Genola is a place for people who truly want to get away from the frustrations of city life. Situated a few miles from the hustle and bustle of Interstate 15 near the shores of Utah Lake, the town of about 1,200 people makes nearby cities such as Spanish Fork and Springville look like sprawling metropolises.

But little Genola may be growing soon in a big way.

Mountain Shores Development has asked the town to annex about 1,000 acres on the north side of Genola, where the company wants to build a subdivision with 243 new homes.

In a town of about 8,500 acres and 350 homes, the annexation and subdivision would represent a radical change -- and some residents are dead set against it.

Mayor Eric Hazelet said a lot of discussion will take place before the decision is made.

"Obviously, as mayor, I'm very interested in bringing better infrastructure to our town," he said. "But also I don't want to change the complexion of the town significantly either, because that's the whole reason people live there today."

If the town annexed the land and permitted Mountain Shores Development to build its subdivision, the company would be required to pay for a variety of infrastructure improvements. New roads and waterlines would be some of the main benefits the town could reap from those new homes, along with water rights Mountain Shores Development would deed to the city,

But after those things were built, the city would be responsible for the costs of maintaining that infrastructure. It would also be responsible for delivering the water, and Hazelet said Genola would also probably have to hire police officers -- the town contracts with nearby Santaquin for police services -- to provide public safety for the new residents.

And many residents' greatest objection is the sheer number of people the annexation would bring to the quiet town.

"The increase in population is probably our biggest concern," Hazelet said. "Obviously, the Town Council's responsible for making sure we have really good infrastructure and this might be an opportunity for that, but at what costfi It's kind of a balancing act."

Some residents are adamantly opposed to the proposed annexation and have formed a committee to oppose it. Sandra Greenwood, a member of the committee, said they are not opposed to growth, but they do not think Genola has the resources to support so many new residents.

The city will have to spend more money on things such as roads and police officers, Greenwood said, and Genola does not have the economic base to support those expenses.

"We have no commercial income," she said. "We don't even have a grocery store or a convenience store or a gas station -- nothing like that to support a population at this time of that size.

"Basically, we would just like to see things taken care of within our city, meet the needs that we have currently with our population, with our acreage within our town, before we worry about helping somebody out."

Greenwood said her committee has gathered about 300 signatures on a petition from residents opposed to the annexation. They also filed a protest with the Utah County Boundary Commission.

If the Town Council approves the annexation, Greenwood said the committee will put the issue to a referendum.

"If they do it, we are prepared and ready," she said.

Genola is far from the only city in Utah County to face these kinds of issues. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county's population increased by more than 100,000 people between 2000 and 2006. Practically every city and town in the county saw major population increases in that time frame.

From 2000 to 2005, Spanish Fork gained 6,000 new residents while nearby Springville gained 5,000. Cedar Hills more than doubled in size, increasing from 3,094 residents to 7,790. The largest increase came in Lehi, which opened its doors to 12,702 new residents. By percentage, Saratoga Springs saw the biggest growth spurt, increasing its population from 1,003 to 6,502 -- a 548 percent jump.

The Mountainlands Association of Governments estimates that Utah County's population will be about 804,000 by 2030, with more and more growth coming in places like Genola, in the county's less populated southern half.

Growth appears to be an irrepressible force in Utah County, but in Genola the new subdivision is in no way guaranteed. Hazelet said it will probably be about three months before the Town Council makes a decision on the annexation proposal.

In that time, state law requires the town to hold several public hearings on the issue. The proposal is scheduled for discussion at Wednesday's council meeting.

"Right now, if we had a vote I couldn't tell you which way I'd vote, because we haven't done enough of the research yet," Hazelet said.

Jeremy Duda can be reached at 344-2561 or jduda@heraldextra.com.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page A1.