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John Daley ReportingFor months, Nordstrom has threatened "Gateway or the highway". Tuesday night the Salt Lake City Council may have cemented the department store's decision.
Dale Lambert, Salt Lake City Council Member: "This is certainly the most difficult decision I've ever made in this role as a city council person."
The Salt Lake City Council voted NOT to allow upscale retail anchor Nordstrom to move to the Gateway development. The members of the council clearly have been wrestling with this issue and struggling with the implications, which all sides agree could be huge.
On one hand you had the argument that Nordstrom is a key downtown retailer that the city simply can't afford to lose, that independent consultants told city leaders that the important thing is to keep Nordstrom, which faithful customers and employees say must be kept in Salt Lake City.
Those opposing the move argued that it would violate the original agreement regarding development at Gateway, that more retailers will flee the core of the city, and that the new plan recently unveiled by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints might be harmed by the move of Nordstrom.
In the end--the council voted as many expected going into the meeting--that Nordstrom would not be allowed to move.
Council member Dale Lambert tonight described a cartoon featuring a devil and two-doors: one read damned if you do, the other damned it you don't. A decision was made--but it was not easy.
