Soccer stadium funding hits a snag

Published: Wednesday, April 30, 2008 12:35 a.m. MDT
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Real Salt Lake and Sandy city leaders better look elsewhere if they want any more money to build a soccer stadium.

On Monday, Mayor Peter Corroon sent Sandy's economic development director a letter saying he "would not support Salt Lake County contributing its tax increment" to the community development agency. And even if Corroon supported the CDA, he doesn't have the votes on the County Council to approve the plan.

Sandy wanted to raise $10 million through a community development agency, but that takes the cooperation of all the taxing entities in the area. And cooperation is hard to come by.

Jordan School District officials have already made it clear that they will not forgo their cut of property tax dollars for the multimillion-dollar stadium.

And the county is reluctant to open its wallet again, after the state forced Salt Lake County leaders to use hotel-room tax dollars to pay for the public infrastructure of the $110 million stadium under construction in Sandy.

"Given that the state has already used $35 million of Salt Lake County's transient room tax revenue for contribution to the soccer stadium project, I don't feel that it is in the best interest of the citizens for the county to contribute more revenue to the project," Corroon wrote in a letter Monday to Randy Sant, Sandy's economic development director.

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The city had to prove to Real that it made its "best effort" to create the CDA, but ultimately couldn't get all the parties to opt in, Corroon said.

Without the county's cooperation, the CDA is likely dead, since $6 million of the $10 million CDA would have come from the county.

Sant said Tuesday that his office had received the letter and was looking at options. He declined to comment on whether the city would press forward without county support. However, the City Council was informed Tuesday that Real was making progress on its end of the deal to secure the $10 million.

Real will meet with Sandy's planning commission this month to present its final stadium parking plan. Also, negotiations between the city and the sports team are ongoing concerning city incentives such as complimentary tickets, a city suite and city promotion, Sant told the council.

City and some county leaders aren't giving up yet.

County Councilman Randy Horiuchi said leaders are "scrambling" and "noodling" several ideas to come up with more public funding to help the city build the stadium for Real Salt Lake.

"We will never stop discussion in trying to help this thing and make it more amenable to everyone," Horiuchi said. "We're a jurisdiction that, we want to be one that is willing to just keep our mind open. If we can help in a way that is beneficial and not hurtful to the county, I'm sure we'll look at it."

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