The University of Utah is ready to build a baseball stadium, but it wants a piece of Sunnyside Park. 

The University of Utah Baseball team is close to realizing an almost decade-long quest to build an on-campus ballpark, and administrators say they've identified the perfect spot—at the current site of Utah Baseball's practice field on Guardsman Way.

The U's land is big enough to build a new facility, but with one caveat. To stop foul balls from getting hit out of the ballpark, U planners say the facility would have to include a 35-foot-high wall on the eastern perimeter of the outfield.

Alternatively, and to avoid the construction of this barrier, the U is pursuing a deal with Salt Lake City to lease a section of land in the adjacent Sunnyside Park.

With this additional space, administrators say, the outfield of the stadium could be extended and the construction of the wall could be avoided.

"The university wants to be a good neighbor," said U spokesman Chris Nelson. "We want to build a facility that not only is a community asset, but we want to build a facility that actually compliments Sunnyside Park."

If approved by the Salt Lake City Council, the U's lease would encompass 1.175 acres that currently contain portions of a public softball field and multi-use field, both of which would be impacted by construction of the new stadium.

In exchange for use of the land, the U would commit $4.2 million for improvements to Sunnyside.

The proposal has divided residents—some argue the $4.2 million is needed to give a facelift to deteriorating park facilities, while others object to the loss of public space and what they see as a rushed plan that is light on specifics.

East Bench City Councilmember Dan Dugan said the $4.2 million figure is enough to discuss and consider theoretical upgrades to the park—like the installation of pickleball courts and an enhanced walking trail. He emphasized, though, that actual park upgrades would be chosen through a process of community engagement and with the input of local residents.

"I don't know what those upgrades will look like after the community involvement," Dugan said. "But I'm an advocate for the improvements to the park, for the community and all its users."

Batter Up
For nearly 30 years, Utah Baseball has shared Smith's Ballpark at Main Street and 1300 South with the Salt Lake Bees. But after the Bees announced they would be leaving the city and building a new stadium in South Jordan's Daybreak community, the U decided it was time to work on a new, on-campus ballpark.

"It's always been the vision of the university to bring its baseball team back to campus," Nelson said. "We want to have as many of our collegiate sports on campus as we can."

According to an April 2023 announcement for the new stadium, the U has been evaluating potential sites for a new ballpark for nearly a decade.

Eight potential sites were narrowed down to five after the university conducted a study in 2019. The five sites included two locations on Guardsman Way and another in central campus.

Initially, the central campus location was preferred, but that site was later selected for a new student housing building.

Nelson explained that administrators are looking to group certain campus functions near each other. The central campus site is located next to Lassonde Studios, another student housing facility, while the Guardsman Way location is already familiar to the baseball program and near the U's football and golf training facilities.

"Guardsman Way kind of becomes an athletics corridor for us," Nelson explained. "[It] provides easy access for the baseball players to use the same facilities that our football players are using and our golf golfers are using."

The full cost of building the new stadium is estimated to be $35 million, and most of those funds will be privately raised. The U hopes to break ground on the project by late spring and open the stadium in time for the 2025 season.

A final design for the stadium has not yet been reached. Administrators wanted public input on the stadium first, and the U will decide on a final design once they know whether the land lease has been accepted.

Part of these final determinations, Nelson said, includes campus investment in Sunnyside Park.

Dugan said he believes the agreement would benefit Sunnyside. He acknowledged the high usage of park's existing field by members of the public, and the need for better maintenance.

Sunnyside Park has already been approved for $750,000 from the recent parks bond. That means that if the lease agreement goes through, Sunnyside Park would have nearly $5 million in new funding for maintenance and enhancement.

Dugan also said the community benefit from the new stadium could go above and beyond a cash infusion. For example, the outfield of the ballpark could be opened for public use during the offseason and act as an additional field for park users. "I'm demanding that we get [at least the] $4.2 million," Dugan said. "That's non-negotiable."

An official contract has not yet been negotiated, but the city is looking at leasing the land to the U at a below-market rate of $1 a year for 99 years. A discounted rate like this one is typical for lease agreements with nonprofits and requires Council approval.

Dugan explained that the city retains the rights to land they lease. So, if the U were to theoretically break its lease agreement, the city would have the right to reclaim the land and the U would have to remove whatever they'd done on the property.

Balls and Strikes
The proposal to lease public land to the U has been met with some concerns.

"What we don't want to see is losing any land in this park," said Mary O'Connell, chairwoman of Friends of Sunnyside Park. "We, the Friends of Sunnyside, believe this will set a precedent that any park could be given, sold or leased."

O'Connell pointed out this proposal's failure to adhere to the East Bench Master Plan, which was adopted by the City Council in 2017 and aimed to guide future policies and development in the East Bench Area. Part of this plan encouraged the expansion of Sunnyside Park—not its reduction—specifically through the acquisition of land located between the park and Steiner Aquatic Center, which is where the U's stadium would be located.

In a written comment to the City Council, Yalecrest Community Council chairwoman Jan Hemming echoed O'Connell's concern, stating that the lease agreement "contradicts the intent and spirit of the East Bench Master Plan."

