County agrees to partner with Salt Lake City on theater project

SALT LAKE CITY — City leaders breathed a collective sigh of relief Tuesday when it was announced that Salt Lake County will partner with the city on the Utah Performing Arts Center.

News of the County Council's 6-3 vote to contribute roughly $28 million to the project reached the Salt Lake City Council during a city Redevelopment Agency meeting Tuesday afternoon.

On Wednesday, city leaders are scheduled to announce the architect and contractor for the project.

Three teams of architects were selected in May as finalists for the project. The three firms, all based in Salt Lake City, are Architectural Nexus, in conjunction with H3 Hardy Collaboration Architecture; GSBS Architects, in conjunction with Pfeiffer Partners Architects; HKS Architects, in conjunction with Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects.

In March, the City Council voted to move forward with the project, with or without county participation. At the time, city leaders said they were optimistic the county would participate in the $110 million theater capable of hosting first-run touring Broadway shows.

The city's financing plan for the performing arts center calls for the county to cover between 20 percent and 25 percent of the project's cost. If the County Council had opted not to participate, the theater likely would have been scaled back, city officials said.

— Jared Page