Provo mobile home park residents fear displacement from proposed mall redevelopment
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- Citizens form a line to give public comment on a proposed redevelopment of the Provo Towne Centre before Justin Long of Brixton Capital, left, and Robert Schmidt of PEG Cos., right, during a Neighborhood District 5 meeting at Provo City Hall on Wednesday, June 18, 2025.
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- The outside of the Shady Acres Mobile Home Park is shown Wednesday, June 18, 2025.
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- Renderings of the proposed Provo Towne Centre redevelopment project are shown.
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- Kristi Bachler of Provo gives public comment on the proposed redevelopment of the Provo Towne Centre before Justin Long of Brixton Capital, left, and Robert Schmidt of PEG Cos., right, during a Neighborhood District 5 meeting at Provo City Hall on Wednesday, June 18, 2025.
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- Renderings of the proposed Provo Towne Centre redevelopment project are shown.
A proposed redevelopment of the Provo Towne Centre is sparking a myriad of questions and concerns among Provo residents, most specifically those who live within close proximity of the mall.
In May, the Daily Herald was the first to report that property owner Brixton Capitol submitted an entitlement application to the city that outlines plans to transform the indoor shopping mall into a mixed-use development that would include retail, dining, entertainment and housing.
The project is in partnership with Provo-based real estate development and investment firm PEG Cos.
The plan, which is still in the conceptual phase, was presented for the first time publicly inside of a packed Neighborhood District 5 meeting Wednesday evening at Provo City Hall.
Brixton Capital Project Executive Justin Long said the proposed shift from a traditional indoor shopping mall to a largely outdoor retail space follows a trend that he notes is happening across the nation since the COVID-19 pandemic.
“And coming out of COVID, those trends are continuing to happen across the country,” he said during a presentation at the meeting. “Provo Towne Centre has certainly experienced some of those same trends which have impacted its ability to kind of meet the needs of the modern consumer.”
According to an April report by Capital One Shopping Research, up to 87% of large shopping malls are predicted to close within the next decade.
The research also states that nearly 50% of mall redevelopments are adapted into mixed-use spaces and feature some share of retail components.
The proposal calls for a redevelopment of 23 acres of land, which includes the mall and adjoining property in the Franklin South and East Bay neighborhoods.
During the presentation, a fly-through video shows a rendered view of what the finished project would entail, including outdoor multilevel retail stories, walkable spaces and an outdoor plaza with a fountain where the mall’s rotunda currently sits, all surrounded by housing units.
Three of the mall tenants are proposed to remain — JCPenney, Target and Cinemark. Ownership said that as plans progress, they intend to communicate with other tenants who want to be part of the new development.
The residential component will feature over 80 townhomes and 1,300 apartments that would be built out over multiple years.
Brixton Capital and PEG Cos. have submitted a request to the city to rezone the property as an interim transit-oriented development zone to support the proposed synergy of residential, commercial and transit accessibility.
“We want to create that live, work, play environment,” Long said.
But during the public comment period of Wednesday’s meeting, where dozens of residents weighed in on the proposed redevelopment, several people raised concerns about the impacts to nearby housing.
The project, if approved, could displace tenants at a mobile home park currently on the property.
The Shady Acres Mobile Home Park, located just northwest of the mall, would be replaced with the proposed apartments and townhomes.
Robert Schmidt, managing director at PEG Cos., said 3% of the development’s units will be affordable housing at a 60% area median income level — though he didn’t specify if those would be the proposed apartments or townhomes.
“We think that’s a meaningful impact and will make a contribution towards providing affordability within the community,” he stated during the meeting.
Both Schmidt and Long reiterated during the meeting that they are in the very early stages of crafting the project and so far there is no definitive timeline on when impacted residents would be notified or have to vacate their homes if the project were to move forward.
But that didn’t settle the emotions of residents who live in the mobile home park.
“Are we talking years or months away?” asked Tasha Keele, a resident of the Shady Acres mobile home park.
Keele said she’s devastated because she just purchased her mobile home last year and now fears that she may be forced to move again.
“I just bought it for $100,000. What am I supposed to do?” she asked.
Keele, who was visibly upset during the meeting, said she wants more transparency from the developers.
“I just really hope that they are empathetic,” Keele told the Daily Herald. “And I doubt they are because they don’t care, (or else) they wouldn’t have let me (move) into the park a year ago. They knew this was going to happen.”
Natalie Silva, another resident of the mobile home park, expressed fears and frustration over the possibility of leaving her residence.
She and her family, including two children, moved in less than a year ago. Silva too raised concerns about the money she’s put into her mobile home and is scared it will all go to waste.
“We’ve also been given paperwork to upgrade the mobile homes and take care of it, and so we’re investing more money, and (it’s) something that we probably won’t even have,” Silva said.
No one who spoke during the meeting questioned that more affordable housing is needed in Provo, but many of them said they hope developers can find a way to accommodate those who may be at risk of losing their homes.
Provo Neighborhood District 5 Chair Daniel Friend, who also lives near the mall, echoed the need for considerate housing solutions for current trailer park residents.
“I’m not trying to prescribe the things they (developers) should do. I’m just saying there are lots of ways that they could make it easier and less painful for those people,” he told the Daily Herald when reached Thursday afternoon. “I think they really have a moral obligation because of what they are asking them (residents) to do, just uproot their lives and move.”
Friend added that he believes the developers could still achieve their goals for the property without deeply impacting the lives and homes of residents who currently reside there.
Both Long and Schmidt said they are considerate of the businesses in the mall and nearby tenants who stand to be impacted if the project moves along.
But even when, or if, the proposed redevelopment is approved by all the necessary parties involved, Utah law requires mobile home park property owners to give residents a minimum of nine months’ notice before the day that tenants would need to vacate the park.
“And as I said before, we intend to go beyond that and talk to each tenant individually and see if there’s something that we can facilitate that makes it easier,” Long said.
During the meeting, concerns were also shared with the developers regarding traffic management, pedestrian safety and the need for family-friendly amenities.
However, some also praised the potential change to the mall.
Jonathan Handy, a student at Brigham Young University, said he likes the idea but thinks more trees and seating areas would make the outdoor spaces more inviting.
“I do appreciate this project, having more outdoor commercial space close to residential areas,” he commented. “One thing I noticed during the fly-through video was that the outdoor spaces seemed a bit sparse. If this was some place that I would go and visit, which I would like to, I would really appreciate having more trees and more places to sit.”
Regardless, at this point, nothing is finalized. Brixton Capital and PEG Cos. are still working through concept plans and awaiting approval of their rezoning requests.
From there, the proposal will go before the planning commission and eventually the City Council.
Provo residents who want to share their thoughts regarding the proposed idea are encouraged to visit opencityhall.provo.org.
