Swede Alley has had a largely utilitarian character over the decades.
But the alley is just one block from Main Street, City Hall owns significant property there, and part of the land could be developed.
A committee is considering the future of the Main Street core, and Park City’s elected officials recently received a written report on the work. The report outlines wide-ranging opportunities for improvement and includes a section outlining the future development of Swede Alley.
The update states that the parking lots and garages in Swede Alley are located on “some of the highest value per acre land in the state of Utah.” A team of consultants “has proposed developing these facilities for higher value uses while maintaining structured parking beneath any new development,” it says.
The update outlines opportunities for Swede Alley “that have positive direct and indirect economic impacts for the Main Street area.” These include a “high-end boutique hotel” and an “upscale professional hotel.” A conference center, a “high-end electronics retailer,” a grocery store with a U.S. Post Office and improved space for a state liquor store are also included in the materials.
“The proposed projects were specifically designed to create positive economic impacts in the Main Street area while reducing cannibalization/competition with existing Main Street sectors,” the update said, explaining that an analysis of gaps in the business sectors in the core of Main Street was conducted.
It’s not clear whether Park City officials or the private sector would be interested in the larger idea of development along Swede Alley. Some might see hotels and conference space as additions to the Main Street core that would attract people to stay and lead to more spending in the shopping, dining and entertainment area. But others might raise concerns about more extensive development in the densely populated Old Town and the traffic that would likely be generated by those projects.
Businesses along Main Street, meanwhile, would closely monitor any effort to create commercial space on Swede Alley, even if it seeks industries not normally represented on Main Street. Some might view retailers of all kinds as competition, since they represent another opportunity for people who go to Main Street to spend money.
Park City issued a statement regarding the concepts being considered in the core area of Main Street. However, the statement did not address the specific concept of the possibility of further development on Swede Alley.
The statement:
“The Main Street Area Plan is a locally driven project that works with Main Street merchants and Old Town residents to think about how the area can remain vibrant and welcoming for future generations. These bold concepts are intended to spark a series of conversations in the community about how we achieve our goals.
One of the options the Main Street Area Plan Committee is considering is to use the city’s Old Town properties to meet the community’s diverse needs – including transportation, housing, affordability, accessibility, quality of life and economic vibrancy.
We look forward to seeing the concepts the committee presents to the City Council and community in the fall. We expect great interest as Old Town and Main Street continue to be the cultural and economic centers of Park City.”
