Heber City leaders have been working for three years to win support from neighboring governments for their community reinvestment area (CRA) plan. But at a meeting Nov. 20, their chances of securing that support from the Wasatch County Council dwindled and died.
The CRA would use tax increment funding to support public infrastructure and other improvements within the downtown area. It would reinvest 75% of property tax dollars from new development into downtown, until reaching a certain dollar threshold or time limit. For the county, that limit would have been $4.2 million or 20 years, whichever came first.
It’s similar to the financial agreement between Wasatch County and the Military Installation Development Authority. But despite Heber’s best pitch, the county wasn’t convinced.
Councilmembers asked to hear from the public before making a decision Wednesday, and the comments from residents were a mixed bag.
Crista Bazoian owns a business on Main Street. She said the CRA could help make Heber a nicer place to live.
“I think we are losing a lot of customers and walkable traffic to places like Midway and Park City, because they’re putting in the money and they’re putting in some effort, and it’s all looking so beautiful,” she said. “I would love Heber to follow that lead.”
And Mike Bradshaw, a developer and Heber resident, said the CRA would help construct parking and public infrastructure.
“I’m a super-supporter of it,” he said. “I think it will really improve our downtown.”
But others weren’t so sure. Shelley Ryan, of Chick’s Cafe, said Heber’s plan would hurt the longtime Main Street restaurant.
“When you have that party at the park, everybody parks at Chick’s,” she said. “We might as well close on Thursdays. It’s a bunch of bull. It does not help us one bit, and if you do it, you might as well just tell us goodbye.”
Lance Higgs, who lives downtown, said he thinks the project’s early stages hint at poor planning by the city. He pointed to construction delays for the bandshell on 200 South.
“A lot of these things that they have been doing, they're slow as a snail,” he said. “I mean, you look at the thing they're working on down at the park – how long's that been? I was the old public works director. We didn't allow them to drag their feet forever, you know. And I really see a lot of problems, especially with the parking, and if you accept this, you might want to review that really close.”
Like their constituents, councilmembers had split opinions when it came time for a vote. Luke Searle, Erik Rowland and Mark Nelson were in support of the proposal.
“In this particular situation, Heber City’s interests are very closely aligned with Wasatch County’s interests,” Nelson said. “I trust Heber City’s leaders and this agreement, that we can work together and that we’ll benefit all of Wasatch County.”
But Steve Farrell, Karl McMillan and Kendall Crittenden opposed the CRA. Crittenden said Heber is developing too much.
“Do we want to renovate Main Street, or do we want to fill the whole valley?” he asked.
Councilmember Spencer Park abstained because he owns a commercial building in downtown Heber, but he estimated most of his constituents in rural Wasatch County would be against the CRA.
The vote was 3-3. Without a majority, the county council won’t support the CRA.
Heber will ask the Wasatch County School District for its help with the tax increment funding plan before the end of the year.
