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After a two-hour emotional discussion at a Pleasant Grove City Council meeting on Tuesday, council members established a downtown advisory board. The board's purpose is to review the city's Downtown 2020 Action Plan, which would allow mixed uses in the historic downtown area. Residents are worried the plan would open the door to a 10-story building.
The city's Community Development Department decided to hold off on enacting the plan temporarily in order to form the advisory board. This decision came after much public opposition to the plan was voiced at a Planning Commission meeting last month.
"The board would be set up to review the draft plan. We look to them as being an advisory board to the city," said Ken Young, Community Development director.
More opposition was heard at Tuesday's council meeting after downtown residents and business owners saw who was on the city's recommended board.
"We think the representation of the residents who live downtown is woefully inadequate," said Laurel Backman Riddle, downtown resident and business owner. More than 30 residents were in attendance, many agreeing with Backman Riddle.
The city's recommended list included just one downtown resident out of 14 voting representatives. Additional downtown residents were listed in non-voting positions. City attorney Tina Petersen said the advisory board will have the authority to vote about its recommendations, but those will still have to be approved by the Planning Commission and the City Council.
"I feel that the recommendations do not fully represent the large body of residents and people who work downtown," said Mary Ellen Jackman, downtown resident and business owner.
"This is our chance to get it right," said Mark Ryan, a resident. Ryan and others spoke of future protests to the plan if the process is not done carefully.
Mayor Michael W. Daniels and the City Council then revised the list of board members, removing two city commission members and one R/UDAT Implementation Committee member from the list.
Two more downtown residents who also own businesses downtown were added to the board. Mayor Daniels suggested that one representative living in close proximity to the downtown area be added from each of the three affected neighborhoods.
Young will organize the first meeting of the board within three weeks. The board's duties will include giving the council a time frame needed to review the city's master plan, R/UDAT plan and the Downtown 2020 plan and to make recommendations. The board's meetings will be open to the public. |
