Question: Was the Church-funded redevelopment project in downtown Salt Lake City known as City Creek Center funded using tithing?

FAIR Answers—back to home page

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Questions

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• Critics of the Church, most commonly ex-Mormons, claim that the Church-funded redevelopment project in downtown Salt Lake City known as City Creek Center is funded using tithing.

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Detailed Analysis

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The Church has repeatedly stated that no tithing money is being used for construction of City Creek Center, including in the official Church magazine, the Ensign:

The Church first announced three years ago it was planning to redevelop the downtown area to energize the economy of the city that houses its headquarters and to bolster the area near Temple Square. No tithing funds will be used in the redevelopment.
"Church Releases Plans for Downtown Salt Lake", Ensign, Dec. 2006, 76–80]

The entire project is being financed through the church's commercial real estate arm, Property Reserve, Inc. These funds come through for-profit, tax-paying businesses owned by the Church.

This Deseret News article has more information on the construction and financing:

Money for the project is not coming from LDS Church members' tithing donations. City Creek Center is being developed by Property Reserve Inc., the church's real-estate development arm, and its money comes from other real-estate ventures.
"Downtown renovation project", Doug Smeath, Deseret News March 27, 2007.

Claims to the contrary are ill-informed and simply false.

Criticism of Church integrity

Ex-Mormon claims regarding the financing of City Creek often include complaints that tithing money that they paid while believing members were used for this project. Some even claim that this is the reason that they left the Church. The real issue is a lack of trust that these critics have for the leaders who run the Church.

For a detailed response, see: Mormonism and church integrity/City Creek Center Mall in Salt Lake City