The square contains an independent movie theater, a dozen restaurants, a half-dozen bars and high-density housing accompanying single-family homes — all fed by a mass-transit system.

"Give it 10 years, and I think you can have something like Davis Square here," Pastore said nearly two years ago.

Still, Pastore never mentioned getting rid of the two malls and even suggested connecting them in some way. He has said in other interviews the plans are in flux and could change.

Anderson said Thursday he would consider closing Main Street between 100 South and South Temple to cars and leaving it open only for pedestrians and TRAX riders to walk between the two downtown malls.

Main could be closed for a couple weekends "as an experiment to see how people like it," Anderson said. If the idea was popular, it could become permanent, he said.

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