6 p.m. today - City Council meeting/work session. Village center to be discussed. Council Chambers, 4707 Holladay Blvd.

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HOLLADAY - The mood has brightened among merchants and officials of this suburban Salt Lake County community over plans to remake its village center.

Gordon Hanks, longtime owner of Holladay Pharmacy, credited Mayor Dennis Webb as the "calming, reasonable force to get us all back to where we were nine months ago."

"I feel very encouraged," Hanks said Tuesday. A month ago, he and others cast suspicious eyes toward their elected representatives after rumors swirled about a big-time development in the works - bringing in retailers that could undermine or eliminate existing businesses.

In late June, the city's Redevelopment Agency board heard hours of angry concerns regarding the decision to label 57 acres that make up the proposed Village Center as blighted.

At the heart of the those acres lies the awkward convergence of 2300 East, Holladay Boulevard and Murray-Holladay Road - a quaint area where several small retailers have flourished despite the lack of curbs, gutters and sidewalks.

"Sometimes it's unfortunate you have a meeting where a lot of people come out and it doesn't run as smoothly as hoped," said Sharron Horsey, who chairs the Holladay Chamber of Commerce. "But it draws attention and allows you to go back and work on things. We believe the council and mayor are listening."

The proposed redevelopment plan includes reconfiguring the unwieldy intersection to make a pedestrian-friendly neighborhood with spruced-up storefronts, unique boutiques and eateries.

Holladay business leaders hope to get one concession in writing before the plan is finalized: "We want language included that eminent domain will not be part of this RDA project," Horsey said.

Until recently, eminent domain - the government's ability to force property owners to sell their land - was a powerful RDA tool, enabling cities to prevent hold-out landowners from blocking a redevelopment project deemed to be in the public good.

In March, Utah lawmakers removed that power from RDAs, bringing some retail projects - Ogden's planned urban Wal-Mart, for example - to a halt. Some cities hope to see eminent domain reinstated in modified form.

cmckitrick@sltrib.com