Imagine Trolley Square, only brighter, with a broader mix of tenants and without the empty dead-end corridors. Then add parking, fountains, fireplaces and green space, at least one more major anchor tenant and upscale residences.

Though ScanlanKemperBard Companies won't change the exterior of Trolley, it will make the mall experience a bit wider and brighter.

The mall's new owner, ScanlanKemperBard Companies, outlined its vision for the historic Salt Lake shopping center Wednesday, including the estimated price tag — $80 million, including the price SKB paid to buy the center from Simon Properties earlier this year — and timeline.

"What we thought was particularly unique about Trolley was that the status within the community and the loyalty of the constituents that shop there and dine there was of an A-plus quality, but that the level of investment and ongoing nurturing that's important in a property like that was of B quality," said N. Thomas Bard Jr., an SKB principal and executive vice president of asset management.

"We have the means, through our investors, to provide new energy. And we saw it as an opportunity to become that much more identified with the Salt Lake community, assuming that we do the good job that the community is expecting."

Straightaway, SKB partnered with Blake Hunt Ventures, a California-based real estate developer, to manage the renovation and expansion project.

"We were immediately struck and understood what the appeal and the attachment is for the residents of Salt Lake to Trolley Square," said Blake Hunt's development vice president, Mark Blancarte. "You can't replicate the existing buildings on a new site anywhere else. It's one of the most unique pieces of property anywhere in the country. There's nothing we could do to enhance the exterior of the buildings. They're historical, they have great fabric, and we're not touching those. We do think there's the opportunity to look at the larger building ... to make the mall experience a little bit wider, brighter and more open."

So ScanlanKemperBard and Blake Hunt came up with a multiphase plan to breathe life into the historic center — a plan that includes a $6 million renovation of the main building, the addition of a $12 million building for anchor tenant(s), a new parking structure and the possibility of on-site upscale residences.

"As the new (Trolley Square) owners and guests of the community, the ScanlanKemperBard/Blake Hunt Ventures team will take the utmost care in blending unique shopping and dining experiences with the center's cherished turn-of-the-century ambiance," Blancarte said. "Our goal is to create a memorable place where people can shop, socialize, work and live."

The first phase, which is expected to be complete by this time next year, includes "reorienting" the interior corridors of the center's 160,000-square-foot main building, too many of which are dark and lead to dead-ends, Blancarte said. Interior renovations also will include the creation of an interior courtyard area, possibly featuring a dome, for special events. A glass elevator will be installed near that central courtyard.

Skylights featured in the early construction of Trolley Square will be uncovered and updated to add natural light and a sense of openness, Blancarte said.

The renovation on phase one likely will begin in early 2007 and will take place after hours, Bard said. All businesses are expected to remain open during the renovation period.

Phase two will focus on parking, outdoor landscaping and design, and will include the addition of underground parking and a new parking structure to replace the one at the western edge of Trolley Square. Work on the parking garage could begin as early as next spring, Blancarte said. Upwards of 120 residential condominiums also may be built atop that structure at some later date.

Designers are looking at adding fountains and fireplaces, increasing pedestrian space and public gathering places. The area between Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware may take on the flair of a European village street, Bard said, with cobblestones and benches.

Shoppers will notice a change as early as this weekend, when Trolley will launch its first valet parking program. The center also is in the process of reorganizing its south parking lot, which it believes will add 20 percent to its parking capacity. And, Blancarte said, the western parking structure will get new paint and more light to increase utilization there.

As work progresses, Bard said designers will be looking at possible uses for the south parking area, which could include more retail or residential space.

Phase three contemplates the addition of a new retail building at the property's northeast corner, a 50,000- to 60,000-square-foot building that could occupy one or multiple tenants and includes several levels of underground parking, Blancarte said.

Phases two and three — without the residential units, which are contingent on permits, consumer interest and other factors — could be completed by 2009.

Speculation about the identity of the yet-unnamed retail tenant has ranged from Whole Foods to Crate & Barrel to Cheesecake Factory. Neither Bard nor Blake Hunt Ventures would comment Wednesday.

"Whatever tenant ultimately we think will improve the tenant mix at Trolley," Blancarte said. "It will be one that will increase the draw and excitement at Trolley Square. Whomever it may be, it will be a great retailer."

Trolley Square is looking hard at its tenant mix, and the mix it hopes to create, said Blake Hunt's president and chief operating officer, Jerry Hunt.

"Our objective is not just to fill space," he said.

Bard said the company is in the process of evaluating which of Trolley's current tenants have "grown their business to the point where they can participate" in the redeveloped project, as well as putting together a mix of possible new tenants that will enhance and reinforce the center's sophisticated ambiance.

"We see it as an eminently leasable space," Bard said. "There are probably a dozen firms, businesses that would be very attractive to us, and to Salt Lake City. But those kinds of discussions are pretty ethereal, particularly in these early stages."