Ivins • Black Desert Resort officials planned on asking Utah taxpayers to help fund a $2 billion arena in southern Utah.
Patrick Manning, the resort’s managing partner, said he hoped the arena would eventually be home to a minor league hockey team, NBA preseason games and even the Utah Jazz G League affiliate. The resort had legislation drafted and a sponsor ready.
But now, Manning said, the arena’s future is in doubt.
In an interview on Thursday, Manning told The Salt Lake Tribune he is having second thoughts about whether Black Desert will add an arena on the property near St. George.
“I’m second guessing whether that’s the right spot for something like that. It may not be,” he said. “So the arena is still exploratory — possible and not something that we have [done]. I think I told you last time I talked to you, we haven’t even put a pencil on paper to design anything. Haven’t even reached out to a consultant. It’s just, really, ‘What if we did this?’”
(Chris Samuels | The Salt Lake Tribune) A view of the 18th hole and resort at the Black Desert Championship PGA Tour golf tournament in Ivins, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024.
State Sen. Jerry Stevenson (R- Layton) previously told The Tribune he would sponsor a bill in the next legislative session. This week, Manning described that bill as exploratory.
“The bill is to explore whether or not it was even possible,” Manning said, speaking of his arena. “So if it’s not possible, then why even think about it? The bill would be going through, and then if it was [possible] — if it’s something that the state or the local jurisdictions would want to entertain — then we would talk more about it.”
Manning had said the arena and adjacent hotel project could cost up to $2 billion to build.
Stevenson balked at the idea that Black Desert would get anything close to that from the Utah Legislature. For context, the NHL and MLB sports and entertainment districts in Salt Lake City received a combined pledge of $1.8 billion in public funding.
Smith Entertainment Group also said they had not had any discussions with Black Desert about a G League or NHL minor league moving to Black Desert.
For now, Manning said Black Desert will finish building its boardwalk and water park on the property before looking at the arena.
“We’re exploring it. We may or may not do it,” he said. “... [After that] we’ll turn our attention to the other side of the property where we’ve mentioned the possibility of an arena.”
