As Heber works to make its downtown more of a destination for locals and visitors to enjoy, city leaders paid a visit to Caldwell, Idaho, earlier this year to see a revitalization success story in person.
At Tuesday’s city council meeting, leaders invited two guests to discuss how to reshape downtown Heber: consultant Roger Brooks and Caldwell community leader Keri Smith.
Brooks works with cities on revitalization projects. He said his team has surveyed 2,000 downtowns to understand the recipe for success.
“At the top of the list was an intimate downtown, which means narrow streets, wider sidewalks, no cement trucks and tanker trucks cruising through your downtown,” he said. “So, Heber City needs to follow suit.”
He said Heber’s Main Street is working against the town right now.
“Heber City happens to have the number one killer of any downtown, and that is a highway in the middle of your downtown,” he said.
But he said the city doesn’t have to wait for a bypass to improve the town’s atmosphere. He proposed flipping business entrances from opening onto U.S. 40 to facing a side street, encouraging a more pedestrian-friendly environment. Heber leaders have suggested creating that space just west of Main Street.
Brooks encouraged Heber to adopt a “10-10-10” goal for its downtown: at least 10 places that serve food in three blocks, 10 retail shops and 10 destinations open after 6 p.m.
He said a mix of businesses, especially small businesses, is key to downtown success.
“Believe it or not, it’s the butcher, the baker and the candlestick maker,” he said. “Those are things you cannot get on Amazon, and those are the kinds of businesses that are going to flock to your core area.”
Smith, who helped lead Caldwell’s revitalization process, said solving traffic and parking problems is another key. Her Idaho town implemented transit to help people get to downtown events without having to worry about limited parking.
She said Caldwell was resistant to public transit at first, but it quickly caught on.
“I had all sorts of people tell me that our people don’t ride buses, our community drives trucks, our community has their own cars, they’re not going to take the bus to an event,” she said. “I’ve said the same things. But creating those opportunities, it really is a game changer to get more people to those events.”
Brooks said fare-free buses and shuttles and frequent service incentivize people to use transit to get around town.
Heber City leaders asked how the Idaho town implemented similar changes, including zoning and financing strategies.
Brooks and Smith will visit Heber again in September when the city will once again ask county and school district leaders to invest in the revitalization plan.
The city has until the end of the year to decide on the funding plan.
