Provo City Council Approves Provo Towne Centre Redevelopment 5-1; Shady Acres Residents Get 18 Months and $10,000

The outcome

Update, Oct. 20, 2026, night: The Provo City Council voted 5-1 on Tuesday evening to approve the changes needed for the Provo Towne Centre redevelopment, KUER reported. Councilor Becky Bogdin cast the only no vote; she said she worries the plan will not work and that density belongs in the city center.

What KUER reported from the meeting:

• The project: partial demolition and redevelopment of the mall and its parking lot, keeping Target, JCPenney and Cinemark, with a 2-acre outdoor gathering space, 1,300 apartments in five buildings and 77 for-sale townhomes where the mobile homes now stand. Townhome buyers must live in them for five years after buying, so they cannot be rented out.
• Affordability: in the planned Housing and Transit Reinvestment Zone, 12% of units for households at or below 80% of area median income and 3% at or below 60%.
• Shady Acres: residents have 18 months to leave and get $10,000 per household. Council members said that is not enough, said the council had negotiated more than the developer was required to give, and want to explore more help, such as a right of first refusal on the affordable units. That last idea was not approved Tuesday.
• Roundabout changes: after a Planning Commission recommendation, raised pedestrian crossings, a drop-off zone and a dedicated bike lane.

"If we don't do anything and we just stay the course, what's going to happen is we're going to see a blighted area," Councilor Jeff Whitlock said, according to KUER. Councilor Rachel Whipple said "there are some people who always have to carry the burden of progress for others." Brixton's Justin Long said the company believes it has offered "something that goes well above and beyond what we're required to do." Shady Acres resident Kay Larsen, 79, told KUER that moving her double-wide could cost about $20,000.

What comes next: under the ordinance on the agenda, the rezone takes effect only once the development agreement is signed, and expires if it is not signed within a year. The Housing and Transit Reinvestment Zone still needs its own approvals. KUER's report did not break the vote down by ordinance, so we are not listing separate tallies for the three items.

What was on the agenda

The Provo Municipal Council voted on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, on the zoning changes that would let Provo Towne Centre and the neighboring Shady Acres Mobile Home Park be redeveloped into apartments, townhomes and shops. The three ordinances are items 6, 7 and 8 on the council's 5:30 p.m. regular meeting agenda at City Hall, 445 W. Center St. They are the first binding votes on the project that mall owner Brixton Capital and partner PEG Companies have been pitching since 2025. For the background on the plan itself, see our explainer on the Provo Towne Centre redevelopment.

The three ordinances

The council took up three related ordinances, according to the meeting notice and packet posted on the Utah Public Notice Website:

1. General Plan Map amendment (PLGPA20250235). Changes the land's designation from Commercial to Transit Oriented Development. The packet says the area "includes the Shady Acres mobile home park and the north portion of the Provo Towne Centre mall property."
2. ITOD zoning text amendment (PLOTA20250243). Changes the permitted uses and design rules in the Interim Transit Oriented Development zone. This one applies citywide, to any property zoned ITOD now or later. The staff version adds townhomes as a permitted use, which the packet says is meant to allow the for-sale townhomes in the concept plan.
3. Rezone (PLRZ20250236). Moves the land from the RM (manufactured home park) and SC3 (regional shopping center) zones to ITOD.

The same afternoon, the council's 1:30 p.m. work meeting lists a discussion of the mall redevelopment zoning change and its development agreement. Work meetings take no binding votes.

The development agreement is the real gatekeeper

The draft rezone ordinance authorizes the mayor to sign a development agreement with Brixton that is "substantially similar" to a draft dated Oct. 13, 2026. The ordinance says the zone change "is not effective until the date of final execution of the development agreement." If the agreement is not fully signed within one year of the council's approval, the whole rezone ordinance expires. The General Plan change and the citywide text amendment carry no such condition.

