PROVO — One city leader bills the proposed Joaquin Village apartment complex, with rooms for 952 Brigham Young University students, the largest project Provo has seen or will see for years.

"It's huge," City Council Chairman George Stewart said. "It's a big deal. It's the biggest project we've considered in a long, long time. There just isn't another property big enough in that high-density housing area for another project that size."

The 5-acre property only went on the market because the Provo School District decided to shut down and demolish Joaquin Elementary School at 500 East and 500 North and sell the land for $6.5 million.

Tonight, the City Council will hold a public hearing on Joaquin Village. Neighbors are expected to express concerns about increased traffic and whether the new five-story building will have adequate parking, even with 600 underground stalls.

Two other public hearings on tonight's agenda could also draw interest from residents.

One will deal with the ordinance vetoed last week by Mayor Lewis Billings.

Billings disapproved a 4-2 City Council vote to require all homes built west of I-15 to have at least 1,800 square feet.

But Billings really used the veto to complain that the City Council's land-use subcommittee holds closed meetings.

Stewart said he will recommend a change tonight.

"We will come to a definite conclusion," he said. "There will be a new process."

The council can overturn the mayor's veto with five votes. Midge Johnson was absent for the last vote.

The other potentially high-profile public hearing is related to Joaquin. The City Council is poised to create a second way for neighborhoods to qualify for an on-street parking permit program.

Provo now allows neighborhoods to apply if a study shows that a large number of commuters clog street parking.

The new proposal would allow neighborhoods to apply if a study shows on-street parking is continuously used by residents who have inadequate parking on their property.

The language would help neighborhoods deal with landlords who have too many tenants or don't provide enough parking.

Stewart doesn't expect an outcry tonight, but he said public hearings later this year will be packed after a parking program is proposed for neighborhoods south of BYU.

"The program will be controversial, without question," he said.

That program could include parking meters on a three-block area of 800 North.

Tonight's meeting begins at 7 p.m. in the council chambers at 351 W. Center. It isn't clear how long the meeting will last.