Heber City officials are searching for ways to revitalize Main Street and capture about $5 million in sales tax that a new study reveals is flowing out of town.

But unlike some northern Utah cities, such as Riverton and Sandy, Heber officials don't believe the solution is Wal-Mart - at least not a supercenter that would compete with other businesses, including grocer Day's Market.

The town wants a big-box retailer, just not a big big box, said City Councilwoman Shari Lazenby, who owns and operates Wasatch Footwear on Main Street.

"We're definitely trying to keep a Wal-Mart superstore from coming," she said. "That would pretty much suck sales from Main Street."

A recent and ongoing study reveals the town is losing out on about $5 million in sales tax on an estimated $50 million in retail purchases by Heber Valley residents. According to an analysis of Utah Tax Commission data, they shop elsewhere for items that may not be available closer to home - largely, the type of merchandise found in department stores and big-box retailers.

But while Heber City wants to land a big-box store - which may, in turn, attract other shops and restaurants - it is considering zoning that would cap floor space at 75,000 square feet. Wal-Mart superstores typically run 200,000 square feet or greater.

The $5,000 study, commissioned by the growth-planning partnership Envision Utah, indicates that while Heber City is capturing its share of grocery dollars - as well as those spent on such items as fast food, tires and gasoline - it's missing out on purchases of clothing, electronics, appliances and furniture, among other goods.

The analysis by Salt Lake City-based Wikstrom Economic and Planning Consultants is aimed at showing Heber City officials what types of retail they should seek in efforts to re-energize downtown.

"We want to entice new stores to come in that will fill in the gaps we're not covering," Mayor Lynn Adams said.

A department store or big box may need to anchor the new vision of Main Street - but Adams hopes it won't be a Wal-Mart supercenter with grocery.

"We're finding that some of the big boxes, like Target, do better without grocery," Adams said. "And we're not sure we want the mix Wal-Mart brings. It increases jobs. But they're not living-wage jobs, so you increase the poverty of your area."

Although it's clear that Heber Valley residents frequently shop elsewhere, the analysis is preliminary, emphasized Allen Fawcett, Heber City planning director.

"It's raw data. But whether its $30 million or $70 million, the bottom line is, it's significant," he said. "A lot of our people work outside the county and they shop in Utah, Summit and Salt Lake counties because there aren't a lot of options here.

"If everyone had their preference, it would be to build up small business downtown," Fawcett said of Heber City's Main Street. "But it's hard to compete against the large malls along the Wasatch Front."

Because residents have been "trained" to shop in places such as Salt Lake City, Orem and Kimball Junction, Heber City never will capture all potential retail dollars and the corresponding sales tax, said Lazenby. Nonetheless, the town can do better.

"If we brought in a department store, we'd capture some of what we're losing now," she said. "We've had J.C. Penney and Sears in the past but we didn't have enough people then to support them. But we've had a lot of growth since then, and we could support those things now."

csmart@sltrib.com

Main Street Program

Fast-growing Heber City has become the 11th Utah city to join the state's Main Street Program. Under the Utah Division of Business and Economic Development, the program helps communities revive their central business districts through matching money and multi-pronged partnerships.