A new Home Depot store came one step closer to reality Tuesday when the City Council approved changes in the general plan and zoning to accommodate it.
But the approval was contingent on a traffic study, which in turn will be reviewed by the city. David Winnie of Johanson Thackery Commercial Real Estate Services said the traffic study was being done privately. Residents said they want a second opinion from the city, which could mean hiring a consulting traffic engineer.The general plan and zone change was only for the Home Depot site within a new power center under consideration for the west side of Lindon, just north of Orem's 1600 North and east of I-15. The land had been zoned for research and development. But Mayor Larry Ellertson noted that commercial development would bring more tax revenue into city coffers.
The action to rezone the land stumbled at first when a motion by Councilman Jim Dain to include the entire 50-acre site failed to get a second. City officials plan to create a new commercial zone to handle large shopping centers like this. But that is an estimated three months away. Winnie said Home Depot was driving the development and if it didn't get approval soon the retailer would go elsewhere, which could jeopardize the center from ever being built.
"Home Depot is going to build one store in Utah County," he said. "This is the one trump card we could play. It will spawn the rest of the development."
Five-lane roads with country-styled landscaping would divide the center into three main sections. Home Depot is to occupy one section while future development in the other sections could include more retail and possibly hotel sites.
The main five-lane road, including a middle turn lane, would intersect in a roundabout. Heavy landscaping on both sides of the roads would include a plethora of trees and flowering plants set off with a two-rail white vinyl fence and a high berm that would shield the road from vast parking lots. The landscape design is intended to meet Lindon city fathers' theme of "a little bit of country." Developer is the EsNet Management Group of Provo.
The roads would be wider and the roundabout larger than discussed in previous council meetings, said Winnie. Councilwoman Lindsey Bayless, originally from England, said a larger roundabout would offer better traffic movement. But this one was still small by European standards, she indicated.
But residents' main concern had to do with the traffic the center would generate and if the streets would be modified to handle it. Winnie said not to expect a commitment to fix the roads from the Utah Department of Transportation. Lavar Rockwood said such a big project - which could reach 440,000 square feet of retail space - would generate more traffic than present roads could handle. The I-15 offramp is too short to handle the traffic the center would generate, he said, expressing doubt that Lindon would have the money to keep up.
Winnie said the offramp would be changed eventually. The entrance to the shopping center is designed to line up with the future offramp, he said. The developer would put a signal light at the entrance to the center.