Reader comments
Salt Lake County welcomes Holding's offer

Anonymous | 6:10 p.m. June 3, 2009

It will never happen. The Salt Palace is too big, too state of the art, and the county and city has invested too much in the salt palace to turn around and make a tiny little center they are talking about now.

Location Location | 10:12 p.m. June 3, 2009

The convention center has a couple of hotels next door, but most are several blocks down a very unpleasant walk across giant intersections. Let's get things concentrated and convenient. Our city has a great location as "crossroads of the west", so let's use it.

sodiedog | 8:22 a.m. June 4, 2009

Feasibility study anyone?

Comments continue below

Jeremy | 8:59 a.m. June 4, 2009

I wish they would get a clue and like Louisville did. Their convention center is right across the street from the airport. We have all of that open property South of I-80 that could be used to build a massive convention center. Louisville's convention center is convenient, modern and flexible due to the size of the complex and the fact it is not right down town.

Jeremy, you're mistaken | 11:55 a.m. June 4, 2009

I'm sorry, Jeremy.
The facility somewhat near the Louisville airport, is NOT the convention center.

It's the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center (ie, the State Fairgrounds).
937 Phillips Lane, Louisville, KY.

The Kentucky International Convention Center is right where should be: smack dab in downtown Louisville.
211 Fourth Street, Louisville, KY.

Convention-goers are usually expecting an urbane environment with good hotels, entertainment, restaurants and other city amenities nearby.
They'd HATE being stuck right by an airport, in an area of mid-class hotels.

Here's an idea | 12:17 p.m. June 4, 2009

. . . let's let the convention-goers go to Louisville!

Why should I spend a single nickel on making someone else rich, building a convention center I'll never want to use, be able to afford, or have the slightest interest in supporting?

You've never gone? | 12:58 p.m. June 4, 2009

You've never attended any events at the Salt Palace, or that place in Sandy? Or the E-Center?
Never?

I wonder how many other Utahns are in your situation.

Convention centers bring in MONEY. It's part of Utah's biggest industry: tourism. You don't think that all of those hotels and restaurants are being supported by the locals, do you?

Randall | 1:11 p.m. June 4, 2009

The Salt Palace Is Way Too Small To Bring In Big Time Conventions.
Most People Would Rather Go To LV Or CA Anyway.

Bigger isn't better | 2:51 p.m. June 4, 2009

MOST conventions are actually medium or small, meaning that a city can capitalize its space by hosting more than one at a time.

The huge mega-centers are booked for years.

While it's not a bad idea to have more than one center downtown, Holding's little dream should be self-financed. It's him that's messed up downtown since he imploded the Newhouse, and it's him that now wants people to boost his hotels through government financing.

I thought Holding was a capitalist, not a socialist.

SL public-safety complex | 8:41 p.m. June 4, 2009

I think Salt Lake County and Salt Lake City need to talk. We need a new SL public-safety complex downtown and the best location is being offered to the county for a taxpayer nightmare.

Why would Salt Lake County Mayor or Council even consider this? Why are they even considering a public hotel to compete against Little America and the Grand America Hotel in the first place?

@SL Public-Safety 8:41 | 1:09 a.m. June 5, 2009

Earl Holding owns both Little America and Grand America, it's in HIS interest to build a convention complex and another hotel on HIS property- next to HIS hotels, it will benefit SLC but most of all it will line Mr Holdings pockets too.

He has no interest in selling any of his huge land lots in downtown to the City for a police department (where's the money?) - he's been banking land in downtown for decades to downtowns detriment. I wish he would do something with his BILLIONS downtown on those empty lots- please help the City and County residents. That would be a nice legacy- instead of the vacant lots in the heart of the city he's done nothing with for all these years.
Mr Holding & Children, I appreciate your philanthropy to this state, will you please start building something we can all benefit from on all your properties?

@@SL Public-Safety | 9:13 a.m. June 5, 2009

I know it is in Holding's interest for SL County NOT to build a hotel.

It is also in Holding's interest to rather do that, to move the convention center next to his hotels.

It would be better for taxpayer NOT to build the SL County Hotel OR move the Salt Palace Convention center, or build a new one at a different place.

Salt Lake City needs a new public-safety building. The best places in town are two parking lots, one north of the City and County building west of the City Center, which is being used by the City Center and the 2nd one is the 3 acre parcel SW of the new courts building on 5th S and Main that is part of the 13 acres Holding was propsing to SL Co.

Here is the deal.
1. Salt Lake County vote NOT to create the taxpayer funded Hotel to compete with Holding.
2. Salt Lake City buys or leases the 3 acre parcel for their public services building.
3. Holdings remaining properties grow in value with more people working near his properties.

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