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Old 10-04-2006, 04:41 AM   #4
il Padrino Ute
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hoyacoug View Post
I love what they are proposing. This is exactly what downtown needed. Couple this with an arts district, and SLC rapidly becomes a fantastic destination city.

The only 2 changes I would recommend are:

1. Bury Trax on the portion of Main Street between the two malls. It would cost a fortune and disrupt Trax service for some time. Nevertheless, it would be fantastic for the city when completed. Make Main Street a green park with outdoor dining and quaint shops. A free-flow of pedestrian traffic on that street could only be good for the area. Nobody really drives down Main Street anyways for that part of it. It is too burdened with traffic lights, Trax and people already.

2. I would propose an international center. The state and city could get together and set aside a few blocks of land (which they would have to purchase) for the development of my international center. It could have high rises for businesses conducting international business, a downtown international center campus for BYU or Utah (with a foreign exchange program), an international arts and culture museum or something similar, etc. The city and state could subsidize some of the costs of imaginative businesses and individuals through tax credits or other means. SLC is uniquely positioned to be an international capital. It has foreign language skills and foreign experience rivaled by few other cities in the world. We should take advantage of that.

I like your idea about TRAX, though I don't see it happening for the reasons you stated - expense and disrupted service.

As for an international center, that's also a good idea. SLC is already starting to see the beginning of a Little Italy at about 300 S and 300 W with a number of Italian restaraunts and a great deli (Caputo's). I go down there every so often to brush up on my Italian and have some great food.

I once heard that there are more languages spoken in SLC than any other city in the country. That doesn't surprise me at all with the missionary program.
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