In 2023, a committee drafted a proposed Main Street Area Plan and presented it to the community. The plan focused on future opportunities for Main Street and Swede Alley with an emphasis on economic vitality ahead of the 2034 Olympics.
The first draft included new hotels, public space improvements, workforce housing, a smaller Main Street post office and a potential gondola connection to Deer Valley.
Following public engagement in 2024, the planning committee refined its recommendations. Deputy City Manager Jodi Emery says the Park City Council declined to adopt the full plan. Instead, councilmembers directed staff to conduct a feasibility study focused on council priorities, including costs, funding and timelines.
“That feasibility study is substantially complete,” Emery said on KPCW’s “Local News Hour,” Aug. 19. “There are some concepts being presented. These are not final designs. Those have been included in the staff report. But it really does look at prioritizing pedestrians on Main Street but also considers parking and making sure that we continue to provide parking opportunities.”
With five to 10 years of life remaining on the southern portion of the China Bridge parking garage, one recommendation is to demolish that section. Emery says it remains to be seen whether that parking would be replaced downtown.
“We're still considering other opportunities for parking, such as the Gordo and Richardson park-and-rides that have been contemplated as part of Recreate 248,” Emery said. “That would then relieve some of the parking pressure on Main Street. That's the idea. And there's also another element of this plan that's the aerial transit that is in progress with feasibility study.”
A potential gondola could cost anywhere between $30 and $50 million, depending on the route it takes. Two alignments are being considered: one from Richardson Flat to Deer Valley’s Snow Park Lodge and one from Main Street to Snow Park.
Another recommendation would widen Main Street sidewalks by two feet on each side. That would require Main Street to become one-way for downhill vehicle traffic with a lane for the trolley to travel up and down the street.
“The idea is to make Main Street much more pedestrian friendly, but to also allow the circulation that we know people rely on to get to the businesses, and the businesses would like to have,” she said.
Swede Alley would also receive pedestrian improvements, including sidewalks on both sides, and a multi-use service lane for Main Street business deliveries.
The council will discuss the updated plan at its work session Thursday at 4 p.m.
Click here for the Main St. staff report.
