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 few steps closer to getting his wish.
The council amended the city's master plan to clear the way for Andersen's project by creating a new "sports entertainment" zone. With a unanimous vote, the council also voiced support of a concept plan for 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."
Andersen's not the only one anticipating the next phase of the 2,499-unit development, which includes a five-star hotel that will out-measure the state's tallest building and a man-made wake-boarding lake.
"Everyone has been excited and continues to be excited about this," Dianna Webb, Lehi's planning director, said before she presented an overview of the new zone to the City Council on Tuesday. "We never, in our wildest dreams, imagined we'd be dealing with such a project in Lehi."
Plans for the new zone include underground parking structures, a fire station and a police station, she said. Fifty percent of the development will remain open space, protected indefinitely from future development.
The zone also outlines a "checks and balance system" that ties density to amenities, Webb said.
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.
"Mr. Brandt, go to work," Mayor Howard Johnson said after the City Council officially indicated its approval of the project's concept plan. If the project is done as "tastefully" as Andersen promises, he said he thinks the development will be a nice amenity for Lehi.
"It'll be kind of unusual, but I think when Brigham Young came in he thought this valley was kind of unusual, too," Johnson said.
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 on Sept. 4 to get started on the next phase of the project. He also plans 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