Main Street Forward — Park City

Main Street
Forward

Business resiliency dashboard and resource hub for the Main Street Forward coalition.
Enter the access code to continue.

mainstreet.alpineparkcity.com  ·  Main Street Forward — Park City
Main Street Forward
Park City, Utah  ·  Commercial resiliency & competitive health dashboard
Baseline Period  ·  2024-25
PUBLIC = pre-loadedSURVEY = group input

Historic Main Street is Park City’s most resilient economic asset — and its most underleveraged one.

Every mountain resort town has hotels, lift access, and après ski. Very few have a historic commercial district with the character, density, and walkability that Main Street provides. That distinction is what separates Park City from a resort and makes it a destination. It generates economic activity in every month of the year — not just peak ski weeks. It is the asset that new resort-adjacent districts are spending hundreds of millions of dollars trying to replicate and cannot.

The Main Street Area Plan process in 2024 surfaced important questions about the district’s future. As Park City enters its most competitive period — Deer Valley East open, Canyons Village expanding, Quinn’s Junction developing — there is an opportunity to build a shared framework for Main Street’s continued success.

Main Street Forward exists to support that effort: contributing business-level data that complements what the city tracks, connecting to national programs with proven track records, and building coalition capacity to act on what the data shows. We are working with city staff to build a shared picture of Main Street’s commercial health.

