Merchants believe if they can hang on through construction of the City Creek Center, business will be good. And urban planners say the blueprints unveiled by the LDS Church could signal a renaissance for downtown.

But Oxford Shop owner Richard Wirick worries that when Nordstrom and Macy's close in January to make way for the $1 billion project, small merchants could be stung by a lack of foot traffic.

"That's kind of a nightmare," he said. "We were counting on them to stay open. It's going to be rough on us."

He hopes the city and LDS Church can help merchants survive the long construction period.

Fred Moesinger, who operates Caffe Molise, is excited about the Main Street makeover and expects it to boost business for all retailers and restaurants in the area.

"It will increase open space and make downtown more of a destination for living as well as shopping."

Combining condos and apartments with stores, offices and open space is part of "new urbanism," said Stephen Goldsmith, a smart-growth advocate and former Salt Lake City planning director.

"This is a much better form of urbanism than we've seen in Salt Lake City for a long, long time," he said.

Although he has not reviewed the plans in detail, Goldsmith applauded what appears to be an effort to tie what were insulated malls into the surrounding downtown.

But he was reluctant to embrace it wholeheartedly because the plan for a sky bridge between the two blocks could keep residents, shoppers and workers from walking out onto Main Street.

"People hope this project will jump-start Main Street," he said. "But the sky bridge works to remove people from that public domain and is not a good idea."

Brenda Case Scheer, the dean of the University of Utah College of Architecture and Planning, is enthusiastic about the plan and sees it revitalizing the north end of Main Street.

"It's a tremendous project and will be a tremendous asset."

The plan includes a creek and gardens and will draw people to ground level and toward adjoining areas, she said. "We haven't seen this kind of sensitivity with other projects."

Tony Weller, owner of Sam Weller's Zion Bookstore, applauded many aspects of the plan but warned steeper property values could drive out some smaller merchants.

"We've seen it happen in other areas of the valley," he said.

The construction will drive away shoppers as well.

"I'll go out to Fashion Place [Mall]," and do more buying online, said Farmington resident Nancy Mahler.

But she vows to return to downtown once the cranes clear out. "I'll love it. I think downtown needs to be fixed up."

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* Tribune reporters MICHAEL N. WESTLEY AND STEVEN OBERBECK contributed to this report.