Park City leaders and a crowd of people, largely with ties to Main Street, recently perused a number of ideas for improvements to the popular shopping, dining and entertainment destination, signaling early support for a work that is expected to run into the millions of dollars.
City Hall held an open house about the ideas on one night and Mayor Dana Williams and the Park City Council discussed the ideas two days later. The City Council was not scheduled to make important decisions at its meeting. Had there been major concerns by the elected officials, however, significant momentum could have been lost.
Main Street and City Hall are weighing a number of options like creating plazas and other attractions to draw people to the street. Municipal leaders hired a consultant to research the ideas. There was a series of computer-generated images on display showing what some of the improvements could look like if they are selected.
There were approximately 40 people at the open house, which was held in the City Council chambers at the Marsac Building. At least two City Councilors Andy Beerman and Alex Butwinski attended, and high-ranking City Hall staffers also were present.
“I didn’t hear any ‘I hate it all.’ The comments I heard were fairly positive,” said Alison Butz, the executive director of the Historic Park City Alliance.
The alliance is a group that represents the interests of businesses on Main Street and nearby streets. It has been heavily involved as City Hall has crafted some of the ideas for Main Street improvements.
Butz said people she spoke to during the open house addressed ideas to redo the Brew Pub parking lot at the southern end of Main Street. She said people told her they preferred a public plaza be put at the site rather than retail space as part of a redone site, two of the considerations. Butz said she spoke to a range of people, including merchants, interested Parkites and property owners.
“A lot of talk about having a space for events, having a space to sit and hang out,” she said about comments directed toward the Brew Pub lot.
Other spots on Main Street discussed at the open house included Miners Park and the stretch of Swede Alley that is located close to the Marsac Building steps. There are also a number of less ambitious ideas under consideration.
Both Main Street and Park City leaders want the district to be more inviting as it faces competition from outlying commercial districts like those at or close to Kimball Junction.
The improvements are conceptual, and it is not yet clear which ones will win City Council support. Significant work would not occur until at least the spring of 2013. The elected officials are expected to make funding decisions during the upcoming budget talks. Estimated costs will not be available until late April, City Hall staffers have said.
One of the people at the open house, Tuck Lowe, said he was interested in ideas for Coalition Park, a small green space at the northern end of Main Street. Lowe, who lives in Heber and manages 12 condominiums in the Park Station building close to Main Street, said the park is largely ignored besides the Sundays when the Park Silly Sunday Market is happening.
“It’s the gateway for a lot of people entering the Main Street area from Park Avenue,” he said.
Lowe, meanwhile, said he would like Main Street to be a friendlier place for pedestrians. He mentioned the narrowness of the sidewalk and said bulb-outs sidewalk extensions into the street might improve the situation.
The discussion with the mayor and the City Council two days later included talk about whether there could be retail space at the location if the Brew Pub lot is redone. City Councilman Andy Beerman said he preferred retail space not be included in the designs, saying there is space available in buildings held by the private sector. The mayor said he did not want the idea dismissed, though.
Liza Simpson, another City Councilor, spoke about the potential of upgrading the Swede Alley-Heber Avenue intersection, a major entry point to Main Street, but a consultant indicated there are constraints at the location.