"What do we see as being 'all other' alternatives? Everything anyone could conceive of?" he asked of the requirement that other options be ruled untenable before a skybridge is approved. "The proposed language has the potential to be just vague enough that it could be confusing."

But Louis Zunguze, director of the city's community development department, reminded the council that the amendments would apply to all future developments and warned they should not be tailored specifically to address the City Creek Center.

Taubman officials have said the skybridge would not discourage activity on Main Street. Shops and restaurants will front both sides of Main, drawing pedestrians up and down the street before they cross to the other side.

Without a skybridge, it would be hard for second-story retailers to survive, they say. And a skybridge can be designed in such a way that it frames the view of Ensign Peak rather than obstructing it, the developers say.

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