The changes, made late Tuesday afternoon, eliminate any opportunity for public comment.

"We feel like we would very much like to have our fears quieted, not our voices," says Connie Hanks.

She and her husband, Gordon Hanks, have owned and operated the Holladay Pharmacy at the heart of the village center for 35 years and recently put $1.5 million worth of improvements into their property.

Rumors of pending redevelopment plans have made them fearful about the security of their future on the busy corner of Murray-Holladay Road and Holladay Boulevard.

The City Council, acting as the RDA board, will discuss the blight designation for 57 acres in this affluent east-side community and how much of that land should remain in the city's proposed redevelopment plan.

In late June, 200 residents and merchants packed the multipurpose room of the former Holladay Elementary School to voice their concerns about the blight survey and the RDA project.

Many fears revolved around the city's potential condemnation of their land, should that power - taken away by the Legislature earlier this year - be reinstated sometime in the future.

That meeting concluded with the RDA board accepting the blight survey as complete but not necessarily accurate, closing the public hearing and promising to meet back in the same location a few weeks later for further discussion.

Steve Peterson, who chairs the City Council and RDA board, set tonight's agenda. He expects it to be a good learning experience for anyone who shows up.

A select group of individuals were asked to speak tonight: Lynn Davidson, a developer; Planning Commission member Jim Palmer; Sharron Horsey, who chairs Holladay's Chamber of Commerce; Adam Nash, who owns a gas station in the proposed Village Center area; Gene Carr, a consultant who teaches land planning; and Holladay artist Al Rounds.

"We won't be making any decisions," said Mayor Dennis Webb. "This is an attempt to gather a lot more information - to make sure we hear from all points of view."

Webb said three hours of public comments were taken in late June, and there will be similar opportunities in the future as the project proceeds.

Mike Jerman, vice-president of the Utah Taxpayers Association, and Robyn Bagley, president of the Citizen Coalition for RDA Reform, also had planned to attend tonight's meeting and hoped to speak.

In preparation for her now-stalled presentation, Horsey surveyed about 85 percent of the business owners within the blight study area and found that 40 percent opposed the RDA, while 60 percent favored it as long as condemnation powers stayed off the table.

Some council members disagreed with the agenda changes.

"We need to take comments from the public any time we meet, so we can hear their concerns," said Councilman Grant Orton.

cmckitrick@sltrib.com

Redevelopment Agency

board meeting

When and where: 7 p.m., Holladay Elementary School Multi-Purpose Room, 4580 S. 2300 East.

Selected speakers have been asked to answer three questions:

How do you feel about the proposed RDA?

What role should eminent domain play in the RDA?

What is your vision for the Village Center?