Key terms in the Oct. 13 draft agreement:

• Phasing. The first phase is limited to 350 residential units. Up to 350 more can get permits once the first phase's commercial shells are finished. Permits beyond 700 units require leases or sales covering at least 60% of the redeveloped commercial space.
• For-sale homes. No fewer than 75 for-sale residential units.
• Affordability. 12% of units affordable at up to 80% of area median income, including at least 3% at up to 60%.
• No short-term rentals. Every residential unit must carry a recorded short-term rental prohibition.
• Sewer. Brixton advances $3.6 million toward sewer impact fees as a condition of the first residential building permit.
• Financing. The city agrees to apply for a Housing and Transit Reinvestment Zone (state approval is not guaranteed), and city consent to a public infrastructure district is a condition of the owner's obligations. Those financing steps come back separately.

One detail in the packet does not add up, and we are flagging it rather than picking a number: the rezone ordinances describe about 23 acres, while the draft development agreement recites about 44 acres. The two documents may be describing different footprints (the rezone covers only part of the mall property), but the packet does not explain the difference.

What the plan looks like

The Daily Herald reported that the plan Brixton presented at an Oct. 6 work session includes 1,300 rental apartments and 80 for-sale townhomes, plus retail and entertainment space, and keeps three anchor tenants: Target, J.C. Penney and Cinemark. If you live near the mall, our guide to Provo's neighborhoods covers the East Bay and southwest Provo areas around it.

Shady Acres residents

Brixton owns the Shady Acres land; residents own their homes. The draft agreement says the owner may not require residents to vacate "any sooner than eighteen (18) months" from the later of signing or the notice state law requires, and provides a one-time $10,000 relocation payment per occupied household that is in good standing and stays until the move-out date. The Herald reported that Brixton project executive Justin Long presented the relocation plan at the Oct. 6 work session and that Brixton has said it will work with each resident on a transition plan.

What the Planning Commission said

The Planning Commission held its public hearing on March 11, 2026. According to the staff report in the council packet:

• It recommended the General Plan change, 8-0.
• It recommended the rezone, 8-0, but suggested leaving the mobile home park out of the ITOD zone and using a different residential zone there. The ordinance on the council agenda rezones the full property, including the park.
• It recommended denial of the ITOD text amendment as written, 8-0. It did not support adding townhomes as a permitted use, raising a conditional-use threshold from 2,500 to 10,000 square feet, owner-occupancy exceptions to lot standards, or changes to the transition rules next to residential zones. It did support other pieces, such as allowing plazas and courtyards in setbacks.

Where the council stood before the vote

The Herald reported no apparent consensus as of Oct. 15. Councilor Craig Christensen raised concerns at the Oct. 6 work session about the limited share of homeownership. Councilor Rachel Whipple has voiced support for the apartments, citing the need for high-quality rentals in the East Bay area. Councilor Jeff Whitlock wrote on Facebook that city staff had negotiated more amenity space, walkability and transit, adding, "We're at (or very near) that point, and we should do the deal."

How to weigh in or follow along

• In person: Public comment is on the regular meeting agenda. Give your name and city of residence at the microphone; comments are limited to two minutes.
• By phone: Call 346-248-7799, enter meeting ID 854 2825 2093, press # at the participant ID prompt, mute the livestream, and press *9 to ask to speak.
• By Zoom: Meeting ID 854 2825 2093, passcode 185104.
• In writing: Email council@provo.gov before the meeting.
• Watch: youtube.com/provocitycouncil or facebook.com/provocouncil.
• Read the documents: The agenda and the full packet, including the draft development agreement, are posted on the Utah Public Notice Website under Provo Municipal Council.

New to how Provo's council works? Our guide to following Provo City Council and being heard at one explains work meetings, regular meetings and public hearings. For how a large new tax base could figure into city budgets, see our explainer on property tax in Utah County.

For the full background on the project, see our Provo Towne Centre redevelopment explainer.