Clearfield changing its face

CLEARFIELD — No "welcome" signs greet visitors, and none are needed. It's clear you've crossed city lines.

Drivers traveling north on Main Street will notice that new developments on every corner in Layton quickly disappear to a slew of pawnshops, used-car lots and quick-loan joints in this working-class city.

But Clearfield is not "the wrong side of the tracks," city leaders say. And with an ambitious plan, Clearfield plans to change the face of downtown — and keep the naysayers quiet.

"We have a bad reputation for some reason, I don't know why," Mayor Tom Waggoner said. "We need to change our image."

Cleanup efforts started four years ago, when the city christened a $10.2 million City Hall building. At the time, Waggoner said he hoped the new building would spur a rash of redevelopment in the area.

First came Town Centre, an upscale strip mall next door to the city complex. The next step in the plan was to encourage local businesses to remodel.

So far, the plan hasn't worked well. A handful of businesses have renovated, including a fast-food restaurant and a few auto-repair shops. And Town Centre is struggling to fill, city manager Jack Bippes said.

"We need to convince people there is more to Clearfield than what they remember and what they've been told in the past," Bippes said.

It's not an easy job, so city leaders brought in professionals. The city paid a marketing and planning-services firm $50,000 to change the face of the city. Now city leaders hope to hire Economic Development Team to develop a marketing plan that will both lure new business to the area as well as encourage local business to spruce up.

But figuring out just what type of new business the city wants is no easy task. Cross Wal-Mart, Super Target or other big-box stores off the list — they just won't work in Clearfield, Waggoner said.

With the Layton Hills Mall and a line of big-box stores just minutes away, it wouldn't make sense to lure a major retailer to the city, Waggoner said. Instead, it's the mom-and-pop type specialized stores this northern Davis County city is seeking.

"We want to find the little businesses that find a niche here, especially shops that people will make Clearfield a destination to come," Waggoner said.