Tuesday Announcements 12/5: Jeff Miller Episode, Kilby Block Party Giveaway on Instagram, Current Events, and This Week's Episode

Salt Lake moved fast this week, and we’re connecting the dots between pocketbook policies, stadium culture, and a neighborhood on the brink of change. We open with a quick highlight of our conversation with Jeff Miller, where fixed-price car buying and community investment flip the usual dealership script. That theme of clarity and trust carries into a bigger question: what happens when private equity takes over key operations at Rice-Eccles? We break down the upside—better fan experience, smarter logistics—and the real risks, from rising ticket prices to a stadium vibe that feels less like our city and more like a spreadsheet.

We also dig into a closed-door retreat where Utah legislators reportedly discussed education priorities, tax proposals, ballot strategies, and the 2025 session plan. By labeling it “unofficial,” leaders avoided public notice requirements and open meeting laws. We talk about why that move shakes trust, what open governance should look like, and how early transparency can build better policy before votes are locked and pressure campaigns begin. If you care about taxes and schools, this is where accountability starts.

Then we turn to the 1300 South ballpark site, finally moving toward a clear plan: new housing, local retail, restaurants, and an entertainment district. It’s a massive opportunity to pair growth with roots. We walk through what good looks like—human-scale design, walkability, affordable housing, local vendor space, and real public amenities—and what to watch out for if the project tilts toward displacement, traffic, and generic placemaking. Done right, this becomes a destination that feels like Salt Lake, not just another development.

We’re also running a Kilby Block Party giveaway with weekend passes to see Lorde, The xx, Turnstile, Hayley Williams, Modest Mouse, and more. Get the entry steps, hear the headlines, and add your take on whether private equity improves stadium life or chips away at fan culture. If you’re enjoying the show, tap like, subscribe, and leave a comment to help more locals find it. Your voice shapes the city—join us and tell a friend.

50% Off Minky Couture Blankets: softminkyblankets.com/SMALLLAKECITY

Now through January 2nd, buy or lease a new Subaru at Mark Miller Subaru and they’ll donate up to $500 to local Utah charities like USARA and Girls on the Run. Drive a new Subaru and give back to the community at the same time.

Please be sure to like, review, follow, subscribe and share the podcast with your friends and family! See you next time 

Chapters

• 4:45 Quick Host Intro
• 4:54 Jeff Miller Episode Highlight
• 5:18 Kilby Block Party Ticket Giveaway
• 5:58 Private Equity At Rice-Eccles
• 6:34 Secret Utah Legislator Retreat

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 3:10

What is up, everybody, and welcome back to another Tuesday update. It is me, Eric Nilsson, the host of the Small Lake City Podcast. We have a lot to cover, so let's jump into it. Number one, if you haven't listened to the most recent episode with Jeff Miller, make sure to go check it out. It's amazing what they're doing at Mark Miller Subaru to benefit you, the consumer, someone who's buying a car from single pricing to giving back to the community. Also, just a great guy. I mean, it's a dealership that's been there for four generations and even more generations when you consider horses and buggies in Idaho in the mix. So definitely go check that out. Really enjoyed my conversation with Jack. Secondly, we have the Kilby block party giveaway going on right now on Instagram. Uh, you can win two weekend passes for you and a friend. Um, all you have to do is number one, comment on any Small Lake City podcast episode, whichever one you feel like. Whether that be your favorite episode, the most recent one, even this one, if you want to, um, it's easiest on Spotify. So if you're on Apple Podcasts, it's a little bit harder, but make sure to go comment there. Uh, go to the Instagram post, comment done, and tag who you're gonna bring with you. So, more information on the post itself. But if you want to go see Lord the XX, Turnstyle, Haley Williams, Modest Mouse, and more, then this is your easiest way to do that. Also, want to jump into some recent stuff going on in Salt Lake. There's a lot of interesting news and headlines coming out this week. Uh, number one is private equity buying into Utah Sports via Rice Eccles. So private equity is buying into Rice Eccles, which means they were gonna manage all of the concessions, all of the vendors, all of the tickets, and everything that goes into the operations of Rice Eccles. Um, this could be a good thing as far as experience, uh, accessibility, primisation. Could also be a really bad thing with ticket sales going up, the energy of the stadium changing, um, and just the whole culture of rice eyes changing. So curious what you think if that's gonna be a good or a bad thing. Also, this week, a group of Utah legislators held a closed-door meeting at a private retreat where they talked about things like Utah education, upcoming tax proposals, various ballot initiatives, and strategies going into the 2025 session. But the real question is, why did this need to be secret? They claimed it wasn't a quote official meeting, which led them to avoid public notice requirements and dodge open meeting laws of Utah politics. So a lot of people think this undermines transparency and keeps voters in the dark on major policy direction. Um, so stay tuned for more as that starts to come out. Utah legislators have had a lot of issues with transparency and visibility and trying to keep as much power as they can. So stay tuned for that. Um, also, one big news item that came out this week is the agreement on the ballpark redevelopment. So, as you know, the Bees moved their stadium out to daybreak with a brand new park, which means that the ballpark on 13th South has been a big old question mark. But they reached an agreement uh of what's going to be happening with it. Uh, think about new housing, retail, restaurants, and a big entertainment district that could change the entire neighborhood. So, this has been months in the making, so more to come on that. And lastly, if you're watching or listening right now, please like, subscribe, comment however you can. It means a ton to me and keeps the podcast growing and puts it on more people's radars. So thank you so much if you have already. And if you haven't, it takes two seconds, and I hugely appreciate it. Uh, and before I sign out, the last thing I want to say is this week we're gonna be releasing another vault episode from episodes that you may have never heard before, or some that are worth revisiting again before we kick off season two in the new year. So enjoy some warm weather this week. I can't believe it's 55 degrees right now and it's December 10th. Uh, but yeah, see you soon. Go listen to the episode with Jeff, go in to win some tickets, and catch me this weekend with a vaulted episode. So, yeah.