An occasional series of short opinions on issues of interest to Utah County residents.

False alarm in Cedar Hills

Last week, it looked as though Cedar Hills had run a major retailer off again.

At its June 5 meeting, the City Council received word that Wal-Mart had summarily rejected more than half the requirements for the its proposed Cedar Hills store. The conditions covered such things as delivery times, noise levels and hours of operation. Among the rejected items was one allowing the city access to the company's security tapes.

When the 16-page document was presented to the council without explanation from Wal-Mart, it appeared as though the city was going to lose another chance to build its commercial base. In 2003, the city rejected Wal-Mart's application to build in the city. In 2005, Smith's Food & Drug was driven off over a beer and Sunday business controversy. Then a negotiation with Kohler's fell through.

Now it appears (fortunately for Cedar Hills) that reports of rejection by Wal-Mart, like early reports of Mark Twain's death, have been greatly exaggerated.

Wal-Mart spokeswoman Karianne Fallow told the Daily Herald that the company's document was merely a proposal submitted to the city as part of the negotiating process. It didn't expect the matter to be on the agenda and discussed publicly.

Wal-Mart, she said, is committed to working with the city and reaching a mutual understanding. Likewise, Mayor Mike McGee said the city wants to work with Wal-Mart to reach a reasonable agreement.

Cedar Hills may actually get some business income this time around.

Really, REALLY big plans downtown

Provo officials unveiled ambitious plans for the Knight Block last week.

The University Tower development would include three buildings, with a 10-story mixed-use structure rising near the intersection of University Avenue and Center Street.

Mayor Lewis K. Billings said at the unveiling of the plan that it was a "blue-letter day" for Provo (which in BYU country is always superior to red-letter day). The plan reflects an ambitious commitment to the downtown area.

It all seems pretty good at first glance. It's the second glance that gives us pause. The proposed new building (if the artist's rendering is accurate) looms over the quaint little Provo street corner like a gigantic Borg cube that found a place to land. The old Knight Building with its clock tower would stay, but winter will surely last longer in the shade of its new neighbor.

Even the Wells Fargo Building, which once seemed large, appears dwarfed by the new megalith.

It's not exactly that the proposed building is ugly; it may simply be a little out of scale for this little patch of old Provo.

An important aspect of downtown is its small-town charm and mountain backdrop. As presented, the so-called University Tower (can somebody please think of a more original namefi) may draw too much attention to man's intrusions. That would be unfortunate.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page A5.