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Exterior renderings of a proposed Walmart as viewed from Interstate 15.

Courtesy Provo City

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An overview map of where the proposed Walmart will go in Provo.

Courtesy Provo City

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A project plan to build a Walmart Supercenter in Provo received a thumbs up from the Provo Planning Commission last week.

The committee unanimously approved a developer’s requested proposal for the store near 1957 South and 500 West, just west of the Lakeview Parkway and University Avenue freeway exit. Approval was recommended by city staff.

The proposal includes grocery, general retail, pharmacy and fuel amenities. The store is planned to be 176,000 square feet.

A 12-pump fuel station with a customer kiosk is designed to be on the premises, as are approximately 900 shrubs and 300 trees that will be planted on the site to meet the city’s parking lot landscaping code.

The commission’s approval falls under the condition that coordinator review committee comments are addressed, and that a final subdivision is recorded. The commission also approved an 11% parking reduction request to drop from 880 to 791 parking spaces.

“We’ve heard requests for the need of grocery and food access on the west side of the city, it’s a bit of a food desert. And I think this will serve that part of the city well,” Planning Commissioner Jeff Whitlock said. “I think this is the place you’d want a Walmart if we were to have one in our city. Right next to the freeway like this.”

Getting a grocery store on the west side of the city has been a high priority for city officials and staff for several years. When a plan to build a Smith’s on Kroger-owned property on Center Street and Geneva Road never came to fruition, the city shifted its focus to a plot of land off of Lakeview Parkway that was rezoned from agricultural to commercial use a handful of years ago.

Walmart entered into a final agreement with a private landowner to purchase 20 acres of land in November.

“It definitely satisfies the demand for the west-side residents for a grocery opportunity, but it also will bring tax dollars in from the people that are driving up and down I-15 that don’t live in Provo that will support our local economy, too,” Provo City Economic Development Director Keith Morey told the Daily Herald last November.

The official request for approval was made by Spencer Hymas, the project manager for Galloway, the developer. Provo City Planner Aaron Ardmore presented the plan to the committee Wednesday.

Ardmore acknowledged the project is still ongoing through staff review, hence the stipulation that CRC comments be addressed.

“There are technical details that need to be addressed with some of the departments,” he said. “Public works, power, things like that. … But we thought it would be a good time to bring it forward to the planning commission.”

One pending staff review item is a traffic study Walmart is doing. The study will be reviewed both by the city and state, because of the store’s proximity to Interstate 15,  Ardmore stated.

The main entrance and exit to the store is projected to be off of Lakeview Parkway to the south of the store, between 500 West and the on-ramp to the interstate. A traffic light is planned to be installed to improve traffic flow in and out of the parking lot.

“We anticipate the majority of people would want to use the lighted signal. It’s going to be a much easier way to get in and out of the parking lot,” Ardmore said.

Additionally, a secondary access point would be placed off of 500 West, west of the proposed store.

The renderings show several acres of empty space between the proposed Walmart and parking and 500 West. Ardmore said to the city’s understanding, the entire space is owned by the property owner, and there’s a plan to develop townhomes and other commercial use upon the land.

“It’s kind of the future phase for this area,” he said.