Smith unveils plans for redesigned Delta Center, 450-stall parking garage outside

SALT LAKE CITY — Ryan and Ashley Smith might be the first to agree that it's an "unthinkable feat" to add an ice rink to an arena built solely with basketball in mind.

They initially intended to build a new arena when they first embarked on the quest to bring the NHL to Utah, but those plans changed when the Utah Jazz and Utah Hockey Club owners faced pushback from state leaders, and when they were presented with plans that showed it could be done.

Now, the unthinkable is underway.

Construction began last week on a three-year plan to drastically remodel the Delta Center.

The vision includes a lower bowl that preserves revered "close-to-the-action" seating during Jazz games, while removing the pesky sightline barriers and providing fans "full views" from every lower bowl seat during Hockey Club games beginning next season, according to new details Smith Entertainment Group unveiled on Wednesday.

Other modifications inside the arena are also on tap for this year, but the company also has its eyes set on the first phases of a "sports, entertainment, culture and convention district" outside of the arena.

Future plans include a 450-stall parking structure by the building's southwest corner, which is set to open in 2026. When the full arena project wraps up a year later, its revamped eastern entrance will serve as the entry point to a future outdoor plaza that took a major step toward reality this week.

"We are excited for the challenge as we kick off this never-before-done renovation project," the Smiths said, in a joint statement. "This transformation will create the most compelling, welcoming and exciting experience for hockey fans, while also allowing us to maintain the steep vertical seating for basketball that has made Delta Center such a dynamic venue with its loud atmosphere that energizes our players night after night."

Interior plans

The main reason for the overhaul is to fix the hockey sightlines of the arena; however, in doing that, SEG didn't want to sacrifice the intimate feel for basketball games the arena has long been known for over the years.

The solution? A new retractable seating system will have a 12-foot variance in elevation between rink and court endlines to offer optimal sightlines for both the NBA and NHL. The riser system will create a higher pitch for hockey games, allowing more seats on the goal side of the arena.

"The change in rake is greater than any other building to switch over between basketball and hockey," SCI architects Lawrence Lippold said.

Fans won't feel much of a change during basketball games, but, for hockey, the new configuration will add seats behind each goal and provide more on-the-board seating that was limited during the Utah Hockey Club's first season.

To make it all work, the arena floor will be raised two feet and the bowl will be lengthened by 12 feet on each end. That will help alleviate some of the sightline issues that fans experienced in both the upper and lower bowls.

Last season, most upper-bowl seats behind each goal were limited to "single-goal" viewing.

"Raising that floor is what was necessary to get those sightlines so that every seat in the upper and the lower bowl would have full view of the ice for hockey," SEG executive Jim Olson said.

But that won't all be ready for next season. The team has two more offseasons of construction planned to complete the renovations and further address those issues.

When everything is completed, seating capacity for hockey will increase from 11,131 to approximately 17,000, and capacity for basketball will increase from 18,206 to nearly 19,000 seats.

Exterior changes

Some of the first steps of the project outside of the arena are also beginning to take shape. Crews will start laying the foundation of a multi-story parking garage by 200 South and 400 West outside of the arena's southwest side this summer, which is somewhat tied to the lower bowl construction, Olson explained.

Much like interior plans, exterior construction will also go through an offseason once the NBA and NHL seasons return. Vertical construction will begin next year, as the company eyes to have it ready in time for the 2026-2027 seasons. Once complete, it will have three connecting points with the arena for high-end ticketholders.

"The garage is going to be utilized — for the most part — for our premium seats, our clubs and our suites," he said. "Those connecting points will be tied into the arena where people have the best access to get into their respective areas."

Crews will shift their attention to the east exterior afterward, crafting a new type of entrance leading out toward a planned outdoor plaza. Updated designs weren't shared as planning continues, but the idea there is to create a space for watch parties and community events.

Wednesday's update came a day after Salt Lake County leaders agreed to a $55.4 million sale of 6.5 acres of Salt Palace Convention Center land to Smith Entertainment Group, marking a major step toward creating the plaza. The so-called "mid block" project may also include venue space for the 2034 Winter Olympics.

The deal isn't expected to close until early 2027. Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson said partial demolition of the convention center could begin later that year, which is also when Delta Center's remodel is expected to wrap up.

Conversations over 300 West, the road between the arena and convention center, are ongoing, said Mike Maughan, who has led district planning for Smith Entertainment Group. State lawmakers proposed a bill that would have shifted control of the road from the Utah Department of Transportation to Salt Lake City, but it didn't advance this year.

More details on that side of planning could be released in the "coming months."

Related topics