Residential towers near Temple Square and the Harmons grocery planned just east of State Street between South Temple and 100 South will be completed roughly two years sooner.
The timeline was unveiled Tuesday as LDS Church Presiding Bishop H. David Burton presented more detail on the kaleidoscopic $1.5 billion enterprise.
"The project is a lot better because we've had the opportunity to dialogue," Burton told the City Council. "A lot of progress is being made."
Residents see mostly demolition and craters in the capital. But Burton noted that 800 truckloads of concrete recently were poured as the foundation for future homes.
Parking beneath the Crossroads block will be completed next summer, and the city's urban work force may knock out some noontime grocery shopping beginning late next year. Residential towers on South Temple will be open by early 2010, according to Burton, while one of City Creek's largest living towers on 100 South between State and Main will be ready by the end of that year. The remaining apartments and condos will be complete by 2011.
Retail shops and restaurants - considered the meal ticket that will help the LDS Church pay off its investment - will not open their doors until 2012. Water features and landscaping also are four years away. Still, the City Creek strategy should boost downtown vibrancy sooner by bringing more urban dwellers into the fold.
"We hope it's contagious," Burton said.
Tuesday's discussion also offered more detail. Burton noted the food court will house 13 kitchens and seating for 1,000. Architectural elements on the housing towers showed intricate combinations of brick and stone. And rooftop gardens - complete with public gathering places and groves of greenery - were revealed in a virtual tour.
But Burton acknowledged the majority of the 800 to 900 residential units will not be cheap.
"I wish I could say it is all an inexpensive range. It's not," Burton said, adding there will be some price spread. But "it's still fairly expensive."
The Key Bank tower, under construction along State Street between South Temple and 100 South, will be the first thing done. By next summer the remodel will offer a renovated lobby, new office space and improved parking.
Kitty-cornered, Harmons appears to be a 50,000-square-foot block-shaped building, surrounded by small trees, with a truck ramp on one side.
Councilman Soren Simonsen repeated his call for a midblock pedestrian crossing on State Street to improve access and safety. Council members will take the request to the Utah Department of Transportation, which manages the roadway.
There was little talk about the sky bridge Tuesday, which Burton called the "pedestrian connector." He suggested the view of Ensign Peak from the middle is "spectacular," but allowed that the council will be "working your will on the design."
Burton said the scope of the overall project is such that any delays suddenly are very costly. He noted the conceptual work and now construction has stretched six years - much of it in front of city officials.
djensen@sltrib.com
The Salt Lake City Council has scheduled a public hearing on downtown's Main Street skywalk for April 1 at City Hall. But to allow the Council to digest comments prior to a decision, a vote on City Creek Center's pedestrian bridge has been moved back to April 8.
In other city news
The City Council, acting as the Redevelopment Agency, voted 6-0 Tuesday to approve a $2.5 million loan for the Children's Miracle Network.
The money will be used to renovate a building at 710 S. 200 West for the nonprofit organization's national headquarters. RDA members agreed the project should help rejuvenate the neighborhood, including nearby business.
Children's Miracle Network was founded to provide direct charitable funding for children's hospitals. It will be the sole tenant of the building. - Derek P. Jensen
