The Main Street Area Plan considers several ambitious development initiatives that would transform Park City’s Main Street from what it is today.
As proposed, the project would involve significant changes on Swede Alley, including adding a hotel, housing, retail and office space.
The plan also envisions a redesign of Main Street with expanded sidewalks and less parking, to create a better pedestrian experience.
In addition, Park City officials are exploring new gondola connections to local ski resorts. The city hosted an open house in November for residents to share their thoughts and concerns.
Nearly 40 of the roughly 150 people who attended the meeting submitted forms expressing their opinions about the plan.
74% of respondents supported a gondola concept that would connect the Brew Pub lot at the top of Main Street to Deer Valley’s Snow Park base.
52% were in favor of a gondola connection to Park City Mountain, which under the city’s plan would replace the Town Lift.
There was also majority support for a new transit and hotel shuttle station in Old Town as well as designated drop-off zones. Only 37% of respondents expressed support for valet parking on Swede Alley.
To create a new plaza at the center of Main Street, the city is exploring removing the post office, which is listed on Park City’s historic inventory. Only a small section of the post office dates back to when it was built in 1921. Additions made in the 1960s and 1970s undermined its historic value, and it was subsequently removed from the National Historic Register.
Park City Councilmember Ryan Dickey said many residents expressed support for keeping the post office on Main Street, rather than moving it to a new building on Swede Alley.
“Today in our world, these opportunities for people to connect in-person feel more rare, and we heard very specifically from people that going to the post office is meaningful,” Dickey said. “Now I would counter a little bit, that if we lack opportunities for people to gather and connect and bump into each other outside of the experience of waiting in line at the post office, then maybe we can create better spaces and better places to do that. But we know that the post office is something that is central and important to Old Town, and we have to think hard about those changes.”
Dickey said the plan being considered by the council is a “vision,” and more significant details about individual projects would be handled in future discussions.
Those future talks would also involve financing. Zion's Bank Public Finance Relations Manager Erik Daenitz, who previously worked for Park City and is consulting on the Main Street plan, said it will likely involve a public-private partnership. Daenitz said they don’t intend to propose any new property tax or sales tax to pay for the redevelopment.
“When you undertake new development, as in any new development in the city, it has a high probability of increasing revenues, because you’re adding new assessed value, you’re adding new economic activity," Daenitz said. "But that just adds to the city’s existing revenues. That’s how the city pays for anything. So we’re not proposing any departure from that.”
The Park City Council is scheduled to review final recommendations for the Main Street Area Plan and hear public comment at its meeting Dec. 19.
