How much public money is Becker going to throw at this? We won't know for a while since they don't even have a budget for the project yet.

I love this: Salt Lake City gets 90% of the County's zap funds, plus all of our state agencies (except for the prison, of course), plus all the money that gets spent at the U, plus all of the projects built by the LDS Church and its business subsidiaries, including the $1.5 billion downtown project and the $250 million Conference Center. All of that is called an "investment" and "civic renewal."

But Sandy gets a $30 million soccer stadium suddenly we're "stealing" taxpayer money. I won't support a downtown theatre, and if Salt Lake steals it from us I'll be voting against the next ZAP reauthorization, assuming I'm unlucky enough to still be living here.

Even if we gave ZAP funds to Sandy, it would only go to line the pockets of its politicians as "bonuses." Why create a reason to go to Sandy, when SLC is clearly the cultural hub of the valley? Currently, I can meet friends for dinner, then we each go to the event of our choice be it the Symphony, Ballet, live theatre, Jazz or Bees and still meet later for . . . uh, decaf . . .

Can't do that if one venue is at the other end of the valley.

Becker wants this in downtown Salt Lake is so more revenue can be generated with the issuance of more and more parking tickets. Parking tickets=revenue. Move it to Sandy, where you can park for free, without being hassled by some drunk demanding money.

Which is worse? The screaming of obnoxious suburban brats as their parents drag them along to the theatre, or the homeless guy who plays the cello outside Arts venues in Salt Lake?

Man, thats a hard one.

*** "Even if we gave ZAP funds to Sandy, it would only go to line the pockets of its politicians as "bonuses." Why create a reason to go to Sandy, when SLC is clearly the cultural hub of the valley? Currently, I can meet friends for dinner, then we each go to the event of our choice be it the Symphony, Ballet, live theatre, Jazz or Bees and still meet later for...uh, decaf...Can't do that if one venue is at the other end of the valley." ***

If I'm allowed to have a nice glass cabernet I'll join you.

But you can get that here in Sandy, too, and your argument is just circular logic: "Sandy shouldn't get a theatre because it doesn't have a theatre."

It also demonstrates why SLC doesn't need a theatre: because it already has plenty of (mostly taxpayer-funded) cultural venues: Pioneer Theatre, Capitol Theatre, Rose Wagner, Abravenel Hall, and so on. So it should just keep getting more? The purpose of taxpayer-funded arts venues is to serve the cultural needs of the citizens. Salt Lake City's needs are being well met. Start serving the rest of us, too.

There are more than 20 live theatres of various stripes in the Salt Lake Valley. All but two of them are in the east or south part of the valley, and only one of those, the 2nd smallest venue in the county, is west of I-215.
Salt Lake County is currently conducting a study to determine the cultural needs for the entire county.
Both Sandy and Salt Lake City need to throttle back on their civic greed and avarice until that study is completed, and then work within the county master plan instead of running "full steam ahead" to ram their pet projects down everyone's throats.
Salt Lake City and Sandy may not prove to be the best location for a large broadway type theatre, and the people of Salt Lake County, which includes the taxpayers in Salt Lake City and Sandy, as well as everyone from Draper to Magna, will be better served by allowing the county to do the due dilligence.