What happens when a single entity owns a majority of the property in a city? Often times the will of the corporation is acted out in large schemes and without consideration of the populations' interests. What happens when this corporation is the Mormon Church? Ladies and gentlemen, let me show you downtown Salt Lake City, or as I am referring to it from now on, Vatican City:
Photo From Downtown Rising
Looks pretty doesn't it? I have to agree. Except for the small fact that the majority of the developed property you see in this vision is owned and controlled by the LDS Church. Since before the 2002 Olympics, our downtown property, centered on Main Street has been languishing. Suburban expansion, coupled with the absolute lack of residential property anywhere downtown has left this business district looking like an Iraqi market, boarded up and empty save for the few remaining bars and local bookshops.
Photo: Oakland Construction
In this photo, Main Street was everything that ran between the white building on the top and the green roofed building in the bottom.
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Many locals remember Main Street from it's legal problems, because back in 2004/2005, the LDS Church decided to 'buy' a public street section that ran in between the Temple Square and the Church Office Plaza. Essentially what happened is that the LDS Church decided that it wanted the local street, and seized the property without public consideration or compensation. (See the news about it here). Sure, people argue that we got fair market value, but an acre downtown is far more valuable than an empty dirt lot somewhere nobody even knows about. The largest controversy about this is that the public street soon became private property, where the LDS Church as the owner could remove people for not acting to their standards. Protesters and people wearing TShirts were removed from the land, resulting in legal battles. Little did the public know that this was only the beginning of the LDS Church's ambitions for downtown.
Photo: Oakland Construction
In this photo, Main Street was everything that ran between the white building on the top and the green roofed building in the bottom.
In a series of real estate deals, the LDS Church gobbled up property measuring a 10 Block area, or about 20 acres of prime real estate. Now, the LDS Church is enacting its $1.5 Billion vision for downtown, resulting mainly in the City Creek development. This development, in addition to other things, promises to redevelop the 2 downtown malls into profitable ones, residential housing, educational and sports facilities. Sounds all fine and nice. But the only problem is that all of this comes with a helping of the LDS doctrine. The malls? No beer allowed, and stores close on Sundays. Residential housing? I fear to see what sort of housing regulations they impose. If they are at all similar to BYU housing regulations, then I won't be accepted. Education? Try an LDS Business college. And sports facilities, well theres not much religious doctrine enacted except in the locker rooms.
While downtown needs this redevelopment, it doesn't need to languish under the iron fist of the LDS Church. I've often advocated turning downtown SLC into East Berlin. Put a wall around it, and occasionally fly supplies of Wonder Bread and Rush Limbaugh tapes. Then us heathens can go build our own downtown in Sugarhouse (which too is dying because of outside corporate redevelopment). Downtown SLC has just become a Mormon outpost in the big bad city of Salt Lake. I know several (5+) people who refuse to live in Salt Lake City because they find it too morally degrading. Instead, they choose to commute the 40+ miles from Provo to be, and I quote, "closer to Zion".
A recent debate that has developed with our outgoing mayor Rocky Anderson was the inclusion of a "sky bridge." Many argue, that if the purpose of Downtown Rising was to replenish the dying local businesses still living on our Main Street, that a sky bridge would kill the pedestrian traffic that they were desperately in need of. Of course, the Church, and their loyal subjects on the Salt Lake City Council wouldn't hear of something. Now, with a sky bridge in tow, these businesses are certainly destined to die, with the City Creek development a sealed community to service only the suburbanites to drive in and out of it. Any hope of encouraging development and growth outside of this development because of shared benefits is lost, because all shoppers are sealed into a closed environment. Much like the ballyhooed development of the Gateway district, many dreamed of a regrowth and cleaning up of the 400 West area. What we got is a traffic congested area with a nice development inside of a frightening area of the city, with no pedestrian traffic filtering into the shopping area unless it's to panhandle.
I think that the biggest thing that really gets me about this entire debacle is that we, as citizens of Salt Lake City, are supposed to be grateful to the LDS Church for spending money on us. This is the sentiment repeated again and again by the dominant local media (which is entirely owned by subsidiaries of the LDS Church). But I don't see it that way. I see this as the LDS Church spending money on themselves, us be damned. From the Downtown Rising FAQ:
I think that the biggest thing that really gets me about this entire debacle is that we, as citizens of Salt Lake City, are supposed to be grateful to the LDS Church for spending money on us. This is the sentiment repeated again and again by the dominant local media (which is entirely owned by subsidiaries of the LDS Church). But I don't see it that way. I see this as the LDS Church spending money on themselves, us be damned. From the Downtown Rising FAQ:
I just hope this doesn't ruin our city. Salt Lake is great. We have services that rival cities with a gigantic population, and yet there are only around 250,000 people in the main valley. We have a world class library system, strong humanities, and people in control who genuinely care about making life great. We have abundant open and green space, free for all to enjoy. But when the LDS Church takes its focus off of building it's newest temple in some god forsaken place, or babying Provo, they can really ruin things. The Church has control of the state outside of the city, and it makes them so mad that they can really pressure the city into doing it's bidding. I foresee only long term problems for downtown, especially since it takes into account absolutely no long term considerations of emissions (not an LEED certified project) and relies greatly on cars to bring people to shop."The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is committed to the development of downtown Salt Lake City as the home of its international headquarters. The Church is in a unique position to act as a major contributor, along with many others, to a vibrant, high quality downtown area that will continue to be a regional destination."
PS - A good editorial from the independent paper, the City Weekly, about Main Street, May 10, 2007 - Link