Cedar Hills Receives Development Application from Wal-Mart

December 19, 2006

The City of Cedar Hills is pleased to announce receipt of an application for a master-planned, commercial development anchored by a Wal-Mart grocery and merchandise store. The planned development includes three “outlots” for additional commercial interests or office space and totals 18 acres on the west side of Cedar Hills, near Lone Peak High School.

The Wal-Mart store will include both grocery and merchandise, but, unlike the typical Wal-Mart “supercenter,” is sized and designed to fit the Cedar Hills community. “We understand this store is unlike any other Wal-Mart store,” said Mayor Mike McGee. “In terms of both the smaller size and the look and feel, this is a store that fits our community. They say they’ve never done another Wal-Mart quite like it.”

The proposed development would meet a strong demand within the community, according to Konrad Hildebrandt, Cedar Hills city manager. “Resident surveys consistently show a very strong demand for a master-planned, commercial development. The greatest demand is for a grocery store, and we’re pleased to see this process is happening,” said Hildebrandt.

“We are very excited that Wal-Mart has stepped up to the plate in terms of listening to our concerns,” says City Councilmember Jim Perry. “In 2003 they proposed a 160,000 square foot supercenter, which didn’t fit our community, and they were turned down. Now they’re back with a special design of around 125,000 square feet that resolves those issues. We’ve been working long and hard for this!”

City Councilmember Eric Richardson was a member of the planning commission in 2003 when the supercenter was turned down and is ecstatic about the smaller design. “Our site plan review went beautifully. We are working with the developer to ensure that the interests of nearby residents are protected and that the Commercial Design Guidelines are taken seriously. We worked very hard to develop those guidelines and are gratified to see our investment paying off in terms of creating a unique, pedestrian friendly, community-centric development.”

City Manager Konrad Hildebrandt notes that the application is only the first step in Cedar Hills’ conditional use process. “We will have public meetings, additional reviews, and a lot of discussion regarding restrictions on the development to protect residents from noise, light, traffic, and so forth. We’ve only just begun the conditional use process, but the application makes it official, and we’re very pleased with the progress to date and the cooperation we’ve had from the developer.”

If approved, Wal-Mart is expected to begin construction in the first half of 2007.