FARMINGTON — The signs of growth are most visible in the early evening.

Along streets lined by a canopy of aged trees, residents are driving home. This is a city known for its agricultural heritage, but the cars are representative of new rooftops, growth and the development of farmland.

Longtime residents who have watched agricultural lands re-zoned and sold for housing development mourn the change. "It was hard for me to see the farmland go," resident Vonnie Steele told a Deseret Morning News photographer.

But compared to neighboring cities, Farmington has managed to maintain the "bedroom community" atmosphere that most residents enjoy. To the south, Centerville has experienced rapid commercial development: a Super Target, Home Depot and a much-criticized proposal to build a Wal-Mart Superstore.

While in need of a commercial tax base, Farmington officials vow to keep traditional big boxes out of their city.

Growth — specifically commercial growth — will happen. But they hope to manage it with "smart growth" planning, zoning restrictions and a focus on the future, not just the present need for dollars.

Planning for growth

Three years ago, Farmington officials began a process to revise the city's master plan. The goal was to determine areas where commercial, retail and economic growth could occur.

A consultant was hired and public meetings were held. Ultimately, the City Council approved a new master plan that called for commercial developments west of Interstate 15, near Highway 89 and perhaps north of Lagoon.

"We're doing everything we can to try to accommodate some level of development without ruining the atmosphere we all love about the city," Mayor Dave Connors said of the new master plan.

Two new zoning designations, transit-oriented development and neighborhood mixed-use, are being prepared for the planned commercial areas. The designations will set limitations for building and will likely promote a "walkable" development concept.

"We don't have the right to just say 'no' to development," Connors said. "We just don't have that right. Our job is to control it and make sure it's done right."

Residents, however, have mixed views. For 36 years, Andy Andersen has lived in Farmington and watched as farmland was subdivided into housing lots. The City Council has a knack for catering to developers, he said.

Case in point: Developments west of I-15 where The Boyer Co. and Proterra Cos. have been slow to improve roadways as promised. A 15-year-old boy was killed recently in an intersection near a road they are required to improve.