Salt Lake City officials have announced plans to turn an eclectic community known as Hobbitville into a public art park amid efforts to protect the property from development. The Salt Lake Tribune reported Tuesday that the Salt Lake City Council approved a budget amendment last week increasing the city's original $4 million offer for the property to $7.5 million. The park was established as a bird sanctuary in the 1930s by local surgeon George Allen and is rumored to be the home of dwarfs, giving it its nickname. Residents in the area started a campaign to save the park after a developer announced plans to build more than 60 townhomes.