LEHI — Brandt Andersen is tired of dealing with codes and zones.
He's ready to get to the fun part of planning the multimillion-dollar urban development he wants to build near Point of the Mountain: figuring out the character of the architecture.
And after Lehi's City Council meeting Tuesday, the developer is at least a couple steps closer to getting his wish.
The council agreed to amend the city's master plan to allow for Andersen's project by creating a new "sports entertainment" zone. With a unanimous vote, the council also voiced support of a concept plan from the mixed commercial and residential development
Andersen plans to build with the help of "starchitect" Frank Gehry.
"Now we know the city agrees with the density and concept plans, we can move on to the exterior design of the buildings," Andersen said. "Now we can start doing what everyone is most excited about: Finding out what face Frank's going to put on these buildings."
And with a five-star hotel that will out measure the state's tallest building and two man-made wakeboarding lakes included in the plans, the "face" of Andersen's 2,499-unit development could hardly turn out to be anything but unique — and that's not even taking into account Gehry's sleek, world-renowned architectural taste.
Few stepped forward to comment during the public hearing Tuesday, and, for the most part, even City Council members kept silent. Each of the three agenda items devoted to Andersen's project passed with a unanimous vote.
Andersen said he wasn't surprised by the amiable proceedings.
"We haven't had much opposition from the community because of the nature of the project," he said. "We're creating more than a shopping center here, we're basically creating a piece of art that will bring people in from miles around."
Andersen said he plans to meet with Gehry Sept. 4 to get started on the next phase of the project. He is also planning to kick off several environmental studies delving into the area's solar energy, wind patterns and soil.
"Frank and I are trying to set the bar for America by showing we can create green-type communities," he said. "We'd like to show that it's possible to give back to the environment instead of sucking from it."
Andersen said he expects he will break ground on the project within a year.
E-mail: estuart@desnews.com