Provo adds 347 acres planned for residential development

PROVO — Provo is growing.

The Provo City Council recently voted unanimously to approve a 347-acre annexation along with a development plan for the Villages at Celebration, a subdivision that could add more than 1,000 households to the city when completed.

David Gardner, who is developing the project, said he was happy to get the support of the council, especially since several council members had voiced concerns about the project the when it came up for discussion Sept. 1.

"The last time we had a meeting, I thought we were losing it," Gardner said, "so it's good to get a unanimous vote. It's been a five-year process. This is the critical one."

The annexation is located in the Lakeview North Neighborhood, west of Geneva Road between 1300 North and the Provo-Orem border at 2000 North.

Councilman Richard Turley praised the project's mix of town homes, smaller houses and larger dwellings.

"It's a healthy blend," Turley said. "There's nothing perfect, and we could continue to massage this, but I think it's time to move ahead. I'm happy to vote for this."

Gardner compares Celebration to the Daybreak development in South Jordan, though on a much smaller scale, with its eclectic mix of lot sizes and styles of homes.

Lot sizes in the subdivision will range from 5,000 to 20,000 square feet, but Gardner said the first phase will probably be about 60 midsize homes. Plans for those homes will be ready in about a year, but the construction timetable will be dictated by the economic conditions, he said.

"We plan ahead now for a 20-year project that will probably go through two or three economic cycles," Gardner told the City Council. "When the economy slows down, you slow down. When the economy starts picking up, you start picking up because you have your plan in place."

Initial construction will be limited to 200 homes — that's how many sewer hookups the city has available in the area. After that, new homes will depend on future improvements in the city's wastewater collection system, which Provo's public works department is studying.

The anticipated improvements could cost up to $18 million, but public works director Merril Bingham told the city that the new development will only use part of that.