Growing up in Salt Lake City, long before the era of malls, we would walk along Main Street and State Street as we shopped the many downtown stores. The unforgettable atmosphere of shopping downtown was an experience of taking in as many stores as possible.
The wide differences of stores and the seasons gave shoppers the chance to experience "Downtown". I still remember walking from Auerbach's and cutting through the Kress Store on Third South as we made our way to Woolworth's on Main. Or we would stop at Walgreen's on Main and South Temple for a root beer from their old fashioned soda fountain.
Of course that all changed in the 1970s when the malls came in and provided shoppers with an indoor shopping environment. A few years later, the city beautified Main Street in an attempt to attract shoppers to visit all of downtown rather than the malls.
Over the years, the downtown area has made several changes and it continues to change today. With the new downtown project, scheduled for a 2011 completion date, memories of the old downtown will only exist in photographs. Yet, progress for Salt Lake City is a positive step toward restoring the experience of shopping downtown.
Recently, there has been some controversy over a sky bridge that will connect the two buildings that Crossroads and ZCMI previously occupied. Mayor Anderson is fighting to keep the sky bridge from being built while the city council has voted to approve the walkway. In the original planning documents, skywalks were not permitted. But, the city council has agreed to amend the rules to allow a skywalk on Main Street. The City Council voted to override the Mayor's veto to keep the sky bridge a reality.
So, why do we have a controversy over a proposed sky bridge? In a way, both sides have valid arguments in their defense. Barring the sky bridge would force people to walk Main Street more. On the other hand, a sky bridge would give pedestrians added security in walking between both buildings. Perhaps the sky bridge should have been debated a few years ago and maybe the controversy would have been worked out by now. In addition, maybe Main Street should be closed to traffic, leaving it open for pedestrians and TRAX. With more people on the street, it would allow small stores to compete with the bigger stores. Then again, office workers and live-in residents will feel safer by having the two buildings connected.
I fail to see the importance of who is right on the Salt Lake City sky bridge. Most people don't agree with everything Mayor Anderson does or says, but it looks as if conservatives want one more chance to bash Rocky.
Far too many are obsessed in finding fault with anything Rocky does and are unconcerned with what happens in Davis County. Instead of worrying about a sky bridge in downtown Salt Lake City, we should be asking ourselves this: When will TRAX be coming to Davis County?
By Todd Weiler, Utah Republican Vice Chair
As a Republican living in Davis County, my gut reaction is to disagree with everything Rocky Anderson does. When I was assigned this topic, I imagined writing about how Rocky's opposition to the sky bridge was as much about the applicant's religious affiliation as it was about anything else.
As I researched this topic, however, I reviewed the "Statement of Objections" that Rocky prepared in connection with his veto of the city council's decision favorable to the sky bridge. Reading that document completely changed my perspective.
Let me be clear. I have worked in downtown Salt Lake for over 10 years and have absolutely no objection to the proposed sky bridge. To me, the sky bridge only makes sense and I think Rocky's idea about selling the air space is moronic. All the experts agree that a sky bridge is necessary to make the City Creek Mall concept work. Rocky should just be grateful that he has a property owner willing to invest a half a billion dollars to revitalize his downtown area.
While I do not agree with Rocky's opinion, I will not criticize him for seeing things differently. After all, reasonable minds may differ.
The real story here is that Rocky is actually doing what he was elected to do: He is weighing in on a planning decision that will actually affect his city. What a refreshing change of pace for this Al Gore "wannabe".
Instead of trying to get the President impeached, or pushing Ralph Nader's environmental policies, Rocky is opposing an amendment to his city's master plan. He says he is trying to preserve the historic character of Main Street and to revitalize downtown Salt Lake City. He says he does not want to allow anything that would block view corridors.
My message is clear: Welcome back, Rocky. I hope that you have had a nice time gallivanting around the globe. By the way, you still have a city to run. Now that you have emerged from your publicity-induced coma, perhaps you can focus on the City's real needs during your last six months in office.
Pioneer Park is a mess. Do you have a plan to deal with the drugs and the homeless? I wouldn't take my kids to that park if you paid me.
Parking is still a nightmare. All the streets around the Delta Center have been torn up. Was that coordinated to coincide with the NBA playoffs or did we just get lucky?
There are still funny smells around Beck Street. And what's with all of the "no turn on red" signs? The sky bridge won't ruin your city, Rocky. Pedestrians will still come to Main Street. It's time to turn your attention to more pressing issues, like replacing some of those worn orange flags!
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