Soccer stadium runs into obstacle
Sport officials must be willing to share revenues
An $18 million bond to revamp parking at Sandy's South Towne Exposition Center was a major lure in the city's bid to get the 25,000-seat soccer venue as Sandy leaders volleyed the idea of using some of that cash to buy land for Real parking as well.
State statute, however, says that money can't be touched to buy land for a private venture, bond counsel Blake Wade told County Council members Tuesday. Unless the county owns the land and uses it as a public parking lot, Wade said bond rules prohibit any of the money benefiting Real Salt Lake rather than the general public.
But John Hiskey, deputy mayor of Sandy, said Mayor Tom Dolan's plans to use some of the bond proceeds to build a joint parking lot for the Expo Center and the Real stadium would not be hindered by the restrictions.
The shared lot, he said, would still be a public use and would stay true to the intent of the $18 million bond to fix overcrowded parking lots at the Expo Center.
"Mayor Dolan indicated that it didn't make any difference as long as we're still talking about parking," Hiskey said. "It would still be public in that context."
But buying land for the stadium itself would be even trickier, Wade said, requiring the county to own at least part of the stadium and receive part of the revenues. Whether for county soccer programs or cultural events, the Real stadium would have to be used for a public benefit to justify using any of the bond money, he said.
"It has to be clear that it's built for general public use," Wade said. "If the team is getting all the revenue, then it's probably a violation."
The county also could not buy land and then lease it to Real, Wade added, because that would no longer be a county recreation facility.
Trey Fitz-Gerald, Real's senior director of marketing, said soccer officials haven't decided whether they are going to pursue any bond dollars. Either way, he added, Real officials want the stadium to be a public-private partnership that can benefit the county with events, concerts and youth leagues.
Whether that means giving up some ownership to the county still hasn't been hammered out, he said.
"All we've resolved is a location and right now everything else is on the table," Fitz-Gerald said. "We do envision our stadium as filling a public need. It's not a cathedral just for team games."
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