Matt Hansen wants to create a food truck court on his property at the corner of Midway Lane and 100 West.
He told the Heber City Council Tuesday, Jan. 7, his long-term goal is to have a multi-story, mixed-use building on the property, but he said he won’t be able to start construction for a few years. In the meantime, he wants to have food trucks on the site.
“I happen to know one of the food truck owners, became aware that they were getting kicked off the property down there at the south end of town because it got bought out. We’ve got a lot; they need a place to go,” he said. “I know the city wants to draw people to downtown, so it just kind of seemed like this could be a win-win-win for everybody.”
Hansen’s plan is to have food trucks on the site for two to four years, add a parking area and offer covered seating. There would be room for up to eight food trucks.
City manager Matt Brower said Heber would only allow a temporary development agreement for food trucks, then work with Hansen on a longer-term agreement for redeveloping the property.
“What we’re trying to do is see if there is a win-win option here, and we think there is, provided that it is temporary and that [it] will lead to the larger investment that we’re looking for,” he said.
Councilmember Mike Johnston was supportive of Hansen’s pitch, especially the addition of 16 to 20 parking spaces. And he said the location made sense.
“It’s certainly a great placeholder to wait a few years and see how we redevelop our downtown,” he said. “So, I would support this, and I like the idea, and I think 16 spots parking on site is really helpful.”
Councilmember Scott Phillips said he saw the plan as investing in future, more permanent businesses in downtown Heber.
“I’d say this is kind of seeding for the restaurants we want to be built in the future,” he said.
Hansen agreed. He said he intends to build a restaurant space on the first floor of the future multi-story building.
Before plans for the food truck court can move forward, Hansen and city staff need to work out details including how long the short-term development agreement would last, how sales taxes would be paid to the city, and more.
