PARK CITY, Utah — Georgia Todd and Madison Engvall used to spend a lot of time on Park City's Main Street, but not so much anymore.
“My office used to be on Main Street, and I ended up leaving just because it was so congested," said Todd.
“It used to be a place specifically for the locals," added Engvall, "like the local watering hole where you run into your friends, and it feels a lot less like that now,"
On Tuesday, the city invited residents to discuss future investments and improvements to the Main Street area ahead of the 2034 Winter Olympics.
“We want to be ready," said Park City councilmember Ryan Dickey. "We're thinking big. We're thinking bold about how do we progress Main Street forward, but essentially still maintain that fundamental historic character?”
Dickey shared that the city is looking at making Main Street a single-lane road, moving all parking off the street, and adding more buses.
“How do we make that experience of being on the street more pedestrian-friendly? Today, as great as it is, that experience is a little car-centric, those sidewalks are a little narrow,” he said. “We have two lanes of traffic and two lanes of parking.”
One proposed concept includes enhancing Swede Alley with underground parking and bringing in new businesses, like a grocery store, hotel, or daycare.
“I love the idea of how they're handling accessibility on Main Street with the tram or minibus that'll go up and down Main Street," said Danny Glasser.
Glasser likes the idea of a gondola going to Deer Valley and believes the city could expand that even more.
“I'd love to see a second gondola that allows us to further handle the traffic challenges of coming in on 224, 248, and getting to both Deer Valley and Park City Mountain.”
Although attracting visitors is what makes Park City prosper, the locals could use some love too, claimed Engvall.
“There are some more things that they could do to attract locals, like affordable dining, maybe like a food truck area," she said.
The advisory committee will keep refining the plan based on feedback from residents before presenting the final concept to the city council in January.
