There may be a new 10-story building added to Pleasant Grove's historic downtown district, an addition its neighbors are fighting to stop.

Residents in the heart of the city said they were disappointed to find out about a proposed mixed residential business building that may well be built in the middle of their quiet, historic neighborhood.

According to Mark Riddle, neighborhood resident, two neighborhood meetings were held last week to discuss the proposed project called The Village Grove.

"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."

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

Spencer said the building will 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."

"People are overwhelmed by the idea that he wants to build a 10-story building on this property," said Jeanne 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.

Loss of privacy is another issue, according to Laurel Backman Riddle, whose property line will meet up with the proposed project. "My home was built in 1868 and has been in my family for eight generations. People will be looking down into our backyards."

"We realize that improvements need to be made, but they should complement the history of the town," said Beth Olsen, Historic Commission chairwoman. "We are absolutely against high-rises."

Olsen pointed out that other communities such as Midway and Springville have viable downtown areas that are in keeping with their historic roots.

"There are buildings that will be affected that were built around the (early 1900s)," 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 for the correct zoning to be in place. The community development department of the city is proposing zoning changes to the downtown area as part of their "Downtown 2020 Action Plan."

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," said Young. The Village Grove is listed in the city's Downtown 2020 Action Plan in the Design section," said Spencer. "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.

According to Backman Riddle, concerned residents are circulating petitions and will hold another meeting the first week of January.

At least 81 Pleasant Grove residents signed the petition during the first 24 hours of circulation. For questions or to sign the petition, e-mail laurelbackman@comcast.net.