SALT LAKE CITY- (July 15, 2009) The signs of progress are all around downtown Salt Lake City.  A new, cohesive branding campaign for Downtown Rising is now evident throughout the city with yellow “Rising” banners on everything from lamp posts to buildings with the logo wrapped around kiosks throughout the city.  “There is something very special going on in Salt Lake City,” said Jason Mathis, executive director of the Downtown Alliance. “The message emphasizes all this activity downtown is more than just construction. It’s about a vision for our city.”  Full Story

Statement of Principles

 Heart of our Region: We recognize downtown Salt Lake City as the center of commerce, transportation, arts, culture, law, finance and government in the Intermountain Region. Accordingly, we advocate public policies that maximize the historical investment that has already occurred downtown and that will further solidify downtown’s role as the heart of our region. 

 Downtown Development: We affirm that a vibrant metropolitan community is an important economic engine for the entire region and support economic development that energizes downtown to make the whole region a more attractive place to live and do business. 

 Interconnected: We recognize the economic relationship between urban, suburban and rural communities and support fair tax and expenditure policies that are focused on appropriate economic development for all geographic areas.  

2009 Public Policy Priorities: 

 Mitigate Impact of Construction: Proactively address the impact of construction projects that may occur because of the unprecedented amount of downtown investment. 

 Implement Downtown Rising vision: Implement aspects of the downtown Rising vision, which includes eight signature projects, six defined character districts and dozens of developments in and around downtown. 

 Strengthen Downtown: Support public policies that enhance downtown Salt Lake City as a cosmopolitan center of the new American West. Areas of focus include, but are not limited to, the following:

Recent Accomplishments:

 Selection of Site for Broadway Style Theater: Mayor Becker announced the selection of 135 South Main Street for the new Utah Performance Center on Main 

 Construction Headway: Dramatic progress on City Creek Center, which is currently providing 700 construction jobs and will peak at 1,200 jobs. City Creek Center is also making a positive impact on our environment by recycling in excess of 50 percent of the deconstructed materials. “Topping off ” 222 Main, a 22-story high-rise in the heart of Utah’s skyline district was a highlight of the 2008 construction season 

 Bringing People Downtown: 2008 saw the addition of numerous housing units in the core downtown area and the completion of a feasibility study for a permanent downtown public market. 

 Improved Downtown Transportation: FrontRunner Commuter Rail service connected Ogden and Salt Lake City and groundbreaking for FrontRunner which will connect Provo and Salt Lake City. Groundbreaking also took place for the Airport TRAX light rail line. 

Impact on Business

 Employment Center: A successful downtown reverberates throughout the entire economic region creating more vibrancy and opportunity. Downtown businesses employ 65,000 people and pay $2.36 billion in wages. Public policies that strengthen downtown for corporate headquarters, local businesses along with arts and culture make the entire region stronger.

 Visitors: Downtown Salt Lake City welcomes millions of visitors each year. The central business district’s 3,000 hotel rooms serve as a base of operations for business travelers, convention visitors, skiers and other visitors. More than 330,000 convention delegates visit Salt lake every year, using 480,000 room nights and contributing more than $290 million to Utah’s economy. As the gateway to our state, we all benefit from a welcoming, beautiful, friendly, clean and prosperous downtown. The Downtown Rising vision fortifies these important downtown qualities.

 Retail Sales: Consumers are the lifeblood of the economy and downtown Salt Lake City is the beating heart of retail sales for the entire region. Downtown features 2.2 million square feet of retail space and over $555 million in retail sales. Policies that create a more consumer-friendly retail environment downtown benefit all of Utah. 

 Efficient Use of infrastructure: Billions of dollars have been invested in highways, transit, parking and other infrastructure to support the capital city and downtown. We maximize this investment, by utilizing it and not unnecessarily replicating it in suburban and exurban locations.
 
 Arts and Culture: Downtown Salt Lake City has been the center for arts and culture since 1862 when city leaders built the Salt Lake Theatre. in 1899, the Utah Legislature created in Salt Lake City the first state arts agency in the country. In subsequent years, premier cultural amenities such as the Capitol Theatre, Abravanel Hall, the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center, Salt lake Arts Center, Discovery Gateway, Clark Planetarium, LDS Conference Center and Museum of Utah Art and History have all been located in a ten-block area downtown to form a core cultural district. The concentration of arts venues, fine hotels, restaurants and transportation connections makes downtown the cultural core and the preferred location for statewide arts investment.