SALEM — The thought of a five-story building sitting adjacent to crowded blocks of homes at the northern entrance to Salem rankles Jelene Robison.
Robison is so incensed at the idea that she's recruiting people to run for public office, hoping to oust the current mayor and City Council members who appear to favor expansion proposals by Neways Corp., the town's largest employer.
Her group fears the nutrition-supplement manufacturer and distribution firm has been given far too favorable treatment by current city leaders.
The company, which generates about $80,000 a year in property taxes for the city and employs about 500 people, wants approval to build rows of houses, many of which it would sell to company employees, across the highway from its proposed corporate headquarters.
"We're working to get a mayor and representatives who support our views," Robison said.
Robison also is concerned the City Council's decided against the Planning Commission's recommendation to keep the height limit on buildings at 40 feet.
The council approved a new limit of 65 feet for buildings along its commercial corridor, which runs the length of U-198 through Salem. The proposed Neways world headquarters building will be 75-feet tall but will meet the lower limit by using 10-foot berms around the base, city officials say.
If built, it would be the tallest building in Utah County south of Provo.
But people such as lifelong Salem resident Gus Farley say industrial development should be confined to land near I-15.
"It's a mistake to put it in the middle of town," he says. "People live here for the rural setting."
The latest issue regarding Neways, due before the City Council on Sept. 5, would allow a development company headed by Tom Mower, who is also the Neways chief, to develop hundreds of houses at the northern gateway.
"We're concerned about the high-density impacts," resident Roxann Barney said. "(The proposed small-lot houses) would be the biggest impact ever. There's just a two-lane highway into Salem now. We don't even have any stoplights."
The Planning Commission modified the company's request last week to rezone the city's gateway into a residential area of more than 100 acres. The commission recommendation would retain the commercial designation along the highway and allows large lots along Woodland Hills Drive that intersects with U-198. The commission wants the area to have a mix of homes, businesses and other uses. The smaller lots, which would measure about a quarter acre, would be tucked behind the commercial and large lot areas, Planning Commission Chairman Mary Klug said.
Mayor Randy Brailsford said he doesn't support the huge residential development — although he supported lifting the height limitations for the Neways building.
Robison says Brailsford has a conflict of interest because the mayor's wife works at Neways. However, Brailsford votes on issues only in the event of a tie.
"I wouldn't vote on it, and I'll not discuss it (during the meeting)," he said. "It's way too big for our city."
E-MAIL: rodger@desnews.com