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Heber City Council to vote on helping pay for road into new Smith's Marketplace

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A Smith's grocery store in Heber City could soon close, as plans to build a new Smith's Marketplace down the road take shape.

The Heber City Council will meet Tuesday. The council is scheduled to vote on whether to pay for a road connecting a city street to a proposed Smith’s Marketplace.

Heber City will decide whether to pitch in for a road and traffic light to bring cars into a development where a Smith’s Marketplace is planned. That follows an agreement the city made last October to negotiate a deal to share the cost of the road with Smith’s and developer Valley Hills LLC.

The council could vote to contribute more than $2 million of the $11 million total cost. With that contribution, the 115,000-square-foot store would break ground later this year north of downtown Heber along U.S. Highway 40. If the council decides not to chip in, that could delay or even put a stop to the project.

Back in October, council members had questions about making the investment. Some called it expensive but possibly worth the cost because of the revenues a Smith’s could generate.

The Smith’s would be the first major component of an economic development project to generate new tax dollars and build up the downtown area. By creating what’s called a community reinvestment area, the city could use a big chunk of new tax revenue from the Smith’s to reinvest in the downtown area. The city would also use some of that new tax revenue to pay back the $2 million contribution to the road.

Also during the meeting, the council will hold a public hearing about a new impact fee to pay off the new police building. The tax would only apply to new building permits issued after August 2022. The fee is projected to generate between $150,000 and $200,000. The public is invited to speak up about the fee, which would cost new homeowners up to $200.

The council will also hear another request for a project it’s been hesitant to approve recently.

Heber City Leadership Academy representatives will renew a discussion about building a water fountain and splash zone next to City Hall. They’ll present a new design and financing proposal in hopes of moving it forward.

Current and past council members previously cited cost and safety concerns in discussions about the project.

This year’s Leadership group is the inaugural class of the city program to involve people who live or work in Wasatch County in local government.

The council will hold a work meeting at 4 p.m. before the regular meeting at 6 p.m. at Heber City Hall, 75 North Main Street. To attend the meeting via Zoom, visit heberut.gov.

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