If downtown Salt Lake City is ever going to compete for attention against suburban shopping and attractions, it has to become a unique destination, and it has to begin acquiring more permanent residents.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (which owns this newspaper) demonstrated this week that it understands this completely.

The church's incredibly ambitious plans for remodeling the heart of the city appear geared toward creating something so unique and attractive that it would entice someone to forgo a trip to the nearby suburban mall and make an evening of it downtown. Beyond that, the hundreds of new residences planned as part of the project will create a sense of movement and activity in the city's core — one that will be well-served by a full-scale grocery store, something city leaders have been trying to lure downtown for decades.

If all goes as planned, the project will create a true entertainment, retail and tourism center of the metropolitan area. It will attack a lot of the city's economic problems.

At times like these it helps to step back and examine the true scope of what is being proposed. Few, if any, other major U.S. cities have a private landowner who would be willing and able to undertake a complete makeover of the city, and even fewer would have such a thing take place without the landowner asking for any sort of taxpayer help.

The church has a natural interest in keeping the area around Temple Square vibrant and inviting. In this case, that interest meant accepting the realization that the two box-like malls that sit across from each other on Main Street — malls that once were considered state-of-the-art in terms of downtown retail — had become outmoded and incapable of remaining profitable.

But the proposed solution to that problem — a collection of high-rise residences, offices, retail stores and restaurants, combined with the creation of a creek and new streets — demonstrates more than just an interest in the area. It shows a great deal of confidence in, and devotion to, the future of downtown Salt Lake City.

In recent months, critics have complained about how long it was taking the church to announce its plans for the area. But a fact sheet says 240 separate lease agreement had to be negotiated before the project could get this far, and city leaders have been briefed and have given input at points along the way. The fact that so many other details remain to be decided shows that the church actually was quick to bring its plans to the public.

And the public will be involved. Open houses are being scheduled. Plans are available online. Input is being sought. Questions remain to be answered, and there is every reason to believe these will be handled openly and honestly.

But above all, one thing now seems certain: The heart of Salt Lake City is about to change forever.