Many visitors to Salt Lake City see their first glimpse of the town while driving along North Temple.
With that in mind, the city wants to turn it into a "grand boulevard" that captures Salt Lake's character and charm.
TRAX is planned to open along North Temple in 2012, and the city sees an opportunity to redesign the street to give visitors a better first impression, said Planning Director Wilf Sommerkorn.
"We would like to make that an impressive view," Sommerkorn said. "An impressive first impression for people coming into Salt Lake City."
Toward that goal, the city is holding a series of public meetings to discuss how to redesign the road while preserving local businesses.
Several ideas are in the works, Sommerkorn said. The city hopes to create an access point to the nearby Jordan River Parkway, making it easy to reach the popular recreation spot via public transit.
The State Fairpark is also an asset the city wants to better utilize, possibly using it year-round as a venue for concerts and other events.
There is also talk of creating a unifying decorative theme for the area, Sommerkorn said. Another option is to create four smaller neighborhoods, each with its own defining character, around the proposed TRAX stations. The city could also do some sort of decoration on the I-15 and I-215 bridges that cross the road.
All of these ideas are being considered, but the city's chief concern is to let people know they are entering a gateway to the city, Sommerkorn said.
The plans are of great concern to local businesses, which will already be impacted by the TRAX lines. The street features a large variety of businesses, from state offices to restaurants.
Rocky Mountain Power has an operations center on the road, as well as power generating facilities, equipment yards and a warehouse. Access to those facilities is a big concern for the company, said spokesperson Margaret Oler.
RMP has been working closely with UTA, and plans to attend the public meetings, Oler said.
Lucy Cardenas, a co-owner of Red Iguana, said many of her customers do not know development will be taking place. Cardenas hopes her customers will come even with construction, since the Iguana is a "destination" restaurant.
Cardenas is also excited about the design possibilities. She remembers North Temple having more character when the restaurant moved there more than 20 years ago, and hopes it can be recaptured.
Cardenas' husband, Bill Coker, isn't so sure.
He is concerned that the "grand boulevard" concept is being put in place before there is development to support it. Ten-foot wide sidewalks have been proposed to create a walkable community, but Coker said there is nothing to walk to yet.
"You are creating a grand boulevard ahead of the developers that would help make it grand," Coker said.
Coker has been very involved in the planning process for North Temple, and wants to continue in that role. He recently traveled to Denver to see Salt Lake City's inspiration for the idea, and was encouraged by what he saw.
Sommerkorn said all of the ideas are still in the early planning stages, and nothing is set yet. There will be several more meetings to discuss options. The next one will be during the first week of August, likely at the fairpark, and will focus on what North Temple itself should look like, with lighting and landscaping.
