Optimism rising in downtown

The adage says anything worth doing is worth doing well. And by linking up with Taubman Centers Inc. to redevelop two blocks of downtown Salt Lake City, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints shows a commitment to quality work. Early signs are the new-look Main Street will be a high-minded, professional project.

To begin with, the Taubman Centers Inc. sports impressive credentials in the shopping center industry. The company's resume boasts successes on both coasts that have had a knack for pumping fresh blood into anemic urban areas. And though plans for the new Main Street development remain sketchy, the thinking is impressive. If proposals hold, the city will be getting a multi-use development (yet to be named) that will offer tony shopping and dining outlets but will not abandon the common touch. Living and office space will be a major facet of the project, with quarters ranging from striking vistas of the Salt Lake Temple to more affordable apartments. The aim is not to create a large variety of facilities within the development but to take advantage of the theaters, museums, sports venues and historical sites in the surrounding neighborhood.

For Utahns, the new partnership infuses optimism into what has been a wearing concern — a dilapidated downtown. Taubman does not take on white elephants. If the company has thrown in it's because it sees — with dry eyes — the probability of a vibrant project that will produce financial rewards.

As for the LDS Church, Presiding Bishop H. David Burton has said money is not the issue. For the church, the issue is creating a healthy, friendly environment around and near its offices, sacred structures and historic buildings. It wants a welcoming atmosphere. For such reasons, both Bishop Burton and William S. Taubman agree that this development will be unlike any other — with components that are seldom brought together.

But then such is the nature of Salt Lake City itself. It, too, is a hybrid. When its various "components" come into conflict, ugly moments can ensue. But when they work together, the city shows remarkable character, strength and resilience.

We urge citizens to pull together in just such a way for the renovation of downtown.

Developing the downtown area is worth doing. And, on first blush, those involved are committed to doing it well. With luck, hard work, compromise and a long view of the future, downtown Salt Lake City may become, again, a jewel of the west.