Planning Commission

Minutes of the Millcreek Planning Commission March 19, 2025 5:00 p.m. Regular Meeting The Planning Commission of Millcreek, Utah, met in a regular public meeting on Wednesday, March 19, 2025, at City Hall, located at 1330 E. Chambers Avenue, Millcreek, Utah 84106. The meeting was conducted electronically and live streamed via the City's website with an option for online public comment. PRESENT: Commissioners City Staff Shawn LaMar, Chair Elyse Sullivan, City Recorder Victoria Reid, Vice Chair Francis Lilly, Planning Director Steven Anderson (arrived at 5:l3pm) John Brems, City Attorney Christian Larsen (excused) Brad Sanderson, Current Planning Manager Nils Per Lofgren Sean Murray, Plaru'ier Jacob Richardson (electronic) Robert May, Long Range Planning Manager Diane Soule Carlos Estudillo, Planner Dwayne Vance (arrived at 5:l2pm) Jake Green, Dev. Review Specialist Ian Wright (excused) Attendees: Brooke Moore, Tim Watkins, Joffery Bird REGULAR MEETING - 5:00 p.m. TIME COMMENCED - 5:03 p.m. Chair LaMar called the meeting to order and briefly described the duties of the Planning Commission. 1. Public Hearings 1.1 Consideration of SD-24-015, Request for a 5-Lot Subdivision Location: 815/839 E 4200 S Applicant: Brooke Moore Planner: Carlos Estudillo Carlos Estudillo said the property was recently rezoned to R-1-5 in 2024 to accornrnodate five single family lots and was not subject to a development agreement. Properties within the vicinity were zoned R-2-10, R-1-5, and R-1-8/R-1-10, consisting of primarily single family dwellings. He presented the proposed plat to the commission with a cul-de-sac style access extending from 4170 South, of which a 7,289 square feet of land dedication would take place along the frontage of the property. The newly created access is an extension of 4170 South and has been designed to eventually connect to Grand Cayman Drive, once 838 E 4125 S develops. The subject property involves two parcels, comprising O.84 acres of property. The five proposed lot sizes would be: * Lot I (R-1-5): 0.128 acres (5,581 sf) & lot width of 50 feet, approximately. * Lot 2 (R-1-5): 0.130 acres (5,674 sf) & lot width of 50 feet, approximately. * Lot 3 (R-1-5): 0.174 acres (7,562 sf) & lot width of 68 f a * Lot 4 (R-1-5): 0.119 acres (5,196 sf) & lot width of 62 feet, approximately. Millcreek Planning Commission Meeting Minutes 19 March 2025 Page 2 of 6 * Lot5(R-1-5):O.ll7acres(5,102sf)&lotwidthof50feet,approximately. Estudillo said while most utilities would be located in a public utility easement near the right- of-way, there is a communications (CenturyLink) overhead line near tlie southern-most property line effectively encroaching into the buildable area of lots 3, 4 and 5. The applicant must work with CenturyLink to relocate the overhead communications line in order to not encroach into the buildable areas of the newly created lots. John Brems specified that city ordinance requires underground utility, not just relocation. Coini'nissioner Reid asked about the road connection to Grand Cayman Drive. Estudillo noted nothing was proposed on the northern parcel of property to connect the road from 4170 S. Brooke Moore, applicant, said the developers were planning to dedicate the extra property north of the road to the adjacent property owner. She was actively working with CenturyLink on the communication line placement. Chair LaMar opened the public hearing. Joffery Bird, Megan Circle, asked about the direction of the proposed homes. He requested that 4170 S not be connected to Grand Cayman Drive. Chair LaMar closed the public hearing. Estudillo noted the homes would face the right-of-way. Commissinner Rcid moved, based on the findings and conclusions contained within the report, that the Planning Commission approve application file number SD-24-015, with a condition that the communications utility line be relocated underground prior to final approval and plat recordation. Commissioner Lofgren seconded. Chair LaMar called for the vote. Commissioner Anderson voted yes, Chair LaMar voted yes, Commissioner Lofgren voted yes, Commissioner Reid voted yes, Commissioner Richardson voted yes, Commissioner Soule voted yes, and Commissioner Vance voted yes. The motion passed unanimously 1.2 Consideration of ZT-25-002, Amendments to the City Center Overlay Zone Regarding Bunding Stepbacks Planner: Francis Lilly Robert May said staff was requesting a text amendment to the City Center Overlay Zone (CCOZ) existing stepback requirements. The building stepbacks are a useful design tool for mitigating bulk, but having a one size fits all approach often ignores unique property configurations that result in undesirable building designs or unattractive site conditions. Recent development proposals acrossmultiple cit5r center sites have struggled to achieve both high-quality design and financial feasibility. This has led staff to reassess whether further revisions to the building stepback requirements are needed to avoid unintentionally hindering the city center's development potential. The proposal aims to ainend the building step-back requirements within the CCOZ, addressing challenges posed