SALT LAKE CITY (November 6, 2006) - The Salt Lake Chamber and Downtown Alliance today commemorated the start of construction at City Creek Center by proclaiming that downtown Salt Lake City remains open for business. The more than 100 restaurants, 575 ground floor businesses, 40 clubs and entertainment venues, and more than a dozen museums and cultural attractions will not be impacted by the construction of City Creek Center. In addition, during the start of construction, all streets will remain open, parking and shopping at Crossroads Plaza and ZCMI Center will remain open, and holiday festivities such as Lights On!, Holiday Sing-Along, Messiah Sing-In, and First Night will continue unaffected.

“Today we celebrate the start of a premier retail, office and residential development right in the heart of our capital city,” said Lane Beattie, President and CEO of the Salt Lake Chamber. “I am proud to report that as downtown businesses build for the future, they also provide for today with great shopping, dining, and entertainment opportunities.”

Beginning this week, downtown residents and visitors will begin to see the first signs of construction as fencing and barricades will begin to appear on the northwest corner of the block adjacent to West and South Temple. By mid to late November, a progressive wave of demolition will move roughly west to east, followed by excavation and site preparation.

"We have been working toward the commencement of the project for many months and are enthusiastic about seeing it become a reality,” said Mark Gibbons, president of Property Reserve, Inc. “We have great confidence in the future of downtown Salt Lake City. City Creek Center will be a vibrant, walkable, livable environment where the entire community can benefit.” 

The Chamber and Downtown Alliance are committed to maximizing the opportunities for business, residents and visitors as downtown is revitalized. In partnership with Salt Lake City, we have hired a construction ombudsman to guarantee that business access is fully respected and maintained, that parking opportunities are maximized and that streets are open to through traffic. Bill Knowles, the downtown ombudsman, can be reached at 801-580-2626 or at ombudsman@slcgov.com.

“This is a banner day for downtown Salt Lake City, one that has been anticipated for over 30 months, that promises to transform our city for the better,” said Bob Farrington, Executive Director of the Downtown Alliance. “Today, we are reminding the public that downtown is accessible, open and ready for business.”

Here is a quick rundown of the current status of shopping, restaurants, and transportation and parking downtown:

Shopping
Shopping at Macy’s, Nordstrom, ZCMI Center Mall, The Gateway, the Shops at Convention Corner on 100 South, Broadway Merchants on 300 South, and others remain open for business. During the holidays, Santa will make multiple downtown appearances at ZCMI Center Mall and at Discovery Gateway. In a later phase of construction, Macy’s and Nordstrom will close to allow construction for their new stores at City Creek Center. 

Restaurants
Downtown Salt Lake City boasts over 100 dining establishments and all of them will remain open throughout the construction of City Creek Center. These restaurants include many of the finest in the state with a broad range of cuisine, including continental, Mexican, Lebanese, French, seafood, Japanese, Thai, bistro, Chinese, Italian and Indian.

Parking and Transportation
All streets and freeway entrances into downtown remain open. During the start of construction, parking downtown will be unchanged, with the exception of a few on-street, metered spots. Updates will be provided as construction progresses. 

Visitors are able to park at The ZCMI Center free for up to two-hours and Salt Lake City Corporation will once again provide free two-hour, holiday parking at downtown meters beginning on Thanksgiving. In addition, the Downtown Token parking and transit validation program is offered at over 70 downtown merchants. The TRAX schedule remains the same, bringing approximately 50,000 daily riders into the downtown area. Carriage rides and taxi service will continue unaffected. 

The Salt Lake Chamber is Utah’s largest and longest-serving business association. Our members comprise one in every three jobs in Utah. We stand as the voice of business, support our members’ success and champion community prosperity.

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