Salt Lake hoping for Broadway-style theater

Not so fast, Sandy.

Perhaps sensing that Salt Lake City is falling behind in the race to bring a Broadway-style theater to Utah, Mayor Ralph Becker has called a press conference for 10:30 a.m. Thursday to announce the city's plans for such a venue downtown.

Becker also is expected to appoint a leader to spearhead Salt Lake City's Broadway theater development plan.

Salt Lake City's press event comes a little more than week after Sandy city officials made public its preliminary plans for a Broadway theater, complete with a funding model and a feasibility study supporting the suburban city's cause.

Sandy wants to build a 2,500-plus-seat theater as part of an office, condominium and retail complex near Sandy City Hall. The city plans to hire a theater operator this summer, with 2011 as the target date for its opening.

Sandy's plans clash with those of Salt Lake City, where elected officials and community leaders envision a state-of-the-art performing arts theater as the cornerstone of a downtown arts, culture and entertainment district.

Studies indicate that the state would be able to support only one such facility, city and county officials have said.

A Broadway-style theater in downtown Salt Lake City was proposed nearly a year ago as a signature project of Downtown Rising, the Salt Lake Chamber and Downtown Alliance's vision for downtown planning and redevelopment.

Becker also highlighted in his first State of the City address Jan. 15 the creation of a downtown cultural district, development of a Broadway-style performing arts center and preservation of the Utah Theatre as high priorities for his administration.

Salt Lake County is in the process of commissioning a feasibility study to determine the best location for a Broadway-style theater.

The study for the Sandy theater determined that a Broadway theater would be feasible anywhere in the Salt Lake Valley, but it didn't compare the suburban city with other areas of the valley.

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Contributing: Rebecca Palmer

E-mail: jpage@desnews.com