Oakley council backs city center redevelopment plan

Oakley moved one step closer to remaking its town center when the City Council backed Steve Smith’s updated site plan for a mixed-use project along Center Street. The proposal could bring new stores, office space, restaurants, an expanded post office and a hardware store into the heart of town, but the approval did not clear the way for immediate construction.

The June 10 council action was listed as a “City Center presentation of updated site plan” with possible action. It came after months of revisions to a project that has been watched closely in Oakley because it could reshape the blocks around City Hall, the post office and the east end of Center Street for years to come. The latest version still leaves major pieces to be worked out before shovels go in the ground.

A March 4 staff report showed how many issues remained in play, including building locations, phased development, building heights, screening or fencing, access from State Route 32, drive-thrus, traffic flow, parking, pedestrian safety, trails, connectivity and open space. The city and developers were also still working through the details of a development agreement, which will help determine density, design and the relationship between public and private spaces.

The path to the June vote ran through a series of earlier decisions. On Oct. 1, 2025, the Planning Commission voted 4-1 to send the city center matter to the City Council for evaluation. On Oct. 8, the council voted 4-1 to accept that recommendation and 5-0 to authorize staff, the city attorney and the development group to prepare a draft agreement. At a Nov. 5 joint work session, officials reached consensus on a new post office at the same location and a grocery store. By Nov. 12, council members were signaling general support for a revised layout that reduced the project’s scale, added open space and improved walkability.

The redevelopment traces back to Steve Smith’s earlier proposal to rework about 10 acres at the intersection of State Route 32, Center Street and West Weber Canyon Road. KPCW reported in 2023 that Smith, the majority landholder there, grew up in Marion, studied finance at the University of Utah, worked at Megahertz and USRobotics, and later co-founded Finicity, which Mastercard acquired in 2020.

Oakley’s version of the plan has changed repeatedly since then. A 2023 application called for city hall to be preserved or restored, new retail and commercial buildings, expanded Ken’s Kash space and a phased buildout that would prioritize grocery, parking and infrastructure. Later renderings added a park and town square near the southern entrance by the post office, Dutch’s Service Station and Ken’s Kash. By this spring, the project had been downsized again to fit Oakley’s small-town character.

For Oakley, the June 10 vote was an important political step, not a final green light. The council’s backing showed support for a city center project that could add daily conveniences and new tax base, but the next round of negotiations will decide how much of that vision actually reaches Center Street.