Downtown progress questioned

It took months of intense public testimony and countless hours of debate to create the Salt Lake City Council Policy Statement on the Future Economic Development of Downtown.

But nearly two years after the City Council adopted its policy statement, many of its 35 recommendations — including one about a marketing campaign targeting Davis County — have yet to be implemented.

Now some council members are scratching their heads and Council Chairwoman Jill Remington Love is calling for Mayor Rocky Anderson's administration to give a public update on the plan's status.

Such public updates were supposed to happen "regularly," according to the plan, but there hasn't been such an update since the plan was adopted in January 2003.

For his part, Anderson said he has never been asked to give a formal update on the plan. He hasn't heard complaints from council members and criticized some council members for complaining to the media.

"When people go to the press first rather than pick up the phone or send an e-mail, there's only one reason for doing it that way," he said. "It's politics in the worst sense of the word. . . . With people like (some council members) in city government it's pretty tough to move forward and achieve the kind of progress we're going to need for a successful downtown."

Love said the public update will take place next month and should include members of the Downtown Alliance and Anderson's administration. The powwow will focus on downtown and why portions of the council's policy statement have yet to be executed.

Still, even among the council there is some confusion about the downtown plan.

For instance, one of the plan's recommendations states: "Given the proximity to downtown of communities in south Davis County, those communities should be targeted in a special marketing campaign. Emphasis should be on helping Davis County residents feel welcomed to and appreciated by Salt Lake City."

That marketing campaign never happened, and council members are divided as to whose responsibility it is to launch such a effort.

Love said she believed the Downtown Alliance or the Salt Lake Chamber was charged with the responsibility. After all, Love said, Anderson's administration doesn't have a marketing budget.

But Councilman Eric Jergensen notes the administration has a budget for economic development that could be used for marketing.