Planning Commission - January 11, 2024

Meeting Summary

The January 11, 2024 Planning Commission meeting covered a range of development applications, with the most significant being a package of four related items for a large development area at approximately 2500 West Main Street. The commission heard those items together and, despite notable public opposition, forwarded recommendations of approval to the City Council on all four. The development package involved a 51.45-acre Development Agreement among Lehi City, STRATA Networks, and Gardner Plumb LC; a General Plan Amendment on 51.75 acres changing the land use designation from very low density residential/agriculture to a mix of Public Facility and very low density residential; a zone change on 14.82 acres from agricultural to Public Facility to accommodate a future Lehi City public works facility; and a zone change by Edge Homes on 36.93 acres from agricultural to R-1-15 (single-family residential). The commission voted 4-1 in favor of the development agreement, and unanimously in favor of the three remaining items. Several neighbors spoke against the project, focusing primarily on traffic concerns along 2300 West and 700 South. Residents described the existing roads as dangerous and congested, questioned whether traffic studies would produce real improvements, and objected to the General Plan amendment as accommodating a developer's goals rather than reflecting community needs. City Traffic Engineer Luke Seegmiller acknowledged the existing congestion but noted that much of it stems from regional pass-through traffic from Eagle Mountain and Saratoga Springs, not Lehi development. He reported that a MAG-funded project to widen 2300 West to five lanes between Main Street and 2100 North was projected to be completed by August 2025, and that UDOT had received federal funding to begin the 2100 North corridor project in 2026. Commissioners acknowledged the traffic challenges but generally saw the development as a reasonable compromise, with several commending staff and the developer for working through the issues. Earlier in the meeting, the commission handled several routine items unanimously. It approved a conditional use for a Dominion Energy gas regulator station at 11775 West Frontage Road, recommended approval of a Development Agreement for the Grants Corner project at 90 North 500 West (with a condition that parking be free to the public during the Lehi Round Up Rodeo), recommended a Thanksgiving Point Area Plan Amendment to allow automotive repair on a nearby parcel, and approved the Temple View Villas Preliminary Subdivision for five single-family residential lots at 2800 North 260 East. All items recommended by the Planning Commission would proceed to the Lehi City Council for final action.