This Historic District already suffers from traffic congestion, speeding, and a lack of parking. This proposed Tuscanel development will only exacerbate this situation. If construction begins, residents will see an influx of dump and cement-pouring trucks, backhoes, excavators, and trucks carrying roofing materials, lumber, home appliances, electrical and plumbing materials, and numerous worker vehicles for probably one to two years. Airborne dust will increase dramatically, and air quality will decrease.

Historic homes slated for demolition include 313 East 200 North, built in 1880, and a three-unit row house at 243 North 300 East, built in 1885. Both historic structures are eligible for listing on the City’s Landmarks Register. Both are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The row house is, in fact, the last of two in existence in Provo. Currently, there are five students living at 313 East 200 North, so the demolition of these homes will put these young people on the streets, and we will lose yet more affordable housing.

If we want to preserve Provo’s uniqueness and the rich history we cherish, we must not let it be whittled away piece by piece. Each destruction is cumulative. So little of Provo’s rich history remains, and it is best represented in the historic homes our ancestors built for their families.

The Council is promoting these townhomes as a Utah family-friendly housing project that will help Utah families. The cost to build in that neighborhood, without any profit margin, is $225.00 per square foot. The estimated $650,000 price tag for a three-bedroom Tuscanel townhouse will be out of reach for the average Utah homebuyer! Only the developer and perhaps some wealthy out-of-state buyers will profit.

Another less fancy and less costly townhome complex is already under construction at 500 North 100 West, just outside the Historic District. Therefore, this Tuscanel townhouse development is not needed for Utah families. And certainly not at the expense of destroying our proud Provo cultural history and ignoring our arduously crafted and approved Joaquin Neighborhood Plan.

The Provo City Council met with the developer in closed-door meetings without inviting the public. They held an invitation-only meeting on September 3, 2026. Neighborhood reps went to the meeting with the Council and developer, thinking all options were still on the table, prepared to negotiate because the Provo City Council led them to believe that.

But when the reps went in, the city immediately said, “Let’s look at possible styles.” Um what? These reps didn’t anticipate that the city had already decided to develop, especially with public meetings coming up. The city attorney got angry and said that any anti-development sentiment was wasting the time of the three apparently more important council members because the Council “could do whatever they wanted.” Clearly an attempt at intimidation and manipulation.

A few reps and the developer met again on September 15, 2026. However, the developer was not interested in discussing fewer townhouses to lower the density, let alone whether development should occur. Why should they? The Council has made it abundantly clear they had approved this project regardless of public opinion, planning advice or prior signed commitments. Is this the type of representation Provo wants – a Council that doesn’t listen to its constituents?

By greenlighting the Tuscanel project, the Council is proving it can and will do whatever it wants, regardless of what the Provo citizens and affected neighbors want. In theory, the Council works for Provo’s citizens. The Council is acting like it forgot that fact. The Council is wielding their powers only as they wish, siding with developers and not listening to those who pay their salaries.

The final townhouse design is expected to be released on September 30, 2026 at a Public Meeting. It will be the last opportunity we have to make comments and show the Council what citizens want, an opportunity to tell the Council how we should be represented by them in a just and equitable government and that citizen intimidation is not acceptable.

Judy Shafer is a resident of Provo.