Nelson said the U is sensitive to public concerns regarding the loss of a softball and multi-use field, but that the monetary investment the U would give to Sunnyside Park could help mitigate those losses. He said the money could go toward improving and maintaining the fields the park would keep, for example. "I think what everyone has been excited for as we started this conversation is 'Boy, what will the city be able to do with that additional investment in this park?'" Nelson said.

Other common concerns with the project regard light and noise pollution and traffic, concerns raised against virtually every proposed change within the city.

According to the U's website for this project, the stadium design will include berms and a sound system focused inside the ballpark to reduce noise pollution and lighting will be designed to reduce spillover beyond the stadium.

Guardsman Way is also served by high frequency bus lines and the university is broadly a transit-accessible destination, second only to downtown Salt Lake City in its bus and train connections.

If congestion becomes a problem, Nelson said the University would work with its police department and other agencies to direct traffic, as they do at other events. He also noted that the average attendance at Utah Baseball games is around 350 people. "In terms of traffic, based on the number of people who attend these games, I don't think it's a dramatic increase," Nelson said.

Similarly, in terms of parking concerns, Nelson said the University would work to direct game attendees to park in nearby lots like the one at Rice Eccles Stadium. If parking became a problem, the U would work with the city to find ways to enforce appropriate parking.

"I would acknowledge there's always frustration about the university," Nelson said. "We bring, you know, almost 70,000 people to our campus every day. We have students and employees and patients."

But the University of Utah is actively working to expand its student population to 40,000 students, which has also created cause for concern for O'Connell.

"They are surrounded by Federal Heights. They're surrounded [to the] south by East Bench, Yalecrest," O'Connell said. "They're landlocked. They are just going to continue to encroach on the neighborhoods."

Both supporters and opponents of the project alike have shared concerns regarding what they see as a lack of transparency from the university and the city.

O'Connell specifically wants the U to present complete plans for what their stadium will look like with elevations included. Without concrete plans and facts, she said, the public can't participate properly.

"How does the public really have the ability to make an educated comment or decision when everything is potential?" O'Connell asked.

Similarly, Brandon Patterson, a regular user of Sunnyside Park, thinks the U could be more forthcoming with information on the project. For example, he said it would be nice to see a timeline of the U's plans for the stadium or information on park improvement discussions.

Overall, though, he thinks the proposal could be beneficial for the university and the park. "I think it can be a win-win, we just need a little more communication," Patterson said.

A public hearing on the potential land lease was held at the Salt Lake City Council meeting on Feb. 20. There, several constituents opposed to the lease agreement requested the city table a vote on the proposal until the U could provide more detailed information on their plans.

"We want the public to truly be involved before a vote is taken," O'Connell explained.

The Home Team
The discussions around improvements to Sunnyside Park have touched on a larger, city-wide issue surrounding park maintenance and funding—namely, that it is severely lacking.

"Every park in Salt Lake City, they all need better upkeep to their playing fields," O'Connell said.

August Watcher, president of the Foothill Youth Baseball Association, has used these conversations as an opportunity to bring attention to just how much upkeep playing fields in Salt Lake need, and the effect it's had on youth baseball programs.

The Foothill Youth Baseball Association has operated out of Oak Hills and the Sunnyside East complex. Watcher described how the association had to take it upon themselves to maintain the fields they use, just to make sure their teams have safe places to play ball. The association drags their fields themselves, daily, and Watcher regularly mows grass, pulls weeds and cuts back trees growing in the outfield.

"We're all-volunteer, nonprofit organizations, and it's up to dads like me and moms who come out here and volunteer their time to make our facilities look as nice as they can—we just have no city help," Watcher said.

At the same time, youth baseball associations across the city are facing high rental fees that strain their ability to operate. Since 2015, Watcher said rental fees have increased by 750%. His association is spending almost $20,000 annually to rent their facilities.

Despite these rising fees, though, Watcher said he hasn't seen any improvement in the condition of the facilities they use. The association has increased its fees because of rising costs, but Watcher said two Foothill Youth Baseball divisions will be operating at a loss this year.

"I can raise money, but I hate to raise that money, and then give it right to the city," Watcher said. "I would much rather raise that money and offer scholarships for kids who can't afford to play baseball."

Watcher does support the U's new stadium and is hoping that the city will consider allocating some of the U's $4.2 million pledge to youth baseball programs so they can upgrade and improve their fields.

"We're just trying to get a little bit of equity here and get the city to understand that what they're doing to our programs is causing a huge problem for us and our ability to operate," Watcher explained. "My point is: We're Salt Lake City, we're the capital city of Utah, and we should have the best fields in the state. We have the worst fields in the state."

Watcher emphasized the fact that advocating for better playing conditions is a city-wide collaboration between youth baseball programs, which are all facing operational struggles and managing unmaintained fields.

Still, Watcher encouraged anyone who can't afford to play baseball to email him.

"I will make sure we have scholarships available," Watcher said. "I want people to play baseball."