LEHI -- The response Myron Child received from the Lehi Planning Commission to his Thanksgiving Mall idea was heartening, to say the least.
Child presented a conceptual plan to commissioners Thursday to gauge their feeling about the development of a shopping mall, a grocery store, a variety of retail pads and shops along with a multi-screen movie theater on land across from Thanksgiving Point in north Lehi."We just want to know if there is any opposition to this idea," Child said.
"Proceed. Absolutely!" said planning commissioner Steven Roll.
"Just show us the market study," said commission chairman James Dixon.
According to Child, an $25,000 market study was "very favorable" to commercial development in the area, which lies east of I-15 and south of the Alpine Highway in a pie-shape bordered by railroad tracks on the eastern edge.
Child said work on the mall, either a neighborhood shopping mall or possibly a regional-size mall, would probably begin in two to three years.
"Right now, the mall space in Utah exceeds the national average," Child said. "We're getting overbuilt on malls but not on neighborhood centers."
He said United American Development of San Francisco would be developing the shopping mall.
The firm Child is associated with, Perma Terra Land Corp. of Salt Lake City, would develop the lower south and upper north portions of the property, which will include a major grocery store, hotels and restaurants.
Child said he expects to present the concept plan to the Lehi City Council within a couple of weeks.
He emphasized that the plans he's showing officials could change considerably in the next several months. "This is just very preliminary," he said Thursday.
However, he said early indications support going ahead.
He said a land trade agreement is being worked out with the Utah Department of Transportation because a garage for equipment is located on the property to be developed.
Lehi city engineer Lorin Powell said the alignments haven't been studied in detail, and there are a number of issues to discuss.
"We wanted to make sure it was OK with you before we went further ahead," Child said.