Andersen submitted the general plan change on Wednesday. Now the petition will go to the Planning Commission for a public hearing, then to the City Council for another public hearing. After the general plan is amended, the same process will follow for the zone change.

City planners say each process usually takes about six weeks.

Meanwhile, the public can view Gehry's model at the Lehi Hutchings Museum for the next three weeks and leave comments in a suggestion box. Andersen says he will also create a link on his Web site, gcodeventures.com, where people can send in their thoughts.

Lehi officials say they like what they are seeing.

"I thought things fit really well," City Councilman Mark Johnson said. "I never heard a negative comment about the design. It was certainly different than what I expected. I expected to see more curved and linear shapes ... but it is still a very unique design."

Andersen said Gehry took the idea for his design from some of Utah's beautiful places, such as the slot canyons in Zion's National Park. It also didn't hurt that Andersen pushed for an active, sports-related atmosphere that emphasizes some of Utah's favorite pastimes.

"I think when anyone who starts a community starts to envision what they're going to have in the community, some piece of them actually gets incorporated into that community," Andersen said. "What Frank has done, with our help, is a good representation of who we are and what we do."

Since Andersen has at times described his project as being a "gateway to Utah County," Utah Valley Convention and Visitor's Bureau CEO Joel Racker says this project could mean good things for the county.

"I think people will be hard-pressed to say, 'What's there to do in Utah County?'" Racker said. "I think there is a perception that there is not a lot to do in Utah County, which I think is totally false. We're different from other areas in the state, and we are who we are in a very positive way. Salt Lake has its unique things that it has. Utah County has its unique attractions. I think the world is going to wake up to Utah County, and I think it's going to be good."

---

E-mail: achoate@desnews.com