The resiliency argument
Why Main Street is Park City’s most defensible competitive position
1
New resort-adjacent districts compete on amenities and capital. Main Street competes on character, authenticity, and history — assets that cannot be built from scratch.
2
A healthy Main Street generates year-round economic activity — shoulder seasons, local spend, civic life — that resort base areas structurally cannot.
3
Main Street’s health is measurable. Occupancy, tenancy mix, year-round business count, local-independent ratio. By combining city data with business-level observations, we can track these metrics together.
2024 Area Plan
Foundation
The Area Plan process surfaced important questions. Main Street Forward aims to contribute data that can inform the next phase.
Competitive pressure
3 districts
Deer Valley East open. Canyons Village ~50% entitlement remaining. Quinn’s Junction active. Each competes for the same visitor and local dollar.
What we’re building
Coalition
Main Street Forward: data-driven, nationally connected, and focused on commercial resiliency. First meeting held March 2026.
About this site: This dashboard compiles publicly available data alongside business-level observations about Main Street’s commercial environment. It is the working instrument of the Main Street Forward coalition — a group of business owners, civic leaders, and community members building a shared picture of Historic Main Street’s health in partnership with city staff. Green fields draw from public sources. Yellow fields capture observations that only businesses can provide.
Enter your group’s audit data in the yellow fields. Public data is pre-loaded. The gap score and radar chart update live as you type.
A — Demand conditions  (what the street was given to work with)
Park City lodging occupancy — ski season
57.6%
Market-wide · Nov 2024–Apr 2025
PUBLIC · PC Chamber / STR
Transit ridership — winter season
900K+
Dec–Mar 2024-25 · +4% YoY
PUBLIC · Park City Transit
Permitted special events
61
2024 full year · down from 78 in 2023
PUBLIC · PC Special Events
Citywide sales tax — Feb 2025
$8.3M
All-time monthly record · +2.7% YoY
PUBLIC · parkcity.gov
Transient Room Tax — latest month
From city council monthly finance report
PUBLIC · parkcity.gov
Anchor event attendance
138K
Sundance 2023 in-person · $118M Utah impact
PUBLIC · Sundance Institute
Shoulder-season occupancy
35.7%
May–Oct 2025 · Demand present year-round
PUBLIC · PC Chamber / STR
B — Commercial outcomes  (lagging — group audit)
Ground-floor occupancy rate
%
Walk audit — % storefronts occupied
SURVEY · Group walkthrough
Local independent ratio
%
% occupied that are locally owned
SURVEY · Group walkthrough
Year-round businesses
%
Open in both May and January
SURVEY · Group audit
Average business tenure
yrs
Average years at current location
SURVEY · Member survey
Visualizations
Demand vs. commercial outcomes
Enter audit data above to populate the commercial outcomes layer
Demand conditionsCommercial outcomes
Event permit trend
Permitted special events by year — a 22% decline worth understanding
Lodging occupancy — ski vs. shoulder
Demand is present year-round — the question is whether Main Street captures it
Citywide sales tax
Record peaks in ski season; shoulder months underperform proportionally
Diagnostic gap score
6 / 10
57.6% lodging occ. · 61 events · 900K transit riders · $8.3M sales tax record
5 / 10
Enter audit data above to inform this score
+1
Gap score — demand minus commercial capture
Slight demand advantage
Demand conditions were modestly ahead of what Main Street captured. Enter audit data above to sharpen the picture.
Full metric index with current values where publicly available. Green = pre-loaded from public sources. Yellow = requires group audit or data request.
Main Street Commercial Vitals Index
All metrics · data status · sources · baseline 2024-25
Updated April 2026
MetricCurrent valuePrior periodTrendSourceNotes
A — Demand conditions (leading)
A1. Park City lodging occupancy57.6% ski / 35.7% shoulder55.7% ski↑ Ski +3% YoYPark City Chamber / STRShoulder May–Oct 2025. Infrastructure sized for 100%.
A2. Transit ridership — Old Town routes900K+ (winter)~865K↑ +4% YoYPark City Transit · annual reportsDec–Mar 2024-25. Spring/summer +6% YoY.
A3. Permitted special events (city)61 (2024)78 (2023)↓ −22% vs 2023PC Special Events Dept.Location breakdown would strengthen analysis
A4. Citywide sales tax — peak month$8.3M (Feb 2025)$8.1M (Feb 2024)↑ All-time recordPC Municipal Council reportsCitywide. Context: if citywide is record but Main St flat, street underperformed.
A5. Transient Room Tax revenueEnter monthly——PC Municipal Council reportsAvailable from city finance reports
A6. Anchor event attendance138K (Sundance 2023)138K— StableSundance Institute · FIS · Kimball ArtsTrack whether event peaks show in commercial outcomes
B — Commercial outcomes (lagging — group audit)
B1. Ground-floor occupancy rateAudit required—— BaselineGroup walkthrough · no public source exists20-minute walk. The single most important number we don’t have.
B2. Local independent ratioAudit required—— BaselineGroup walkthroughIdentity measure. National chains vs. local independent count.
B3. Year-round operating businessesAudit required—— BaselineGroup audit (May + Jan comparison)Seasonal fragility measure. Gap = businesses lost to shoulder season.
B4. Average business tenureSurvey required—— BaselineHPCA member surveyResiliency signal. Long tenure = deep roots, stable identity.
B5. Owner-operator ratioSurvey required—— BaselineMember surveyOwner-operators make faster decisions and weather downturns better.
B6. Quarterly tenancy turnoverOngoing tracking—— BaselineBusiness license dataTrack openings and closings separately — net masks churn.
C — Event & activation activity
C1. Private / corporate events (voluntary)Not yet tracked—— Create this dataVoluntary business compactThe unmeasured category. Group creates through anchor business compact.
C2. Permitted public events — Main StreetRequestable78 city (2023)↓ decliningPC Special EventsLocation breakdown is next step. Current figure is citywide only.
C3. Foot traffic — Old Town / Main StreetCity partnership—— In discussionPlacer.ai (city subscription)City has agreed to share within licensing constraints
Direction for all metrics where data currently exists. Baselines marked yellow are the group’s first priority to establish.
Known trends — public data
Permitted special events (2022 → 2024)71 → 61↓−14% · worth understanding
Park City transit ridership — winter YoY+4%↑900K+ riders · demand is present
Ski season lodging occupancy YoY+3%↑57.6% · market-wide improvement
Shoulder-season lodging occupancy (May–Oct 25)35.7%—Baseline established · year-round demand exists
Citywide sales tax — ski season peaks+2.7%↑Feb 2025 all-time record $8.3M
Citywide sales tax — shoulder months (Sep 2024)−10.9%↓TRT down vs Sep 2023 · shoulder gap
Baselines to establish — group priorityNo public source exists · this group creates the data
Ground-floor commercial occupancy rate——20-minute walkthrough · first priority
Local independent vs. national chain ratio——Classify storefronts during walkthrough
Year-round operating businesses (%)——Compare May vs. January open count
Average business tenure (years)——HPCA member survey
Private / corporate events per quarter——Voluntary compact with anchor businesses
The question we’re exploring: Citywide demand indicators are strong — record sales tax, growing transit ridership, improving ski season occupancy. The commercial outcomes audit will help answer whether Main Street is capturing its proportional share of that demand, and where opportunities exist.

Programs and contributions

Main Street Forward operates on two tracks: connecting to established national programs that provide structure and resources, and contributing local data that strengthens everyone’s understanding of Main Street’s commercial health.

