Consultants urge full-time manager for downtown revitalization; council starts with allowing downtown housing
August 4, 2020, 4:00 p.m. · Held electronically (COVID-19 emergency)
Consultants Randy Sant and Todd Brightwell presented a downtown American Fork revitalization strategy calling for a full-time project manager, an advisory committee, possible smaller CRAs and tools such as opportunity zones. Council members agreed to have planners draft code changes allowing housing downtown first but split on hiring a dedicated staff member.
From the approved minutes.
Agenda, item by item
Item 1 · Presentation
Downtown revitalization study
Discussed
Sant and Brightwell said revitalization efforts have stalled for 20 years because of fragmented ownership; they recommended the four-point Main Street approach, starting near Church Street to 100 East and 200 West where a developer is interested, buildings up to about 102 feet with ground-floor commercial, a parking analysis, smaller CRAs pitched to the school district and putting the effort under the RDA. Barnes and Christiansen opposed closing Merchant Street. Mayor Frost said no money was budgeted for a project manager; Taylor and Carroll favored a staff economic development role, Barnes did not, and Shelton wanted zoning first. Consensus: have Senior Planner Adam Olsen and the Planning Commission draft a residential component for the CC-1 zone and define the job.