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Landowners in Utah County are willing to give land to Real Salt Lake to build a soccer stadium near Geneva Steel.
That overture came from Sandy-based Anderson Development, which is cleaning up 1,700 acres to pave the way for development at the defunct steel mill.
"Yes, there have been some preliminary discussions about the Geneva property," confirmed attorney Michael Hutchings, a partner in Anderson Development. "We're businessmen; we see value there. 'Sandy Mayor" Tom Dolan saw great economic value. We think he was right."
The Utah County offer carries an indirect link to House Speaker Greg Curtis, the Republican lawmaker who has tried to land the team in his Sandy hometown.
Curtis represents Anderson Development on other projects. But he said Thursday he is not involved with the Geneva Steel property - nor is he connected with the RSL offer.
But Curtis knew weeks ago the overture was coming. When Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon rejected the first Sandy proposal, Anderson Development owner Gerald Anderson approached Curtis about whether the team would be interested in Utah County.
Curtis said he didn't know - and then asked Anderson to hold off on the bid until the Salt Lake County Council voted on Sandy's plan. Anderson agreed.
The council voted 5-4 on Tuesday to reject a Sandy stadium proposal. Hutchings said Anderson Development pitched the Geneva Steel idea to RSL the next day.
Curtis was surprised RSL owner Dave Checketts mentioned the Utah County overture in a Thursday conference call with reporters and suspects it's about "leverage" to show Salt Lake County that others are interested.
The speaker said he would refuse to help Anderson Development seek state money for the deal.
"If the private sector, Mr. Anderson and Dave Checketts, can make this work, and it's not in Sandy, that would not be my first choice 'but" it'd be great."
For his part, Checketts insisted Thursday he hasn't given up on keeping his Major League Soccer team in Utah - despite the major setback dealt by a divided Salt Lake County Council.
"We've made a real commitment to the state of Utah. As of this moment, I want to say very clearly that's where I intend for this team to stay," Checketts told reporters during a roughly one-hour conference call. "I will only own the team in Utah."
Checketts' comments came two days after the County Council rejected a funding plan that would put $30 million in hotels taxes toward infrastructure around the stadium.
While Checketts has received calls from other markets interested in landing an MLS team, he said he hasn't entertained offers.
And he denied a report from a Rochester newspaper - http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060713/SPORTS05/607130354&SearchID=73250542642132" Target="_BLANK">which can be found here - that quoted the owner of that city's minor-league soccer team saying he has had preliminary discussions with Utah officials about bringing RSL to western New York.
"There has been no contact with anyone in Rochester and anyone in my group, or me. That has not happened," Checketts said.
He didn't rule out trying to make a Sandy stadium work, though he said: "I'm not sure I have the heart to pursue any of the alternatives that we've been going hard at, including Sandy."
He said he is interested in the possibility of plopping the stadium at the state-owned Fairpark. And he left open the chance of a downtown Salt Lake City site, though he said he has not heard of any concrete plans.
In noting the Geneva Steel offer, Checketts said, "There's going to be lots of things coming out of the woodwork, here. I've got to try to generate some excitement about them."
Checketts broached the possibility of privately funding the stadium - but then quickly backed off. "I don't know if it's actually possible."
He didn't back off of his allegations that Utah Jazz owner Larry Miller tried to sabotage the soccer stadium. Checketts said Miller lobbied lawmakers - unsuccessfully - to kill a deal to allow hotel tax money to pay for the stadium.
"I know that he 'also" lobbied a couple of important local mayors, leaders, and it was always with the same thing in mind. He did not want me to get a better deal than he got at 'publicly financing infrastructure around" the Delta Center."
But Checketts couldn't say if Miller had a roll in persuading County Council members to quash soccer in Sandy.
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