With proposed changes to Heber City’s Main Street, city leaders hope to attract more foot traffic and promote small businesses.
The revamp is part of the larger Envision Central Heber project, meant to encourage the community to invest in Main Street and the city’s central neighborhoods.
City planning director Tony Kohler said right now the city is focusing on rezoning a small section of Main Street, between 300 North and 300 South.
“What we’re trying to do is put in all the policies that will help make this a place where you can live, work and play,” he said.
Major changes include permitting hotels, revising parking requirements and prohibiting chain businesses in the heart of downtown. It will also require a certain aesthetic for the facades of buildings on Main Street to reflect Heber’s heritage.
“We want to have a historic flavor in the downtown,” Kohler said. “By eliminating chain businesses, we hope that we are making it a unique place and experience. You can go to Costco anywhere, but can you go to Heber and have that unique retail experience?”
This stage of Envision Central Heber is one part of leaders’ larger hopes for the city’s future. Kohler said efforts like adding a bypass to reroute highway traffic away from Main Street will also need to be implemented.
The city has invited Main Street businesses and residents to weigh in on the proposed changes at a public hearing Oct. 24.
