1. The form-based code (FBC) for the Main Street district was developed in response to the city’s previous planning projects. The 2016 general plan (GP) identifies the neighborhood as one of the city’s “opportunity areas.” The Main Street small area plan (SAP) was adopted in 2018 to further define what those opportunities are, develop more specific goals, and provide strategic projects to achieve those goals. Creating and adopting an FBC for the Main Street area is one of those strategic projects.

2. The FBC district is located in a unique place near the western edge of the city limits and between the recent Bingham Junction developments and the I-15 and railway corridor. It incorporates the historic Main Street and the surrounding light industrial and commercial properties. The FBC district boundary is shown in Figure 1.01.

1. The goals for the future of the Main Street neighborhood are presented in both the GP and SAP. These goals were developed over several years through various planning processes that included input from local residents, business and property owners, elected and professional members of the city government, and professional planning consultants.

2. The many goals for the Main Street neighborhood can be combined into one objective: create a vibrant, walkable town center. The individual goals include improved connectivity to the surrounding areas and TRAX station, bikeway connections, human-scale walkable development, both to preserve the historic character of Main Street and promote new development, greater use diversity, support existing businesses and attract new investment, strengthen residential areas, and improve neighborhood identity.

3. When implemented well, FBCs have been shown to produce more reliably predictable outcomes than traditional land use zoning. When preferred development goals are identified, an FBC can be customized to achieve the desired results. This FBC has been written and designed to meet the specific goals for the future of Midvale’s Main Street neighborhood.

1. Midvale City, formerly known as Bingham Junction, was established at an important railroad crossing and became a center of mining industries. From 1871 to 1987, several different companies operated a number of smelters, refineries, and mills just west of Main Street. These operations processed copper, lead, zinc, arsenic, silver, and cadmium from ores that originated from mines in both the Bingham and Little Cottonwood canyons. The Main Street neighborhood sprang up directly adjacent to these extensive ore industries and became the thriving downtown of Midvale City.

2. Since the height of the Midvale mining industry, the Main Street neighborhood has faced significant challenges. Main Street is no longer the commercial and social center of the city. It was incrementally isolated by the construction of I-15, freight and commuter railways, and the contaminated land left behind by the smelters.

3. Recent changes have added new value and activity to the neighborhoods around Main Street. The large Bingham Junction commercial and residential development on the previously contaminated smelter land, the TRAX light rail commuter station, and new buildings in the area, including City Hall, have given the neighborhood momentum for improvement. Recent planning efforts are guiding this momentum to produce a thriving town center type of neighborhood.

4. The Main Street neighborhood is zoned primarily for residential uses and was substantially developed prior to 1950. (Ord. 2022-03A § 1 (Att. H); Ord. 2020-04 § 1 (Att. A (part)))