[Future Mayor]

As Delts pointed out, anything further west of where it was built would have been a huge waste of time and money by the county. Placing the arena version of the Salt Palace (which btw wasn't torn down until the early 90's, once the Delta Center was completed), another block or two west, at the time it was built would not have been successful, it would have been in the middle of a bunch of railroad tracks and would have had 2-4 blocks of vacant/dilapidated property between it and "downtown"

Honestly I don't even think about the Salt Palace as a hindrance to downtown. I simply know that if I want to get to The Gateway or ESA I just use S. Temple or 2nd South. Having the convention center in the middle of the city creates economic development opportunities in all directions. It has entrances N/S/E/W, it allows the city to surround it.

As for the comments of building up rather than out, that could have been useful for parts of the SP but large convention need large expansive continuos floor space to create a flow for visitors. Meeting rooms and conference rooms could be placed above, but not expo space. Imagine the support that would be needed throughout the main hall on the first floor to support a main hall on the second floor. It would defeat the purpose of having a very open main hall if that main hall is full of pillars.

I actually don't think the SP has hindered economic growth in the city at all. I think it has actually helped it. As was pointed out, the arena brough in the Stars then the Jazz, which resulted in the ESA, which resulted in Gateway.

As for the convention center argument north of Little America, it wouldn't have fit. That is one block the current SP takes up nearly 3 blocks, see the multiple level reasoning above.