During today's municipal council meeting, the council will entertain two motions to have a zone change from residential conservation to campus high density residential. The first is for a seven-story mixed use development that would provide approximately 700 beds plus main floor retail space. The second project would feature 316 beds.
The first development seems to fit the bill for students and the city; developers would only need to provide seven parking spots for every 10 beds. However, if more than 70 percent of students bring cars, they're going to be left parking on the street. Add to that more cars in the area and more pedestrians and the area gets less safe as well.
That could be accomplished, given how close the buildings are to campus, according to one planner. Andrew Jackson, executive director of the Mountainland Association of Governments, said communities are getting back to the neotraditional style of walking communities and shops on each corner similar to Europe or the eastern United States. These types of design could eliminate the need for everyone to have a car, if done correctly.
With limited land to build out, Provo is looking at high-rises like these two developments and others being built downtown. Daily Herald
