Nearly a half-century later, the Salt Lake Chamber wants to update that "Second Century Plan" and create a new vision for downtown - defining what the business community wants to see in the capital's downtown in 20 or 30 years.

By the end of the year, a document will outline a to-do list for transportation, housing, the environment, historical preservation, among other topics.

The vision statement won't dictate what owners can do with their land, but the chamber hopes there's enough buy-in that it influences future development, much like the original plan did.

Chamber President Lane Beattie said the time is right for a new vision. Salt Lake City is in "such an enviable position" with $1.5 billion of investment expected within the next five years.

"It's a wonderful time to look at the future. . . . What is the vision, how are we going to accomplish that?"

The former state Senate president said creating unified goals is "one of the most exciting things I think I have seen in the city in my 20 years of experience in the Legislature."

The approach has been endorsed by property and business owners, as well as Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. and Mayor Rocky Anderson.

While the city has plenty of planning documents on downtown - and the city will be updating its downtown master plan at the same time as the chamber undertakes its efforts - property owners tell the chamber they yearn for a broader, unified plan.

"I don't think downtown lacks a plan, but it lacks coordination," said Bruce Bingham, whose Hamilton Partners plans a new office tower on Main Street. "There a lot of people doing a lot of great things, but independently. It would be nice to have better communication."

He hopes the vision includes creation of a permanent farmers market, more housing and the elimination of boarded up buildings.

Anderson hopes there is consensus for an expanded transit system, improvement in air quality, transit-oriented development "and ultimately a way to make this an economically and environmentally sustainable community."

The updated plan will define downtown's role in the region, recognizing that the capital and suburbs need each other.

Unfortunately, Beattie said, everyone doesn't understand the importance of downtown.

"Outside of Salt Lake City the valley has grown substantially, and so is downtown as important to other communities outside of Salt Lake City? As you go to the Legislature, do they understand the importance of a capital city and it's vibrancy? I'm not sure they do. [But] as Salt Lake City goes, so goes the economy of the whole state."

To wit, the chamber asked Sandy Mayor Tom Dolan to be involved, and he's accepted. While the south valley suburb and the capital competed for a Real Salt Lake Major League Soccer stadium (and Sandy won), Dolan said, "I think everybody in the state of Utah has a great interest in the success of Salt Lake City."

The public will have a say on the vision, mainly to comment on what the business community comes up with. Politicians will play a part, but as ex officio members. Business leaders are the primary focus, Beattie said, because they own and manage the land in question.

John Fregonese, principal of a Portland, Ore.-based regional and urban planning firm, said vision documents or mission statements are becoming common. They can help a community if they have broad-based support and show early success.

Portland, created a downtown vision in the 1970s, and it "really helped create the city we have today," he said. That plan called for making that downtown a 24-hour city. It led to more housing and turning Pioneer Square into an outdoor living room.

Fregonese, who knows Salt Lake City well as one of the consultants who worked on Envision Utah , - a quality-growth statewide planning group - said it's not critical that all of the projects in the new vision statement are completed or done as planned.

"The best thing for downtown Salt Lake is to figure out what is the turning point for us and paint an image of the future. The whole point of these visions is to galvanize people to action," he said.

At the time the Second Century Plan was written, the 28-story LDS Church administration building was under construction, the now-defunct Deseret Gym on north Main Street was planned, as was Interstate 15.

The city was about to build a new library east of City Hall, along with a Metropolitan Hall of Justice. (Those courts and jails were recently razed for a new library.)

Business and civic leaders decided they needed to combat downtown's transportation and parking problems, lack of growth guidelines, a loss of attractiveness and its weakened position as the heart of the metropolitan area.

The 1960s plan declared: "Downtown will be fully oriented to the pedestrian; it will be inviting, easy to reach and easy to circulate within. Salt Lake City will have added lure for visitors, and the downtown of Utah's capital will be the pride of every Utahn."

Today, city and business leaders are still trying to realize that vision.

hmay@sltrib.com

Chamber to discuss vision at City Council session

The Salt Lake Chamber will discuss its plan for a downtown vision today at a City Council "fact-finding" discussion. The council also will hear from H. David Burton, presiding bishop of the LDS Church, about the church's plans for its downtown property. Frank Matheson, president of Wasatch Real Estate Partners, will speak as well. His company owns property downtown and has joined with Hamilton Partners to build an office tower near Hotel Monaco near 200 South and Main Street.

The downtown session will be at 5:30 p.m. in Room 326 of City Hall, 451 S. State.