Provo MSA Development Thread

[RFPCME]

Originally Posted by Wasatch_One

(keeping fingers crossed for a Boise Tower type situation)

Wasatch_One: HOW TO ANNOY A CONSERVATIVE:...Work hard, be happy, use your brain, and build in Pleasant Grove.

[wrendog]

^^^^^ I believe that is how to annoy a liberal.

[SLC Projects]

Lol

[Wasatch_One]

...I think we may have an annoyed liberal as we speak

...say no to Osama Obama!

[RFPCME]

Originally Posted by Wasatch_One

...I think we may have an annoyed liberal as we speak

...say no to Osama Obama!

Wasatch_One: Yup! Happy Fathers Day!

[poodledoodledude]

hey...i'm a liberal!

well, a UTAH liberal-- registered democrat, but anywhere else in the country i'm sure a utah county democrat is like a national republican...

go figure..

poodledoodledude

[delts145]

Connector plan called vital link - It would help ease traffic woes during Utah County I-15 project

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1...235013,00.html

The Vineyard Connector, one of four roads in the Access Utah County project, would provide access in the north part of the county without drivers having to jump on I-15.

"It will be a vital link during the I-15 reconstruction in Utah County," said Joe Walker, public involvement coordinator for the Access Utah County project.

..."There have been times when UDOT has been criticized for not anticipating growth," he said. "This is an opportunity to anticipate growth and put the infrastructure in place before the growth hits full bore."

... MAG projected the road would need to be in place to facilitate movement when the area explodes with growth, he said.

...Walker also said that the road would connect into the Vineyard station for the commuter-rail service that will be coming to Utah County.

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[delts145]

While not earth-shattering development news, it is kind of a cool little first-timer trend for Utah and also a good sign of contd. growth in northern Utah Valley. This particular location of American Fork/Lehi is doing phenominal business with all of it's new Mom & Pop shops and new national firsts for the area. I think it's important to note that even the national brands are often franchises owned by local entrepeneur families. Another nice little bit of progress is the new Olive Garden, which is proceeding nicely and should be completed and opened soon. The Olive Garden will also be located in this Meadows Center of American Fork. Also of note is the continued tranformation of Am. Fork's old Main street leading to The Meadows shopping district. Many stately old 19th century mansions which were showing signs of deterioration, continue to be restored and turned into boutique offices, restaruants and shops.

Additionally along the commercial news line of development, two huge commercial centers are currently under construction along what will soon be the highway 92 Parkway in Highland and on the Highland/Lehi border. This Parkway will be state of the art and another first in design for Utah. For those of you not familiar with the 92 corridor, it's the old highway leading from Thanksgiving Point to the entrance of Am. Fork Canyon. The development and transformation occurring along this 92 corridor right now is amazing in it's sheer size and sudden transformation.

American Fork/Lehi - First El Pollo Loco in Utah opens today

http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view/271495/

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[delts145]

UVU's arrival at last


Jason Olson, Deseret News
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1...240085,00.html

And now we have a university in our swelling valley with a student body expected to expand from 24,000 to 40,000 by 2030.

.

[delts145]

Pleasant Grove adopts downtown plan - Action comes after input from new advisory board

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1...240485,00.html


Evan Harris cuts Ron Firth's hair in his barbershop Thursday. The barbershop is at the cenbter of Pleasant Grove's downtown area (Stuart Johnson, Deseret News)

PLEASANT GROVE — After months of debate and reworking, Pleasant Grove has adopted a downtown 2020 action plan that it hopes will create an aesthetically pleasing downtown.
The original 2020 plan was drafted by city staff months ago, but people came out in droves to several community meetings earlier in the year to make sure their voices were heard before the plan was implemented...
...A main change the board suggested when it finished reviewing the plan in early June was making sure that the height of buildings is appropriate for mixed-business and residential areas. Another main suggestion is to require corresponding setbacks depending on the height of the buildings.

"We worked really hard to come to some sort of compromise that protects the residents of downtown and yet encourages developers to come in and risk money to make our downtown nicer," Downtown Advisory Board chairwoman Laurel Backman Riddle said.

The board came to a conclusion that the appropriate maximum height of buildings in the area would be 48 feet, with buildings up to 60 feet allowed if approved through a conditional-use permit process. Those numbers differ from the current city ordinance that sets a 55-foot maximum and up to 80 feet. After reviewing the board's recommendation, city staff felt that 55 feet, and up to 68 conditionally, made more sense, allowing for a four- or five-story building.

