Local business owner and entrepreneur David Harries has big plans for Lower Main Street. After buying nearly 48,000 square feet of retail space early this year, Harries is ready to see Lower Main Street become a viable pocket of the Park City economy, a true extension of Main Street.

The property is situated below the Marriott Summit Watch timeshares, running up the two-block length from the bottom of Main Street to 7th Street.

Harries first discovered the project while he was in pursuit of a location for his newest business, Vinto, one of several restaurant investments Harries has made over the years, Riverhorse on Main among them.

The part-owner of the wood-fired pizza restaurant called his unintended interest for Lower Main Street “the tail that wagged the dog.” While the plan was to simply find a spot for Vinto, it quickly expanded when he delved into the retail options.

“We were looking for space when we were introduced to the fact that this center’s retail space was for sale,” Harries said. “After all the time I’ve spent in Park City, I think this is one of the most underutilized properties on Main Street.”

The retail space is part of the Marriott Summit Watch, a successful timeshare property managed by the Marriott brand. The retail space, which makes up roughly a quarter of the entire project, has suffered in past years to find renters in the past, creating a lull in the business activity for the plaza.

“This is going to be a great partnership,” said Marriott Summit Watch general manager, Stephanie Johnston. “We’re really looking forward to working with him as he begins bringing in exciting new tenants to the plaza. This will be a great relationship.”

Because the timeshare owners control a majority vote in the decision-making process, Harries and his partners will need to work in conjunction with them to redesign and revitalize the plaza space.

The partnership includes more than 6,000 owners in 135 timeshare units that make up the Marriott Summit Watch, an unusual business hurdle Harries is getting used to. Starting with a good relationship is essential to get future projects moving forward, he said. With hopes to completely redesign the space, giving it a new name, feel and look, Harries said the entire plaza is slated to undergo a major facelift.

“We have to sit down collectively as an association and say these are the things that are important to us,” Harries said. “It is a partnership. We control to commercial side. The timeshare owners own the lodging side, and we have to work in tandem.”

The overall project, which is still being worked out, will take a minimum of three years to complete Harries expects, and would be done in phases. With residential approval, the plans may reach up to $4 million in renovations, including a new entrance design at 7th and Main Street, upgrades to the validated parking system and improvements to the plaza benches and planters.

Johnston said the restoration to the plaza area would be paid for through in part by owner fees and would consist of a full tear out, starting with the Marriott entrance facing Deer Valley Drive.

“Everyone is really excited to have a new owner, especially someone who is here and has a vested interest in the property,” Johnston said.

For now, the retail side of the Summit Watch space is courting new businesses, creating a mix he hopes will draw in crowds. While the restaurants and galleries in the space have managed to do well in the little-trafficked retail space, the problem is those spaces do not have enough diversity. Restaurants are typically open for dinner service and well-known businesses such as Coda gallery have a Main Street entrance.

Bringing a renewed interest into the plaza space is what Harries is after in the remodeling.

“We’re looking for local start-ups or existing businesses that will help create the energy that we want to provide,” he said. “Getting the right tenants, that is first and foremost. We can create a lot of incentive to get the right tenants to come here too. It’s like Vinto. If you build it, the people will come.”

He admitted the sentiment was kitschy but felt it still applied to what he was trying to do, what he has done with Vinto, a restaurant that has become popular among locals in its first shoulder season.

“These will become permanent, very expensive projects and we have to think about it,” Harries said. “We’re just now getting to understand and know the property. There’s a lot of information to process.”