Heber City Main Street Park / Trailhead Plaza
What to Know as We Shape the Future of Downtown Heber
Building upon efforts from the Plaza Design, Programming, & Management Plan in April of 2024 and the Envision Central Heber 2050 Plan, Heber City leadership has asked for refining and right sizing design efforts in order to further engage with the community to better explore different potential configurations, listen and understand Heber residents’ priorities for the site, and move towards a preferred concept plan in the spring. Recently, Heber City constructed a $3.2 million bandshell as part of the first phase and is looking to finalize plans to establish subsequent phases so the City can establish an implementation budget, apply for grants, and ultimately construct the later phases to complete and implement the plan.
The existing City Park along Main Street is envisioned in the master plan as the future Trailhead Plaza. While the name may evolve as the vision is refined, the purpose will remain constant: to create a welcoming, year-round gathering place at the heart of the community. Trailhead Plaza is designed to support local families and businesses. Serving as the place where daily activities and outdoor adventures both begin and end, while doing so right in the center of Heber City.
The Trailhead Plaza is planned as a year-round community gathering place in the heart of Heber City. It will host markets, concerts, festivals, and everyday activities while supporting local businesses and preserving Heber’s heritage and views.
Residents have emphasized wanting:
- A family friendly, safe, and affordable space-friendly, safe, and affordable space
- Regular programming with balanced quiet periods
- Iconic but authentic placemaking
- A strong local vendor market
- Shade, restrooms, drinking fountains, and other basic comforts
- Environmentally responsible design
We are in the concept design exploration phase, where multiple implementation approach options to the identified master plan are being tested with public input.
Because Heber City leadership understood that community priorities may vary—especially around green space, ice features, buildings, and activity levels. Options help people clearly compare and contrast trade-offs.
A recommended layout will come from:
- Public feedback from open houses and surveys
- Feasibility in Return-on-Investment between initial costs and long-term operations
- Alignment with community priorities
- Ability to phase construction in response to those priorities
Concepts will illustrate:
- The overall site layout and programming in High, Medium and Low implementation configurations.
- Alternate locations and sizes of major features
- Shading, circulation, vendor needs, and year-round usability
It will not finalize architectural or engineering drawings, that comes after confirming what we’ve heard from you and with city leadership sign-off.
The plaza is being planned as a long-term investment in downtown vibrancy. Funding may include:
- Tap Tax
- Development impact fees
- State and federal grants
- Public–private partnerships
- Strategic subsidies to support vendors
- Vendor and event revenue
A key community concern is cost and ROI, so financial sustainability is a major part of this planning phase.
The plaza has limited space and a clear purpose. Large athletic facilities or other intensive uses that may not respond to the master plan objectives may be better suited for other parks or public sites in Heber.
Parking and traffic are major community questions. The City has a planned approach to addressing parking needs in the Parking Solutions & Downtown Business Mix Study (2024), part of the Envision Central Heber 2050 plan. As design advances, the City will continue to outline:
- How on-site parking will function, especially special event parking that may need strategic planning to limit impacts
- Safe access for visitors and vendors
- Coordination with Main Street traffic
- Support for walkable access while acknowledging existing street and highway realities
- Improvements will continue to improve and evolve
Concept option elements have been adjusted to preserve existing trees. This approach will be confirmed with detailed design where surveyed information can confirm exact location and limit impacts to existing trees as much as possible.
What’s the difference between a park and a plaza and how do the options stack up?
Per the direction of Heber City leaders options have been created in order to refine and right-size the design. The options consider the following to explore different options, hear residents’ priorities, and work toward a preferred concept this spring.
Option 1: is very much a plaza, active and revenue generating.
Option 2: A hybrid, mostly plaza with some park elements and moderate revenue potential.
Option 3: A more park-like plaza, with some activation for special events and less revenue potential than the other two options.