by current regulations. Currently, buildings over 40 feet tall or development fronting Millcreek Common, 3300 South, Ricond Street, and/or Highland Drive are required to have a 20- Millcreek Planning Commission Meeting Minutes 19 March 2025 Page 3 of 6 foot stepback after the second floor, with some flexibility to opt for two 10-foot stepbacks. There are some exceptions for commercial single-purpose type buildings. The proposed amendment seeks to explore alternatives to the existing 20-foot stepback rule, emphasizing aesthetic compatibility and public benefits, such as open space or parking in exchange for building stepbacks. Several design enhancement options are being considered to mitigate massing and bulk, alongside public benefits to add value to the city. The staffs recommendation includes a fresh look at alternatives to stepbacks, drawing on ideas from form-based codes that have been used elsewhere in the country. The options include an aesthetics based option (option 1- requires 8+ design enhancements in lieu of stepbacks), a compatibility based option (option 2 - building no greater than 200 feet in length, 150 feet in depth, and 5 design enhancements in lieu of stepbacks), and a public benefit based option (option 3 - requires public benefit and 3 design enhancements in lieu of stepbacks) subject to the stepback map and design enhancement list. May presented the map and list to the commission. The map included most of the CCOZ qualifying for stepback alternatives with the buildings with frontages along Highland Drive and north of Chambers Avenue and Millcreek Common as being ineligible for alternatives. Input from the community councils has been gathered, with consensus on the need for alternatives to stepbacks, though a final recommendation has not yet been agreed upon. Further discussions and potential development agreements are anticipated to resolve the issue, with the goal of ensuring both design improvements and public benefits in future developments. Commissioner Vance asked if some proposals in the city center did not follow through because of the stepback requirements. May said about five. Cornrnissioner Reid asked about parking. Francis Lilly noted a parking study was being conducted to identify opportunities for extra parking. Chair LaMar operted the public hearing. There were no comments. Chair LaMar closed the public hearing. Commissioner Reid liked the public benefits option but did not think affordable housing should be listed since it did not play into the look and feel of an area. She was in favor of affordable housing in general and would like to see it along Richmond, but would appreciate open space, parking, and architectural elements for the city center. She wanted open space and parking considered. Commissioner Soule appreciated friendly architectural features as a stepback alternative. She felt 3300 S, 1300 E, and Highland Drive, the area directly surrounding the city center, should have setbacks. The city center should be the most walkable, bikeable, and entertaining green space as possible. Lilly mentioned an existing corner housing requirement. There were already existing requirements for certain elements in the city center, these proposals would be in addition to those. Commissioner Lofgren liked options 2 and 3 but felt all the options could work and they should not be mutually exclusive. Commissioner Vance did not like option 1 because it opened up for a large mass building where at least option 2 puts it in a box so that there is a limited size. Mfflcreek Planning Commission Meeting Minutes 19 March 2025 Page 4 of 6 Chair LaMar felt some of the preferences should be pared down, since art and historic and cultural amenities were subjective. Lilly said option 3 presented developers with doing one big item and one small item. Chair LaMar felt the size of the building should be considered. He would like to review an updated code to recommend to the city council. Lilly would like to get the proposed code to the city council in April. The coinmission discussed which sections of the city center should be eligible for stepback alternatives. Lilly brought up competing values of attracting commercial development, having a parking structure, activating the space, and creating a wonderful streetscape. Corni'nissioner Reid said the commission makes decisions for land uses and not economics since those considerations are not presented in staff reports. Lilly noted economics is a goal of the General Plan. Commissioner Richardson appreciated the economic argument. He said staff highlighted in the presentation that the city was already losing out on some developments and that shows up through higher taxes for the residents. He felt affordable housing was really important, but it was not necessarily a design aspect as Commissioner Reid pointed out. He encouraged staff to support having affordable housing incorporated into the city center. Commissioner Vance recommended approval of the proposal with a list of changes for the city council's first reading, then the commission reviews the updates before it goes back to the city council for final approval. Commissioner Vance