The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced Wednesday that it will spend "hundreds of millions of dollars" on the construction and redevelopment of Salt Lake City's two Main Street malls, preliminary plans of which include high-rise residential towers, underground parking and glass-topped shopping areas.
LDS Church Presiding Bishop H. David Burton said at a press conference Wednesday that the church will relocate the Salt Lake City Center of Brigham Young University and LDS Business College to a two-block project to be developed on South Temple near the Triad Center. The site was used as the Medals Plaza during the 2002 Olympic Winter Games.
Flanked by Ron Pastore of AEW Capital Management, the church's real estate advisory firm, and Bruce Heckman of mall developer The Taubman Co., Burton said the church's plan will proceed as quickly as possible. Planning for the new education campus will begin immediately, even as plans are being finalized on the Main Street project.
The architectural designs for the redevelopment of Crossroads Plaza and ZCMI Center remain subject to change, Burton said. The church elected to release the mall designs to the public now "because we think the community needs to see something tangible."
The proposed changes are significant. For example:
The malls will be two-story structures, with the outer facades reduced from 60 feet to 40 feet and "opened up" with wide, tall windows.
The interior also will be opened up with longer, broader sight-lines. Shoppers will be able to look from one end of the mall to the other, Pastore said, "without wondering what's around the corner, like they do now." The ceiling likely will be glass, so shoppers will be able to see the sky and the surrounding buildings.
The parking terrace will be replaced by underground parking.
At least two new buildings are planned, one slated primarily for residences.
The six existing office towers, including the old First Security building at 100 South and Main, will remain. (The LDS Church announced earlier this week that the old Kennecott building will undergo significant renovation and will be renamed the Zions Bank building.)
Demolition should begin in mid-2004, Pastore said. The project will proceed in phases to minimize disturbance to existing tenants. It should take three to four years to complete.
Burton declined to specify whether the malls will be open on Sunday.
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