Some Lehi residents oppose LDS Church land development


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LEHI — Some Utah County residents are protesting a planned development by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which will be built on what is currently the driving range at the Thanksgiving Point golf course.

Lehi resident Bill Conley enjoys watching golfers tune up their game on the Thanksgiving Point driving range, but he is worried his view of a golf course is about to become a parking lot.

"When I moved in, we paid a premium to move into this area," Conley said. "And we anticipated this always remaining a driving range."

According to Lehi City officials, a plan was submitted a few weeks ago for two commercial buildings on the site, which the planning commission reviewed last Thursday. The committee decided to table any decision until at least the next meeting.

In a prepared statement, the LDS Church said land has already been purchased, with a small portion of land donated by the Ashton family, and that the plan meets city zoning requirements.

A church spokesperson gave the following statement: "The proposed site plan allows the church to construct a two-building campus on the property. One will be used as a key facility of FamilySearch International, the church's family history subsidiary. Included in this building will be a FamilySearch Discovery Center, which provides a highly interactive experience for the public to explore their family history."

Statement from Church spokesman Eric Hawkins
The property at Thanksgiving Point was purchased by the Church with a small portion donated by the Ashton family. Plans for the site have been submitted to the City of Lehi, as required, and meet all zoning and land use requirements. The proposed site plan allows the Church to construct a two-building campus (four stories each) on the property. One will be used as a key facility of FamilySearch International, the Church's family history subsidiary. Included in this building will be a Family Search and Discovery Center, which provides a highly interactive experience for the public to explore their family history. The other would be initially used as commercial office property and later as possible expansion space for FamilySearch. The landscaping and architecture of the buildings has been designed to complement the surrounding golf course, residential properties and other Thanksgiving Point venues.

The area surrounding Thanksgiving Point has become a hub for high-tech companies like Adobe. Ancestry announced earlier this year the company's headquarters is moving from Provo to Lehi.

The land is currently zoned as a "resort community," which allows for building of professional office buildings. Neighbors vow to keep fighting the proposal.

"We are very concerned they are going to try to push something through that none of us are going to appreciate," Conley said.

The proposal is likely to come back to the city planning commission within the next month for a vote. Since the buildings would fit under the current zoning, that is where the final decision will be made.

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Sam Penrod

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