When utility is combined with beauty, everyone wins. If Salt Lake City gives its approval to a downtown construction plan proposed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the entire area would benefit greatly.
In a news conference Tuesday, Church leaders laid out plans calling for Main Street to be closed between North Temple and South Temple, turning the area into a pedestrian walkway and plaza. The plan has the enthusiastic approval of Salt Lake Mayor Deedee Corradini, who noted, "It will be a spectacular place for people all over the world."The next step is for the Salt Lake City Council to approve the project. It ought to do so. An area dominated by asphalt and moving cars would be replaced with a gathering place of tranquility, beauty and contemplation. The plan fits in nicely with other downtown renovations that are positioning Salt Lake City for the next 50 years.
The idea is not new. Only the renewed emphasis is. As LDS Church President Gordon B. Hinckley noted during the press conference, a pedestrian mall in the north part of downtown was first proposed in 1962 and has been part of the city's vision for downtown ever since. In 1996, former City Councilman Stuart Reid, who is now director of Community and Economic Development, proposed a similar plan. However, with more pressing projects getting under way, the time wasn't right. It is now.
More walkway space is needed to accommodate those who visit Temple Square. The number of annual visitors has grown to 5 million, and an estimated 30,000 to 60,000 people came last week for this year's Christmas lighting ceremony.
The plaza would include a reflecting pool east of the Salt Lake Temple, as well as gardens, walkways and benches, and it would incorporate the historic statue of Brigham Young. The church also anticipates building 650 underground parking stalls underneath the plaza.
Construction can begin as soon as the approval process -- which involves community councils, the Transportation Advisory Board, the Planning Commission and the City Council -- is completed. Construction is expected to take from a year to 18 months.
The completed project would be an asset not only to the businesses on Main Street and to the rest of the city, but to the whole state.