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Consultant outlines short-term steps to fill empty storefronts, improve wayfinding and pursue industrial opportunities
Summary
Economic development consultant John Legarza briefed council and the Economic Development Advisory Board on a prioritized set of short‑ and mid‑term actions: targeted outreach to property owners with vacant storefronts, improved wayfinding and banners, façade and renewal investments, and site‑ready industrial mapping.
The City of Sandy’s new economic development consultant, John Legarza of Healthy Sustainable Communities, presented an action‑oriented plan to the council and Economic Development Advisory Board focused on immediate steps to reduce downtown vacancies and to prepare sites for future commercial or industrial investment.
Legarza told the meeting the highest‑priority, near‑term work is direct outreach to owners of vacant buildings: “There’s different issues…we gotta take a deeper dive, and we gotta have the hard conversations with those property owners,” he said. He recommended compiling a parcel‑level inventory (including rents and assessed values), then using that data to target recruitment and assistance.
Other near‑term recommendations include refreshed wayfinding and banners to better capture pass‑through motorists, and a façade improvement program supported by urban‑renewal funding where appropriate. Legarza also proposed a technical‑assistance program to make industrial parcels “site‑selection ready” (fit tests, utility/servicing analysis) and to market those sites to targeted employers.
Board and council members stressed a focus on Bell Street and the Old Barn/Proctor corridor as gateway areas where improvements would have high visibility. Members also discussed the possibility of allowing specific light industrial uses in transition areas, and noted that the sewer moratorium complicates new construction but that underused existing buildings may offer short‑term opportunities.
Council asked the consultant and staff to begin work quickly, prioritize a first meeting of the board in June, and to prepare a short list of implementable projects (wayfinding, outreach to landlords, small façade grants) that can be started while larger infrastructure and moratorium issues are resolved.
Why it matters: targeted, data‑driven outreach and modest public investments (signage, façade assistance) are intended to make downtown more attractive to both small local businesses and outside investors while the city addresses longer‑term water and build‑capacity constraints.
