Mention North Park in Spanish Fork and you'll be hit with an avalanche of opinions. To some, the proposed commercial development there stands for progress in a growing city. To others, it represents a blight on the small-town lifestyle they know and love.

But the City Council wasn't nearly as divided as the populace, voting unanimously on Tuesday to approve a zoning change that opens the door for the controversial development. The vote changed the zoning designation for 30 acres near the Interstate 15-U.S. Highway 6 interchange from residential to commercial, paving the way for Westfield Properties to replace open park space with big box-style retailers.

The project, which was first proposed about a year and a half ago, will force the relocation of soccer fields, baseball fields and park space to make way for commercial development. Residents of a nearby trailer park also will need to find new homes.

Most of those who spoke during the public hearing Tuesday night opposed the project. Some decried the loss of the park space near their homes. Others worried about the traffic the development will generate. Two residents of the nearby trailer park said they are not being adequately compensated for being forced to move.

The project plans call for new park facilities to be built on an adjacent piece of land, and the baseball and soccer fields will be replaced at other city parks. Westfield will have to cover the costs of these relocations.

Richard Mendenhall, who represented Westfield at the meeting, said the company wants to bring in high-quality businesses. Westfield would use another of its developments -- The Meadows in American Fork, which includes businesses such as Home Depot, Kohl's and Wal-Mart -- as a minimum standard.

Mendenhall said Westfield will seek input from the city on the project and will surpass city standards on aspects such as architectural design.

"Our goal would be to have something that is unrivaled in southern Utah County," Mendenhall said. "I think we're going to end up with something that the city can be very proud of."

There is still work to be done before any dirt is turned. Westfield must submit a plans and a subdivision plat, which the Planning Commission and City Council will have to approve.

Assistant City Manager Seth Perrins said Westfield plans to have stores open in 2008.

"The developer wants to be very up front and work hand-in-hand with the city to make sure that it's an incredibly high-quality development," Perrins said.

Before casting their votes, the council members spoke to the crowd in the council chambers about their decisions. Several mentioned the benefit the development will bring to the city's tax base.

"With the growth we experience and the quality of life we enjoy ... in the very near future, the only alternatives will be to cut the services that we already provide or put the tax burden back on all of the citizens," said Councilman Matt Barber. "We must have commercial development, and if this project doesn't happen then it will go somewhere else."

Councilman Chris Wadsworth also talked about the need to bring economic development to Spanish Fork.

"We're needing people to spend money here," he said. "We want to keep those revenues here."

Several dozen Spanish Fork residents packed the council chambers to speak their minds about the proposed development.

Blanche Adams said she can look out over the park and the nearby foothills from her home and she does not want that to change.

"I don't want to look out my window and see a 30-foot fence. I don't want to look out there and see a bunch of dirty Dumpsters," she said. "You're already taking our lifestyle away from us."

Geraldine Bingham, who also lives near North Park, said residents don't want to lose the park near their homes or the lifestyle they have grown accustomed to.

"The people who live in the neighborhood don't want the park moved," she said.

Chris Snow, another Spanish Fork resident who lives near North Park, was the lone voice in the crowd in favor of the project. Traffic is already a problem in the area he said, and the developers will be a benefit because they will have to upgrade roads and take other measures to improve traffic conditions there.

"If they're going to help fix it, let's do it," Snow said. "It's already a mess. Let's do something about it."

Councilman Steven Leifson said he has seen a lot of change in Spanish Fork since his childhood in the town. If changes are going to come, he said, the city must plan for it.

"Eventually, we'll see how good it all turned out," he said.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page C1.