Ticking through a to-do list written by the Salt Lake City Council in 2003, the city's economic development director Thursday updated council members - and impressed them. They agree the city is making progress on downtown development, even if all of the goals haven't been reached.

Economic development director Alison McFarlane said the city is analyzing the impact of ridding downtown of parking meters, which brought in $4.8 million last year from fees and fines. Shoppers and visitors see parking as a problem, mainly because it isn't free. The council has wanted a fix.

And as development proceeds - with the expansion of the Salt Palace, the redevelopment of the two Main Street malls and the renovation of Triad Center to house two college campuses - parking and even driving downtown could become a hassle. The city has a new committee looking for ways to minimize traffic problems and let people know where they can park.

The council also wanted a grocery store to serve a growing downtown residential population. McFarlane said owners of the property on 300 South and West Temple - known as the Zephyr block for a now-closed night club - have looked throughout the country for a grocer, but there were no takers. "We have to keep working on that," she said.

McFarlane noted progress on other items: moving up the light rail line to the Salt Lake City International Airport on the state's transportation to-do list; refreshing old painted signs on historic buildings; marketing downtown on free KUTV spots the city gets because it helped the news station move to Main Street.

Still, some of the council's declared "indicators of success" don't show improvement. There are more office vacancies (15.7 percent vs. 10.9 percent in spring 2002). However, class A office vacancies have dropped. The number of conventions booked at the Salt Palace is projected to drop from 30 groups in 2004 to 25 in 2005, but McFarlane said conventions are typically booked later in the year. Plus the convention center will soon be expanded.

The council also wanted the city to market downtown to south Davis County residents, who have been angry about Anderson's opposition to the Legacy Highway. That hasn't happened. Councilman Dave Buhler suggested hosting a Davis County day.

Council members generated a 35-item list of first steps for downtown in January 2003. It was drawn out of frustration, when downtown's future looked dire. Nordstrom wanted to leave (though it has now committed to stay at a redeveloped Crossroads Plaza). The Olympics were over and no replacement in terms of excitement and development could be seen.

"Things certainly do look at lot brighter," Buhler said. "It's encouraging to see cranes in the skyline again. It doesn't mean we're out of the woods."

Even Dale Lambert, the council's self-described pessimist, is pleased: "I am finding some reason to be cautiously optimistic."