National programs — opportunity to join
Park City is not currently a member of either program below. Both offer technical assistance, grant access, and proven frameworks for historic commercial district stewardship. Steamboat Springs — a close analog as a resort town with a historic Main Street — joined the national program in 2004, received state designation in 2006, and now has sub-1% downtown vacancy.
Program 01
Main Street America
mainstreet.org · 1,600+ communities nationally
2024 reinvestment
$7.65B
ROI per $1 spent
$21.73
New businesses (2024)
6,324
Park City status
Not a member
Two designation tiers: Affiliate (commitment demonstrated) and Accredited (proven track record). Park City can enter at Affiliate level. Designation is a formal advocacy tool that signals standing to city, state, and national funders. Applications route through Utah Main Street.
National Contact: Chelsea Gauthier, Utah Main Street Coordinator · 801-535-2501 · cgauthier@utah.gov
Program 02
Utah Main Street Program
ushpo.utah.gov · 22 Utah communities
Coordinating body
Utah SHPO
Utah members (2025)
22 communities
Application window
Spring 2026
Park City status
Not a member
State program within the Utah State Historic Preservation Office. Members include Ogden, Cedar City, Helper, Brigham City, Price, Heber City — but not Park City. Membership provides technical assistance, grant access, and national designation. Applications typically open each spring.
State Contact: Chelsea Gauthier · 801-535-2501 · cgauthier@utah.gov · Faith Bitz · 801-535-2520
What the coalition contributes
Contribution 01
Main Street Commercial Health Index
The coalition’s quarterly walkthrough audit establishes baseline metrics for Main Street-specific commercial vacancy, tenancy mix, and year-round operating percentages. These business-level observations complement city data and can inform policy discussions at the planning commission, in the press, and at city council.
Organizational Coalition-initiated · first audit scheduled · 20 minutes per quarter
Contribution 02
Business-level data for planning processes
The coalition is positioned to contribute business perspectives and commercial data to planning processes like the Main Street Area Plan. Occupancy data, tenancy mix, year-round ratios, and a published health index can help ground conversations in shared facts — transforming discussions from “what do you want Main Street to be” to “what does the data say, and what are we willing to do about it.”
PolicyCoalition Available to support city process
Contribution 03
Understanding development incentive structures
Incentive structures — TIF, facade grants, density accommodations — exist to encourage development across the city. Understanding how these tools apply to Main Street properties versus new developments elsewhere can help identify opportunities to support adaptive reuse and reinvestment in the historic district.
Policy Discussion with city staff
Contribution 04
Private and corporate events data
The private event category — buyouts, corporate dinners, retreats, group meetings — is currently unmeasured. A voluntary compact among eight to ten anchor businesses to report quarterly counts would create the first published figure for this category. It also quantifies the opportunity that additional event-oriented hospitality infrastructure on Main Street could fill.
Organizational Voluntary · coalition-initiated
Contribution 05
Year-round event programming coordination
Main Street businesses can host events that need no city permits: private art openings, tastings, pop-ups, corporate activations, gallery walks. Coordinated into a shoulder-season calendar, these give visitors a reason to come in May, September, and October — requiring coordination among businesses, with potential city support for promotion.
Organizational Business-initiated · coordination opportunity
Next — Contribution 06
Workforce housing connection
Next
Workforce housing is both a regional priority and a Main Street commercial resiliency issue. Employees who can live within reach of the district reduce turnover, extend operating hours, and enable year-round staffing that shoulder-season programming requires. The coalition can contribute business perspectives to housing policy discussions at the city and county level.
PolicyPartnership Main Street Area Plan process · City Council · Summit County housing policy

Active initiatives

The following actions are in progress as of April 2026. This tab will be updated as each initiative advances.

Organizational
COMPLETED — March 2026
Main Street Forward founding meeting
Done
First coalition meeting held March 2026. Group established shared commitment to data-driven approach and commercial health monitoring. Next meeting will expand membership and conduct first walkthrough audit.
IN PROGRESS — April 2026
Main Street America & Utah Main Street program applications
Active
Initiating contact with Chelsea Gauthier, Utah Main Street Program Coordinator (cgauthier@utah.gov · 801-535-2501) to explore Park City’s eligibility and application path for both Utah Main Street and Main Street America designation. Spring 2026 application window is open.
Data partnership
IN PROGRESS — April 2026
City data collaboration
Active
The city has agreed to share data that can strengthen the commercial health picture, including Placer.ai foot traffic analytics (within licensing constraints), geo-coded sales tax information, and permit records. The coalition will contribute business-level observations the city cannot collect directly. This partnership creates a more complete picture than either party could build alone.
PENDING — Next meeting
Main Street commercial walkthrough audit
Scheduled
Ground-floor storefront walkthrough of Historic Main Street to establish B1–B5 baseline metrics: occupancy rate, local independent ratio, year-round operating count, and initial tenure estimate. A 20-minute exercise that creates business-level baselines to complement city data.
Priority action · Scheduled for next meeting · Results to be shared with city staff
Engagement
PENDING
Anchor business corporate events compact
Next step
Outreach to 8–10 anchor Main Street businesses to establish a voluntary quarterly reporting compact for private and corporate event activity. Goal: create baseline data for private event volume on Historic Main Street — useful context for programming and infrastructure discussions.