PROVO, Utah — Because it’s nestled between the mountains and the highway, the Osprey Townhomes neighborhood is prime real estate for those looking to get away, a fact that’s echoed by many who now call it home.
“It was fun when we first moved in, we’d see lots of bald eagles, lots of different birds, osprey coming in with fish from the bay over there to their nests and then farmers have their cows and sheep in there,” said Provo resident Doug Wadley. “It was kind of nice and kind of kept this area a little bit quiet.”
Those cows will have to find elsewhere to roam as the city touts its long-standing plans to bring a big grocer to the area west of the interstate that has just more than 16,300 residents, but no grocery stores.
They’ve set their sights on Walmart so families won’t have to trek across the highway to get to one of the few grocery stores in the area, such as the Target nearly a mile from the neighborhood or the Fresh Market, nearly two miles up the road.
However, the idea of the superstore sitting on the 20-acre parcel of land has neighbors weighing the pros and cons.
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“We could walk to it, that’d be a really different thing for me, being able to walk to get groceries,” said Rylan Chord. “With the proposal, it looks really interesting. They’re making a whole new intersection. That’s going to be a bummer because it already takes a long time to get to the northbound entrance for the freeway, so that’s going to suck.”
“I think it’ll be kind of an eyesore because the mountains are right there, like that’s a beautiful view,” added Claire Murphy. “The view from my window is going to be a Walmart now.”
“I think that maybe there are elements of people who moved here with the intent of getting away from the overpopulated portions of Provo and anywhere else, and so it does kind of take that charm away,” Wadley said.
While it seems for many hitting the freeway isn’t necessarily an inconvenience, the need for something closer isn’t lost on them.
“I do think it will be nice given the rest of south Provo is a lower income area," Murphy said, "so I think for people who don’t have access to reliable transportation here, I think that will be a big blessing to a lot of people."
Those who'd like their thoughts heard on the Walmart coming to the westside, a city meeting is scheduled for Wednesday where public comment is allowed.
