SPANISH FORK — It's back to the drawing board for the frustrated developer of a subdivision with more than 200 lots in the rural Leland section of the city.

The area of farms and country homes lies just west of the Spanish Fork River.

Residents raised concerns over two potential flooding issues — the river overflowing its banks and the volume of new traffic the subdivision would bring.

"When that river floods, it has no conscience," resident Glen Larsen said.

The river has flooded three times in the past 60 years at the site where developer Richard Mendenhall wants to build the homes, said resident Richard Harris. The site is near Mayor Dale Barney's home, where he has battled waters eating away at the river bank along his property in years past.

Residents say roads leading to the proposed River Cove subdivision are too narrow to accommodate the expected increase in traffic. The site lies across the river from Volunteer Park, the city's newest sports park, which already attracts substantial added traffic to the area, residents said. A bridge had been proposed earlier that would carry the traffic across the river and past the park.

Residents also argued against a Y-shaped intersection on a hillside road running through the development. Residents said the design would be difficult for farm trucks and other heavy equipment to negotiate, posing an additional accident potential.

Resident concerns were apparently enough to persuade the City Council to give the proposal a 3-2 thumbs-down vote. Councilmen Chris Wadsworth, Matt Barber and Seth Sorensen opposed the requested rezoning for the subdivision. Councilmen Everett Kelepolo and Paul Christiansen supported the request.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency reduced the flood zone to a narrow area on both sides of the river after being informed about flood-control structures that have been installed farther up river, Mendenhall told the Deseret Morning News. Mendenhall submitted his project to the city nearly six months ago, just after the city extended the growth boundary to include the riverside area in Leland.

Mendenhall said he believes the subdivision fits the city's general plan requirements, which include providing for future traffic growth. The general plan is a document that guides development.

The strident resident opposition to Mendenhall's zoning request triggered a discussion that could lead to changing the public comment process for future subdivision proposals. Officials want the discussion to occur during the Planning Commission process before the project is forwarded to the City Council for a final decision.

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E-mail: rodger@desnews.com