Now, the Salt Lake City mayor isn't so sure.

"I'm not saying that, at the end of the day, a sky bridge ought necessarily be prohibited," he said Monday. "But I do think there's much more that needs to be considered with a lot of public input and a lot of public education about the consequences before we take this step that could have such a significant impact on the future of our downtown and on businesses in the areas around the Crossroads and ZCMI blocks."

That's why the mayor is irate at his own planners, who said last week they were ready to sign off on the proposed bridge, and worries that the LDS Church is getting special treatment.

Anderson's comments come two days before the Planning Commission holds its third public hearing on the church's project. The panel could give its recommendation on the skywalk Wednesday.

The church is planning an estimated $1 billion redevelopment that calls for tearing down the Crossroads Plaza and ZCMI Center malls and replacing them with new fashion retail along with 300 units of housing, a nearby grocery store and a faux river representing the south fork of City Creek.

Church officials and their national retail partner, Michigan-based Taubman Centers Inc., want to link the two blocks with a pedestrian bridge over Main Street. They believe shoppers won't venture to the second level of retail without it.

But Anderson and others fear the span would keep shoppers off Main, harming neighboring businesses outside the mall.

"This could have enormous impacts on our downtown on . . . the aesthetics, the view of Ensign Peak, the feel of the downtown and also segregating people from the sidewalks," Anderson warned.

To build the skywalk - which the church maintains would not harm Main Street - the city would have to change its master plan. The 1995 downtown plan, along with a 1990 urban-design document, prohibits bridges on Main Street because they would block views of the mountains, including Ensign Peak, and such landmarks as the Daughters of Utah Pioneers Museum.

Last week, city planners recommended the Planning Commission agree to change the master plan to allow bridges if:

* Other alternatives had been explored and ruled out.

* The design wouldn't substantially impair views.

* Such a bridge wouldn't detract from street activity.

The planners said Monday they officially are neutral on whether the church has met those criteria, and their report even points out that the City Creek Center's layout may not draw pedestrians to Main Street.

But a deputy planner told The Salt Lake Tribune last week that the staff was ''generally OK with the sky bridge.'' Deputy Planning Director Doug Wheelwright said Monday he misspoke.

Still, the comment angered Anderson, who charged his employees with ''cutting corners . . . to get to a result.'' The mayor instead wants more public input and education on the impacts of a bridge before the city signs off. And he suggested the church is receiving special consideration.

''If it was Roger Boyer and Kem Gardner [both developers of The Gateway] putting a project downtown, there would be a lot more scrutiny and probably a lot more respect for the long-term prohibition against a sky bridge [by the planning staff and the City Council],'' Anderson said.

Ultimately, City Council members will decide the church's request. Some are ready to approve the bridge now in exchange for the billion-dollar investment.

"My initial reaction has been that it would be a good thing," Council Chairman Dave Buhler said of the bridge.

Buhler, who is running for mayor, said city planners should "make their best recommendation" and "not be influenced by anyone."

hmay@sltrib.com