SPRINGVILLE — Art City is growing.
The Springville City Council recently annexed some 1,600 acres on the west side, enlarging the city's boundaries by about 25 percent and giving the city of 20,400 space to grow to 50,000.
The addition has many residents wondering how new development may affect the rest of the town.
"We're turning Springville into another Orem," complained Mary Jane Jones. "Once we go forward with this, there's no turning back."
"This will remove individuality and return us to the post-war gray flannel suit," Karen Ifediba said.
Developers are peppering City Hall with proposals and asking questions about how new rules will affect them as they plan new subdivisions in the West Fields area. The annexation stretches from the north side industrial area south to 1600 South and from the former city boundaries on the east to I-15 on the west. Initial plans include a commercial center that some fear could compete with downtown Springville.
To guard against that, the City Council has approved new zoning rules intended to specifically protect downtown businesses.
The rules include relaxing parking requirements to maintain on-street parking.
City officials have also been meeting with downtown business owners to learn what else the city can do to encourage shopping, city attorney Troy Fitzgerald said.
"We'd like to see (downtown development) tied to the arts," he said. A new downtown business alliance was recently formed to boost the Main Street commercial center.
The annexation brought about the biggest change in development codes in about 30 years. The last major reworking occurred in the 1970s when the city hired a consultant to update its building codes.
The new zoning rules will allow a village center to develop with a mix of commercial and residential structures along 400 South, which runs between I-15 and the current downtown. That may result in buildings with commercial ventures on the ground floor and condominiums or apartments on the upper floors. Such mixed-use buildings are expected to make up 60 percent of the village center, said Fred Aegerter, community development director.
As the West Fields grows, developers are expected to foot the bill for extending sewer and water lines as part of the construction process, officials said.
One proposal for the village center includes a site for a future commuter rail depot.
The areas north and south of 400 South are designated for new residential construction with average size lots close to the village center and larger lots on the annexation's perimeter.
New design standards, particularly those affecting the West Fields area, are the most controversial elements of the new zoning rules, said developer Michael Stewart. Stewart said the sweeping changes could add from $5,000 to $40,000 to the price of a new home. Home builder Michael Brodski called the design standards harsh, particularly the requirement to have 10 different architectural designs and floor plans in each subdivision.
"I'd like to see a 5-year-old find his own house without his tricycle parked out in front," Councilwoman Dianne Carr said in defending the plan.
Despite the complaints, the council adopted the plan without changes at the urging of Planning Commissioner Christine Tolman.
E-mail: rodger@desnews.com