, Salt Lake City deserves to have a pedestrian-exclusive area of downtown along Main Street, Mayor Erin Mendenhall said.
A musician plays on the sidewalk on the Open Streets SLC portion of Main Street, between South Temple and 400 South, on Saturday, Aug. 13, 2022. The Salt Lake City Council recently approved funding to study this latest version of the idea, including its implications for planning, transportation and downtown’s economy. That’s likely to take a year or more to play out but already has supporters of the concept excited.executive director of the Downtown Alliance
Pedestrians stroll in the Open Streets SLC portion of Main Street, between South Temple and 400 South, on Saturday, Aug. 13, 2022.by the Institute of Governmental Studies at the University of California in Berkeley found that visits to a wide array of points of interest in Salt Lake City’s downtown core are now at 155% of their pre-pandemic levels. That’s well ahead of 62 U.S. and Canadian cities studied.
Downtown vibrancy has also undoubtedly played a role. For the past three summers, Open Streets has started at noon on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, with restaurants, bars and retailers expanding onto adjacent sidewalks for outdoor dining and shopping and a host of street musicians and artists performing along Main from City Creek Center to Exchange Place.
Add live entertainment and then work with state to create entertainment zone allowing carry alcohol along corridor. Ditto The Gateway, Park City Main St, Ogden 12th St.