Condos part of 'walkable' city plan

PROVO — One of the major goals Provo city leaders set two years ago when they approved an updated general plan was to create sustainable, walkable communities.

That's one reason why a $16 million condominium project sailed through city approvals this summer.

The development, named the "Trellis on the Green" because the four-story building will overlook the third and fourth holes of the Riverside Country Club golf course, is next to the Residence Inn by Marriott at about 250 West and 2230 North.

That's reasonable walking distance, about three blocks, from the shopping center and restaurants at Plumtree Plaza — including ShopKo, Movies 8, Cafe Rio — and Cottonwood Square's professional offices and stores.

"This type of condominium development is conducive to the owners leaving their cars parked in the underground garage and walking to the many nearby businesses and restaurants," City Council member Steve Turley said.

Trellis on the Green includes 43 condos priced between $300,000 and $500,000 for the penthouse floor, said Kent Walker of WPA Architects. The steep price tag was cited as one reason the condos wouldn't draw Brigham Young University students, a concern of neighbors.

However, the real deterrent will be the fact that the building will lie outside BYU's new, stricter and narrower corridor of approved singles housing.

"There are BYU students out there who can buy and sell both of us," said David Gardner of Gardner and Associates, who will develop the property. "It's possible we could have one or two students living there in a unit, but it's not going to be like in the old days when everything seemed to be up for grabs and price didn't seem to be an object" for students.

Another neighborhood concern was an increase of congestion at the traffic light at 2230 North and 200 West. However, the city engineering department found that increased traffic will not exceed the intersection's threshold.

A final issue was the four-story height, which will block some views of Mount Timpanogos, but the council considered that inevitable.

"Those views would probably be blocked by even a two-story building," council member Cindy Richards said.

With those worries swept away, both the planning commission and city council unanimously approved the project, which will be set back far enough from 2230 North and retain enough native vegetation that it probably won't be visible from one of Provo's main roads.

The approvals included amending a city ordinance to allow the condos to be four stories tall and rezoning the land from residential agricultural.

The land originally was owned by Dick Wells, one of the original founders of Riverside Country Club. Gardner said he'd tried to purchase the 1.7 acres from two landowners for several years but until now couldn't get both to agree to sell at the same time.

The country club did not support or object to the project during city meetings.

Construction could begin as early as late October, said Carl Bacon, a partner in the development.

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