast your vote HERE.
