If the small towns untouched by urban sprawl have the purest claim to traditional charm, Cedar City hopes to have the biggest. On its own initiative and without state help, the city is working with a developer to reclaim a block of its central Main Street for pedestrians. The city and Quantum Development now plan to replace the buildings and lots with new storefronts that mimic the traditional brick and stone shops and awnings that still line the other side of Main Street. The brick Post Office, already abandoned for a modern warehouse a block away, will become a civic center. The development will include 62,000 square feet of retail space, a 1,000-seat theater and a partially underground parking garage, Cedar City's first.
City officials expect it to be popular and quickly spawn more downtown housing.
All this will encircle a walking space that is meant to replicate the town square that Cedar City has lacked for decades. He moved to Salt Lake City last month after 18 years with the federal Bureau of Land Management and a term as chairman of the National Rural Council. Ten others can say the same of at least 10 percent of their houses. These homeowners typically live outside town and orient themselves more toward the views than the community, Williams said. Often the newcomers live on hillsides that overlook the towns, but never venture beyond the road that connects their garage to the airport or to Salt Lake City, Williams said.