For years, Salt Lake City's various leaders have tried to make downtown a vibrant place that attracts people who want to be where the action is. Within the past 10 years, they changed city ordinances to allow street vendors and they helped put light-rail tracks down the center of Main Street. Each of these, in its way, added a little to the ambiance, but the city never fully got what it had envisioned until the Olympics came.
Now, Mayor Rocky Anderson wants to grab hold of some of the lingering energy from the Games and keep some of the excitement going on weekends. We wish him well for two reasons.
First, he wants to do this without making alcohol the central attraction. The Wasatch Front is, by its nature, a family-oriented area. Families like to seek entertainment together. Through the years, the one idea that has worked best for downtown is the annual First Night celebration on New Year's Eve. It works because it is focused toward families. Parents feel comfortable bringing their children downtown, knowing they will be safe.
Second, some downtown businesses did not do well during the Olympics. In part, this was because a lot of locals stayed away, or, when they came, they sought out businesses and attractions that were specifically geared toward the Games. With the thousands of Olympic visitors now gone, it is proper for the city to find ways to bring the locals in and to help struggling merchants.
The plan is to ask merchants to stay open until 11 p.m. or so on Friday and Saturday nights. The Downtown Alliance would bring in live entertainment. It would be a four-block party that takes advantage of the city's wide sidewalks. Some day, if the plan catches on, the city may want to close the street to all but pedestrians and trains.
It's easy to get carried away in the glow of post-Olympics enthusiasm. Downtown was unmistakably fun during those 17 days, but it is impossible to re-create the energy and excitement that came with the real-live Olympics, especially without the thousands of out-of-towners, the athletes and the worldwide attention.
It should be possible, however, to turn Main Street into a family attraction on weekends — a fun, exciting and safe place to go.
Downtown already has a lot going for it, from the malls and shops on Main Street to the new Gateway Center, from Jazz games to symphony concerts to events on Temple Square and at the Conference Center. It has a convenient light-rail system that can bring people right into the heart of the action. Any worthwhile attempt to bring more people in and to enhance what already is there should be applauded.