moved that the Planning Commission recommend approval of the amendments to the City Center Overlay Zone regarding building stepbacks with: * the current option 1 e'liminated as an option and potentially an additional option created with minimum design standards in conjunction with the development agreement to provide more flexibility; * to look at sealing the 100 parking spaces and the 1000 square foot open space based upon the size of the project; * going through the design enhancements and identifying areas or districts or blocks where those make sense; * removing the subjectivity to the extent possible on the design enhancements, and especially on the public use option with respect to art, historic, and things of that nature, (if it is going to be an option, have more defined standards to remove the subjectivity from it so the city knows what it is getting in exchange for that); * leave3300SouthinbetweenHighlandandl300Eastasblue[onthemapl; * and that the item comes back to the commission for additional comments between the city council's first and second readings. Commissioner Lofgren seconded. Commissioner Anderson would rather choose what was most economically viable for the developer and the city. May proposed a third color on the map with reduced stepback standards instead of simply being ineligible. Commissioner Reid asked if the section between Ricond and Highland on 3300 South should be changed to green (ineligible for alternatives). The majority of the commission felt it should stay blue (eligible for alternatives). Chair LaMar called for the vote. Commissioner Anderson voted yes, Chair LaMar voted yes, Commissioner Lofgren voted yes, Commissioner Reid voted yes, Commissioner Millcreek Planning Commission Meeting Minutes 19 March 2025 Page 5 of 6 Richardson voted yes, Commissioner Soule voted yes, and Commissioner Vance voted yes. The motion passed unanimously. 2. Commission Business 2.1 Approval of February 19, 2025 Regular Meeting Minutes 2.2 Approval of February 26, 2025 Special Meeting Minutes Chair LaMar moved to approve the minutes as seen in the staff report. Commissioner Soule seconded. Chair LaMar called for the vote. Commissioner Anderson voted yes, Chair LaMar voted yes, Commissioner Lofgren voted yes, Commissioner Reid voted yes, Commissioner Richardson voted yes, Commissioner Soule voted yes, and Commissioner Vance voted yes. The motion passed unanimously 2.3 Updates from the Planning and Zoning Director Francis Lilly introduced Tim Watkins, Cornrnunity Planner, from the Wasatch Front Regional Council. Watkins said the Wasatch Choice Vision Land Use Vision is updated every four years. They look at transportation, active transportation, and land use. The centers used are neighborhood centers, city centers, urban centers, and metropolitan centers. There are also employment districts, industrial districts, residential areas, and parks and public spaces. The land use categories include metro center, urban center, city center, neighborhood center, educational district, employment district, industrial district, special district, and the newly added retail district. A center is walkable, has a mix of uses, and is more intense than surrounding areas. He showed the coinmission new images of a neighborhood center (1-3 stories), a city center (1-4 stories), and an urban center (2-8 stories). Watkins presented maps that resulted from community workshops and input from city planners, and the proposed map for city stakeholders. The map then becomes the new basis for projection of households and jobs across the region for the year 2055 and will allow analytics and long range planning to look at those potential future locations for jobs and households and the proximity between services and residents, and test those in what is called the "real estate market demand model" and the "transportation travel demand model." He highlighted the Millcreek vision on the map. Commissioner Soule noted the map reflected an urban center in Mt. Olympus, but it should be a neighborhood center. Lilly highlighted two other areas on the map around 2300 E and 3300 S and in Canyon Rim that should be classified as city center and not urban center. 3. Calendar of Upcoming Meetings * City Council Mtg. 3/24/25 7:00 p.m. @ Millcreek Community Council Mtg., 4/1/25, 6:30 p.m. * Canyon Rim Citizens Association Mtg., 4/2/25, 7:00 p.m. * East Mill Creek Community Council Mtg., 4/3/25, 6:30 p.m. @ Mt. Olympus Community Council Mtg., 4/7/25, 6:00 p.m. * Historic Preservation Commission Mtg., 4/10/25, 6:00 p.m. * City Council Mtg. 4/14/25 7:00 p.m. * Plaru'iing Commission Mtg. 4/16/25, 5:00 p.m. Millcreek Planning Commission Meeting Minutes 19 March 2025 Page 6 of 6 ADJOURNED: Commissioner Lofgren moved to adjourn the meeting at 7:10 p.m. Commissioner Vance seconded. Chair LaMar called for the vote. Commissioner Anderson voted yes, Chair LaMar voted yes, Commissioner Lofgren voted yes, Commissioner Reid voted yes, Commissioner Richardson voted yes, Commissioner Soule voted yes, and Commissioner Vance voted yes. The motion passed unanimously APPROVED: Date "!;eL i{,g, 7zs-- Sha#n LaMar. Chair Attest: EMiullivan. Recorder