The city is considering zoning changes to allow for more types of development in the Central Heber Overlay Zone, commonly referred to as Old Town.
There are two sub-districts in the overlay: the “Central Neighborhoods District” designates the residential neighborhoods and the “Transition Corridor District” marks the commercial zone from Main Street to 100 South.
The neighborhood district would be rezoned to allow the redevelopment of flag lots, small lots and missing middle housing like mansion-style apartments and townhouses.
The councilors said the goal is to create more diverse housing options by giving property owners more flexibility.
The area also has historic homes and the city wants to provide land use options to help preserve older buildings instead of knocking them down or allowing them to fall into disrepair.
The transition district’s commercial zoning would be expanded to encourage business growth along the key corridor between Heber and Midway. It would also feature a mix of residential and commercial buildings, serving as a transition area.
Heber residents shared their thoughts at an open house March 20 and the Heber Planning Commission meeting March 25.
Burton Hibbs, who lives on 200 West, said he’s concerned about parking.
“I've got a neighbor across the street from me, and his home he's subdivided by three times. So I've got cars everywhere in my neighborhood,” he said. “The corner house has 12 cars parked on the corner. So we talk about this stuff, but where's the parking going to come from?”
Planning Commission Vice Chair Tori Broughton said parking requirements and restrictions exist but enforcement is a different matter. The commission has agreed to look into it.
Community Alliance For Main Street Executive Director Rachel Kahler shared similar parking concerns. She said the proposed mansion-style and multi-family apartments don’t pencil well for builders and recommended removing those from the proposal.
Kahler also said the historic preservation doesn’t go far enough.
“While the proposal does allow historic homeowners to explore limited commercial uses to help offset ongoing cost of maintenance of older properties, it stops short of actually offering meaningful preservation incentives or protections,” she said.
That’s because Heber’s code lists 1950 as the cutoff for a historic designation, while Utah’s extends to 1975. Kahler recommended the city consider “a more supportive preservation code.”
The planning commission will discuss the suggestions at its next meeting April 8. If the commission recommends approval, the draft goes to the Heber City Council for review and potential adoption.
