Heber City residents can speak directly to public officials about plans for a city development project at a public hearing tomorrow.
The hearing will take place as part of the regular city council meeting beginning at 7 p.m. at City Hall, and will focus on the project area and its budget.
Heber City has posted messages to its website about a 20-30 year vision to transform the downtown area. In videos on the web page entitled “Envision Heber City 2050,” city officials describe ideas designed to promote economic development, such as improved roads, sidewalks and parking areas to benefit businesses.
“It can become a destination place,” says Matt Brower, city manager, about the opportunity the city sees for long-term growth. “It would be tourism, a destination where people are coming and dining and shopping, dropping the money and then going home.”
The area proposed for redevelopment is 80 acres downtown around Main Street.
Brower says the city is looking to finance future growth using only revenue increases flowing from taxes on properties that appreciate in value. The city would invest these revenues, called “increments,” into development within the project area.
“Over 20 years, we’ve got the projections that show that we’ll be able to generate a certain amount of increments that will then be reinvested in the downtown in hopes it will generate even more increments, so that we can really turn that downtown around,” Brower says.
Residents within the proposed project area received a notice last month announcing the public hearing. It says the project will not result in additional property taxes for residents, which Brower confirmed, saying only properties that invest to increase their values will be affected.
One such example is an incoming Smith’s Marketplace, which could invest as much as $75 million into what is now an undeveloped lot, and the company would have to pay more in property taxes as a result. Heber City would set aside the difference in what Smith’s pays from its base amount to be reinvested back into development.
The project area would stretch from Airport Road to just south of 1200 North Street.
At tomorrow’s meeting, Heber City Council is expected to hear from residents but not make any decisions on next steps yet. Brower says it is more likely that decision-making would occur at the meeting scheduled for July 20.
For more information on the Envision Heber 2050 plans, visit envisionheber.com.
