Salt Lake City wants to house cops in the heart of its cultural center.

Flanked by politicians and public-safety gurus, Mayor Ralph Becker on Thursday unveiled a $125 million plan for a "civic campus" on the east patch of Library Square that would honeycomb the capital's architectural jewel with a five-story police-fire headquarters and a three-story emergency-operations center.

That "preferred" blueprint already is drawing fire. But a second option -- to take the buildings east of 300 East -- would cost more money.

Either way, a proposed bond to fund the project would go before Salt Lake City voters in November.

Architects say the buildings could be erected cheaper if done on the east end of Library Square -- planners insist they would not block views to or from the award-winning Main Library -- with parking extended underneath.

Still, the city also is negotiating with three property owners on the east side of 300 East to place the safety complex there instead. Officials estimate this option would cost $20 million more.

A decision on which design to pursue could be made by the end of June.

If the city chooses the former, Becker's team notes, a large public "piazza" with grassy open space and a 15,000-seat amphitheater, would be created midblock on the east side of 300 East.

"There will be no net loss of open space," Becker said.

Even so, critics are panning the proposal, saying the cultural square is neither a place to be carved nor an appropriate space for a clunky cop shop.

"This is the closest thing to any sort of park area along the TRAX corridor," said University of Utah student Ari Fogelson, while tapping on his laptop at Library Square and soaking in the sun.

"You can't see through two buildings," argued City Councilman Luke Garrott, who called it ironic that the capital now wants a police headquarters in the same place that once housed the jail and Metropolitan Hall of Justice -- "some of the ugliest buildings in town."

"The massing there is a big mistake," Garrott added, "and I trust the citizens of Salt Lake will see that."

In either location, the plan calls for 300 East to be narrowed to one lane in each direction and given a bend so it is easier to close to traffic for special events.

The city also may erect a large movie screen on the side of the emergency-operations center that could draw families for community flicks in the summer, according to Community and Economic Development Director Frank Gray.

He envisions placing the shops from the library on a plaza facing 400 South, and possibly adding a restaurant, to "engage" the busy corridor anchored by a TRAX stop. Right now, "it's dead," Gray said. "And that's bad design."

The civic-campus idea, enthusiastically endorsed by Police Chief Chris Burbank and new Fire Chief Tom Shannon, also calls for moving evidence rooms and the police lab to a yet-to-be-determined facility outside of downtown that could be shared by other jurisdictions.

It has not been determined whether the police precinct that exists in the current headquarters would go to the new "campus" or another spot in the Liberty Wells neighborhood.

Few argue the need for the upgrade. The cramped, 50-year-old police center at 315 E. 200 South leaks, violates fire codes, offers little room for evidence and has a crumbling parking garage.

Becker notes the bond cost wouldn't go up -- and "could go down" -- depending on a partnership with the state. The mayor says Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. favors a shared emergency-operations center, although the state would have to fund an additional $40 million to make that a reality.

Becker and two City Council members said they first adamantly opposed placing buildings on the popular Library Square -- "You've got to be kidding me," the mayor remembered thinking -- but reconsidered after seeing the architectural design. Both buildings would go in "blind spots" of the library views, according to Gray.

Moshe Safdie, the famed architect who designed the Main Library, was traveling Thursday and unavailable for comment. But former City Councilwoman Nancy Saxton said his design called for the building to stand alone to make it "more masterful."

"As you start to close it in," she said, "you lessen the importance of it."

Councilman J.T. Martin predicted residents will have "knee-jerk" opposition to the blueprint -- given its proximity to the library. "Let the debate begin," he said.

At the same time, Martin says he is a convert, declaring "it makes sense to have it on this block."

Reading a book in the sun Thursday, resident Bernadette Vasso agreed. "It would make things a lot safer."

But Nicholas Rupp -- as he pushed his child across the plaza in a stroller -- had a different idea. "I like the open space for the festivals," he said. "They should build it in a blighted area, like the empty parking lot that Earl Holding owns."

djensen@sltrib.com