At the Heber City Council retreat Saturday, Jan. 20, leaders asserted they want to make the center of town more of a destination for locals and visitors alike.
Heber City manager Matt Brower told the group the goal is to create a distinctive brand for downtown.
“When I say Pennsylvania Avenue, what do you think of?” he said. “What we hope to do today is talk to you about how we’re going to brand our downtown with a phrase… that will bring to light a vision of Heber when they say that phrase.”
City leaders said it’s key to create a genuine brand that resonates with locals and makes Heber stand out to visitors.
Chamber of Commerce executive director Dallin Koecher said they need to strategize how to improve the city’s events and businesses as well.
“Our downtown needs to be specific to the Heber Valley,” he said. “The mom-and-pop shops, the things that make us unique – that’s a great differentiator.”
With grant funding from Utah’s Office of Tourism and the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity, Heber will hire a consultant to strategize how to bring retail back to downtown and create more evening activities. He will make a business plan for a downtown plaza and draw up a recruiting strategy to attract new businesses.
Koecher said right now people turn to Park City or Provo for evening events, and drawing nighttime crowds to Heber City would help downtown come alive.
“This is a locals-first initiative,” he said. “I truly believe what’s good for the local is good for the visitor, and not necessarily vice versa. We want to create a space that’s great for all of us.”
The planning process comes alongside other initiatives to make downtown Heber more pedestrian-friendly and to beautify streets in the center of town.
“Operation Flowerpots is going to kick off next week,” Brower said.
Businesses will be adopting flowerpots to bring pops of color to Main Street. Brower also praised the explosion of murals around downtown.
It will take the consultant four to six months to create a downtown business plan. Heber City leaders will move forward with new plans by fall.