CEDAR HILLS — City Council and Planning Commission members met Tuesday to look at changes to the proposed Wal-Mart in Cedar Hills — and so far, they like what they see.

After a meeting last week during which planning commissioners essentially said they didn't like the exterior design of the proposed 123,000-square-foot supercenter, the project's architect, Mary Kell, regrouped and came back with some hand-sketched changes.

"This is the nicest Wal-Mart in Utah," said Kell, who works for BSW International, an architecture and engineering firm.

That also means the store probably won't be the cheapest Wal-Mart has ever built in Utah, either. Kell's sketches feature cupolas, canopies and concrete quoins with a slate roof and brick exterior.

The look is unusual for a Wal-Mart, and even Shell MacPherson of Pacland, the development company in charge of creating the project, said he was surprised Wal-Mart was willing to make the changes.

"This is really Wal-Mart's way of reaching out to your community," MacPherson told council and commission members on Tuesday. "I was quite shocked that they were willing to take a step beyond where we were ... Thursday night. They were telling us, 'No more,' so we're happy to be here tonight to present this and say that they're on board."

After a four-hour discussion last Thursday, during which planning commissioners discussed how the project could be better, both groups voiced their positive opinions on Tuesday.

"Architecturally, (the building) has a little bit of a different look to it," Councilman Jim Perry said. "We have a colonial theme going down there (in that part of town), and the new look on the sketches just fits the colonial theme better and it gives it even more of an upscale, high-end look. That just seemed to really hit the nail on the head as far as what we were looking for."

Perry said Kell left the meeting on Thursday and studied more colonial architecture so she could alter the building's appearance. The project received a preliminary approval from the Planning Commission, but the approval was subject to updating the exterior to be more colonial.

The building is proposed to be on a plot of land between Redwood Drive and 4800 West. Some residents in the area have raised concerns about the building's size and potential traffic congestion and are skeptical of the project.

One resident in the audience called the meeting a "lovefest," although council members did say they would wait to voice the extent of their opinions on the project until the proposal is an item on the City Council agenda.

The City Council will have a public hearing on Wal-Mart at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 20, at 3925 W. Cedar Hills Drive, Cedar Hills. A public hearing on businesses that will be located next to Wal-Mart will take place at 7 p.m. this Thursday at 3925 W. Cedar Hills Drive in Cedar Hills.

---

E-mail: achoate@desnews.com