Salt Lake City's ambitious Downtown Rising projects include an expanded rail network; housing within walking distance of the business district; renovation of the Utah Theatre; and plenty of building: a new federal courthouse, the Utah Performing Arts Center, the Jessie Eccles Quinney Center for Dance, a new headquarters for Questar Corp., a Public Safety Building, a Convention Center hotel, a sports and fitness center and creating a public market.

Downtown Rising is a regional business-led effort to define the future of downtown Salt Lake City in the short term (next three years), 4-15 years hence and 16 years and beyond. Downtown Rising is meant to be a guide, a conceptual blueprint, not a master plan. Salt Lake City is updating its downtown master plan, but has asked the business community to use Downtown Rising as the business outreach of the master planning efforts.

Nearly $2 billion will be invested in the Salt Lake City central business district during the next five years.

The Salt Lake Chamber Board of Governors will direct the regional components of the vision (transportation and connections), and the Downtown Alliance will lead neighborhood efforts in partnership with Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County and the Central Business Improvement District.

Business and community leaders are funding Downtown Rising. The city, along with the business community, are funding a contract for a construction impact mitigation ombudsman.

The LDS Church is also in the mix, with major plans to invest in a mixed-use development on two blocks in the heart of downtown Salt Lake City. Retail development, high-quality housing and office space are the components.