Salt Lake City’s Delta Center has officially kicked off a multi-year renovation aimed at turning the downtown arena into a “state-of-the-art” home for both the Utah Jazz and the newly arrived Utah Hockey Club.

Smith Entertainment Group (SEG) confirmed this week that the construction will unfold over three summers — aligning with the NBA and NHL offseasons — with the first major phase now underway.

This summer, a new riser system is being installed in the lower bowl to improve sightlines for both basketball and hockey spectators, alongside the start of a new 450-stall parking structure.

“The goal has been to get ready and take advantage of as much of this offseason as possible,” said Jim Olson, president of the Utah Jazz and SEG’s executive on facilities projects. “When the games start for both NHL and NBA seasons, our goal is that we will have the work that we anticipate to do this year, we‘ll have that work done.”

Architectural renderings released by SEG show the updated lower bowl design, which will feature a retractable seating system — a first of its kind — to maintain the Jazz’s steep, close-up basketball experience while providing optimized views for hockey fans.

“We‘re really maintaining the basketball sightlines, maintaining the basketball bowl,” explained Lawrence Lippold, lead project architect from SCI Architects. “You’re really not going to feel a change in the basketball experience. But we will have a premium experience for hockey, as well, packing in the fans close to the action.”

When completed, the hockey seating capacity will jump from 11,131 to 17,000, and the basketball capacity will grow from 18,206 to 19,000. This will be achieved by elongating the bowl by about 12 feet at each end and raising the arena floor by 2 feet, preparing the space for both improved sightlines and future upper-bowl upgrades.

For hockey, the goal is to ensure every seat in the lower bowl offers a complete view of the ice starting with the 2025-26 NHL season. SEG is also adding space behind the nets and around the event tunnels, improving access and circulation for fans seated near the boards.

As for basketball, the 29 rows of retractable riser seating will stretch over 28 feet from the Level 3 concourse down to the court, helping maintain the famously steep fan experience that energizes Jazz home games. SEG has contracted Michigan-based StageRight to deliver the custom riser system.

Additional improvements include expanded premium seating, a 12% increase in restroom capacity, and four new dehumidifiers to enhance ice conditions for NHL games.

Looking further ahead, future construction phases will deliver a new east-facing main entrance and plaza, redesigned concourses, and remodeled upper-bowl seating.

“We are excited for the challenge as we kick off this never-before-done renovation project,” Ryan and Ashley Smith, SEG co-founders and Delta Center owners, said in a 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.”

Originally reported by Belle Fraser in The Salt Lake Tribune.