"The council is very unlikely to change their minds (if the initiative is brought before it), in my opinion," he said.

McGee said the coalition is a vocal minority and the majority of residents want businesses to be free to choose what they sell and when they sell it.

"We have a very small, very vocal group in the city that has taken it upon themselves to be the individuals who think they can tell everybody in the city how the city's going to be run," he said. "The vast majority is opposed to this type of thing (Sunday closings and no alcohol sales)."

McGee also pointed out that the council does not choose who does business in Cedar Hills but will simply approve or deny building proposals based on the city code.

Duncan said he thinks public opinion is on the coalition's side.

"Clearly, the vast majority of residents prefer that a local grocery store not sell alcohol and be closed on Sunday," he said. "So we're just trying to establish as a formal policy that which everybody wants."

Abbott said if the company built a store in Cedar Hills, it would provide a wide range of products, not just health food fare.

"We would have a natural foods component, but that store would be totally different from our Orem store and would be priced competitively," he said.

Abbott said the store plans to expand all along the Wasatch Front, including Utah County.

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E-mail: mdecker@desnews.com