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[PhxSprawler]

Making Pleasant Grove one of the only cities in the country determining that lower height limits "make more sense" in its downtown core.

[UTPlanner]

I disagree with you PhxSprawler, there are many cities in this country that would like to have a downtown with shorter height limits. Especially cities that have very historic, vibrant downtowns. Chattanooga, TN is a great example of a dense, exciting downtown that has severe height limitations.(or at least they did when I was working in the area.) I think that allowing taller buildings in that situation would ruin the atmosphere and the community they are trying to create.

Just as making a project dense does not make it good, smart, or sustainable necessarily, neither does a lot of height.

[PhxSprawler]

Your point is well taken. Some of my favorite spots in the world are limited to 3 to 5 story buildings, however, combining shorter buildings with corresponding setbacks depending on height is known to be in conflict with a dense, sustainable city. It will, however, allow the city to widen the main roads if it chooses to do so in the future. It strikes me as odd to see a suburb announcing shorter height limits in its core in this decade, whether it is the right thing to do or not.

Regardless, Pleasant Grove is not in my top 2000 places to visit, so I likely will never go there unless by chance.

[delts145]

It is very important to have an understanding of a particular town first. Pleasant Grove has never been, or will it ever be just a bedroom community. Since it's inception in the 1800's, it has remained a distinct and pleasant town with a sizeable wealth of historic charm. Of course, as is typical with metro areas the borders of towns have grown together, such as Lehi, American Fork and Pleasant Grove. However, Pleasant Grove has it's own intimate and rather smallish Main Street, at the core of a very historic, old city. While the Main Street has little to reccomend of italianate commercial buildings,banks etc., the surrounding streets are full of jaw-dropping pioneer mansions that number among the mountain regions most graceful. It is the intention of the local residents to enhance these beautifully restored homes with an adjacement commercial district, that doesn't overwhelm the old-town intimate residential scale. Four and five story, historically acurate buildings are the sensible solution here. I agree with the residents that the taller projects should continue to develop in other areas of Pleasant Grove's State Street or Pleasant Grove's new Hotel and commercial and convention center adj. to I-15. These areas have been set aside already for much larger, taller commercial developments.

[SmilingBob]

[quote=Future Mayor;3613846]

Poodle, I understand what you are saying about referring to most of Utah County as Provo, when it's other people from the Wasatch Front or Back referring to Orem as Provo that is lame. Out of towners I can totally understand referring to it in that way or UT county residents to out of towners. quote]

Were you implying that Wasatch One or Back refer to Orem as the same as Provo?

Because if you are, you haven't read Wasatch's Thread just for Provo, not Orem, not Vineyard, just Provo.

IMHO, Wasatch could tell you to the house what is Provo and what is Orem.

BTW, to compare Provo and Orem is like comparing green grass to the cow fertilizer put on the lawn to make it green. Orem's crap of a city planning makes Provo looks beautiful and well planned.

[Future Mayor]

[QUOTE=SmilingBob;3658112]

Originally Posted by Future Mayor

Poodle, I understand what you are saying about referring to most of Utah County as Provo, when it's other people from the Wasatch Front or Back referring to Orem as Provo that is lame. Out of towners I can totally understand referring to it in that way or UT county residents to out of towners. quote]

Were you implying that Wasatch One or Back refer to Orem as the same as Provo?

Because if you are, you haven't read Wasatch's Thread just for Provo, not Orem, not Vineyard, just Provo.

IMHO, Wasatch could tell you to the house what is Provo and what is Orem.

BTW, to compare Provo and Orem is like comparing green grass to the cow fertilizer put on the lawn to make it green. Orem's crap of a city planning makes Provo looks beautiful and well planned.

I'm not following what you are asking or saying here Bob.

I was simply saying that people not living along the Wasatch Front or the Wastach Back might refer to cities in Utah County as "Provo" just as they might refer to cities in SL County as "Salt Lake" and that I didn't think that was a very big deal. But that if people living in those same areas refer to it that way, they are being ignorant.

I wasn't refering at all to "Wasatch One" the forumer.

[Wasatch_One]

dang, but I like when my name stirs controversy!

[Future Mayor]

Originally Posted by Wasatch_One

dang, but I like when my name stirs controversy!

Controversy this Wasatch_One!

hows that, does that work?

[Wasatch_One]

Haha, weeeeeell, add in a couple four letter words, and I'm satisfied.

[delts145]