Some Pleasant Grove residents are fighting a proposal to build a 10-story, 440,000-square-foot building in the heart of the historic downtown area.

The concerned residents are circulating a petition against the development, called The Village Grove, said Laurel Backman Riddle, whose property line will meet up with the proposed project. At least 81 people signed it during the first 24 hours of circulation.

The Village Grove would be on the block between 100 North and Center Street, according to project developer Joe Spencer.

Spencer said the building would be approximately 440,000 square feet, with 20 retail units on the first floor, office space on the second floor, eight floors of condominiums and 550 underground parking stalls. Construction could begin as early as July 2008. The project will give the city's historic neighborhood an economic boost, he said.

"The idea is to have several hundred people living in the downtown area to revitalize downtown."

According to downtown resident Mark Riddle, two neighborhood meetings were held last week to discuss the proposed project.

"So far, the opposition to the developer's plan has been unanimous," he said. "We feel that a 10-story building is not compatible with our homes in this residential neighborhood."

Loss of privacy is an issue, Backman Riddle said. "My home was built in 1868 and has been in my family for eight generations. People will be looking down into our backyards."

Another downtown resident, Jeanne Hillman, says the building doesn't fit in the neighborhood.

"People are overwhelmed by the idea that he wants to build a 10-story building on this property," said Hillman, who has lived in a home in the neighborhood her entire life. "We realize that there has to be an improvement, but there are other areas in the city where a 10-story building could be. We're concerned about pollution, the blocked views and trees destroyed," she said.

Beth Olsen, chairwoman of the city's Historic Commission, pointed out that other communities such as Midway and Springville have viable downtown areas that are keeping their historic roots.

"There are buildings that will be affected that were built around the turn of the century," said Olsen. "We don't want the beautiful historic homes to be warped by big buildings. We have never had more than two stories downtown and we'd like to keep it that way."

According to Spencer, the next step in the development is a zone change. The city's community development department is proposing zoning changes to the downtown area as part of its Downtown 2020 Action Plan.

"The current boundaries are not sufficient to cover the growth of downtown," said Ken Young, community development director. The proposed zoning changes are tentatively scheduled to be discussed at a Planning Commission meeting on Jan. 10.

"The city is not promoting [The Village Grove], but the city does have to react to his application," Young said. The Village Grove is listed in the city's Downtown 2020 Action Plan in the design section.

"I can feel for the residents. This will change the feel of downtown, but the positives will outweigh the negatives," Spencer said. "I would love to have anyone with questions contact me."

Spencer can be contacted at Joe@TheVillageGrove.com or call him at (801) 835-1243.

For questions about the opposition to the project or to sign the petition, send an e-mail to laurelbackman@comcast.net.