"I used to wonder if Sandy had a planner," he joked Wednesday.

So it comes as a surprise that the anti-sprawl, pro-smart-growth Anderson - who doesn't want Salt Lake City to turn into a Sandy - tapped that city's top planner to lead the capital's planning department.

The mayor hired George Shaw as planning director, starting Jan. 17. He sees in Shaw a like-minded planner who hasn't had the chance to show off his forward-thinking principles.

"George is very committed to smart growth," Anderson said. "We both see this as a great opportunity to pursue progressive urban-planning principles because we both think very much alike."

Shaw said Wednesday he does share the mayor's philosophy that limits sprawl and emphasizes alternative transportation and sustainable development. And he said he already has implemented such designs where he could.

"I'm very pleased with what I've been able to accomplish," Shaw said. "Yeah, it's going to have a suburban feel to it but, gosh, it looks great."

He noted Sandy has a mixed-used zone, which won an award from Envision Utah.

A former Sandy gravel pit may be sprouting big-box stores, but he noted the area will include housing, a "retail village" and open space.

"There's different levels of smart growth," Shaw said, adding that Salt Lake City's urban environment will be more conducive to that concept.

With Anderson's decision not to seek a third term, Shaw could be in the post for only a year. A new mayor will be elected in November. But the new planning boss hopes to stick around.

"I'm looking to be able to work with the current mayor and any future mayor," Shaw said. "I have the ability to be a consensus builder and build on strengths and be proactive."

Shaw is most fired up to work on the LDS Church's City Creek Center, which will replace the Crossroads Plaza and ZCMI Center malls with new retail and housing. He is reserving judgment on the estimated $1 billion project until he becomes more familiar with it.

"I'm sure there's ways it can be improved and bettered," he said, adding that it will increase foot-traffic downtown. "A lot of thought has gone into it."

So far, the church's proposed sky bridge is the most controversial element. Shaw said he doesn't have an opinion on it "at this point."

He also will help guide a master plan for the northwest quadrant. Anderson noted the vast tract west of Salt Lake City International Airport will be crucial in demonstrating how a sustainable community can be built from scratch.

Shaw must help rebuild the planning department, which at one point had six vacancies among a 14-member staff. The remaining employees have complained of low morale and some felt their previous director, Alex Ikefuna, who quit in October, was inexperienced. "People are generally pretty happy that a professional planner is being hired," said Doug Dansie, who has worked as a Salt Lake City planner for 23 years.

Shaw has been Sandy's planning director since 1984. His top accomplishment could be giving the suburb a sense of place. "In Sandy, we had no heart. We had no center. We were just a bunch of subdivisions," he said.

Now the city of 93,000 people has several focal points - from the area around City Hall and the South Towne mall to the entertainment district anchored by Jordan Commons and the expo center.

At one point, Sandy billed itself as the "other downtown," vying with Salt Lake City for jobs, residents and retail. Just last year the suburb snagged a proposed Major League Soccer stadium for Real Salt Lake.

Anderson also must hire directors to oversee the airport and Redevelopment Agency.

hmay@sltrib.com