Park City is considering several improvements to its Main Street core that, if pursued, would change the face of the shopping, dining and entertainment strip.

A member of the Park City Council said earlier in the week that the study could be the most ambitious in recent years. City Councilman Ryan Dickey, Main Street Area Plan Committee liaison, said in an interview that the projects being discussed, taken together, would have a similar impact as the development of lower Main Street and the installation of the City Bridge.

The development of the ground fronting Lower Main Street—north of the Heber Boulevard intersection—and nearby Park Avenue has expanded the tourism industry’s presence in Old Town. Over time, growth here included accommodation, restaurants and retailers. There are also significant private sector garages down the main street or just off the street, which add parking spaces to the overall inventory.

Marriott’s Summit Watch effectively serves as a mainstay. The asphalt of Lower Main Street is also the location of the Park Silly Sunday Market and has been the site of celebrations and concerts.

Lower Main Street eventually provided Park City Mountain with the opportunity to install the City Bridge more than 20 years ago. The bridge connects the slopes of Park City Mountain to the street, making resort access easier for skiers and snowboarders who stay or live in the Main Street hub. It is located at the bottom of the Town Lift grounds. In addition to making it easier for someone to start or end a ski day on Main Street, the Town Bridge has also provided another lunch option for people at Park City Mountain.

“That would be really important,” Dickey said when comparing the projects the Main Street Area Plan Committee is discussing to the development of lower Main Street and the City Bridge.

There was controversy when Lower Main Street was being developed in the 1990s, with some concerned that there would be a separation between the historic section of Main Street south of the Heber Boulevard intersection and the new section north of the intersection. At many times of the year the crowds on the historic section of Main Street still seem to far outnumber the crowds on lower Main Street, but over time there appears to be progress on Lower Main Street as well, with the development of additional lodging and businesses as well. With the success of Silly Market.

The Main Street Area Plan Committee is trying to create future plans amid competition from mountain resort bases and distant commercial destinations. Some of the ideas being considered include major capital projects such as residential improvements in the Main Street core and a gondola connection to Deer Valley Resort.

City Hall will host two engagement sessions on Tuesday, November 12, designed to solicit public input on the Main Street Area Plan. Sessions run from 9am to 11am and 4.30pm to 6.30pm at Miners Hospital. You can find more information on the municipality’s website, parkcity.org. Direct link to information about Main Street: parkcity.org/about-us/main-street-area-projects/main-street-area-plan.