What is being proposed?
The Heber Valley Arts Center will be our community’s home for arts of all kinds in the Heber Valley for now and for the decades to come. The Heber Valley Arts Center will not only be a theater for performances but also our community’s home for arts of every type. It will be a place to introduce all of our residents of today and generations to come to arts education and to expand knowledge. Rivaling any modern theater, it will be everyone’s home to connect artists and their craft to the community they hold dear.
What is the cost of the project?
Concept design has been completed by Utah architecture firm Method Studios. Based on that design, Construction Control Corporation has estimated the Heber Valley Arts Center’s cost as approximately $60M for the design and construction of the project.
The ground has been secured through a ground lease with Heber City providing 4.4 acres for the facility, use of the new Arts District parking, and roadways for up to 75 years at a cost of $1 per year.
How are we proposing to finance the design and construction of the Heber Valley Arts Center?
- Wasatch Arts Council executed private and public fundraising studies through Utah-based Pathway Associates in 2019/20.
- 68% of those surveyed indicated strong support for the project.
- A naming rights campaign will be targeted to provide up to $30-40 million.
- 60% of residents surveyed by Lighthouse Associates express a desire to “grow the arts.”
Where is the property?
- The 4.4 acre site is directly east of the UVU facility in north Heber as part of the new Jordanelle Ridge “Arts District” that will be owned and operated by Heber City.
- Heber City annexed the area around the UVU site. The space will include new residential and commercial developments.
How was the site above UVU chosen?
- The site above the UVU campus is spectacular, providing easy access for all patrons from I-40.
- There are synergies in the Arts District from shared parking, utilities, landscaping, and security with other tenants.
- 80% interviewed by Pathway Associates positively responded to constructing the Arts Center close at this location.
Who will own and manage the Arts Center?
- Wasatch Arts Council is proposing that the Heber Valley Arts Center be owned by a new separate 501-c-3 nonprofit corporation.
- The Heber Valley Arts Center, then, will be professionally supervised by a professional venue operations team and governed by the new 501-c-3 Board of Directors.