[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},"mediaId",6307403,"mediaKeyId","2433331-9da5648b5ee294aad8e2050490d368f3","parentId",2433331,"title","Planning commission unanimously backs agritourism overlay and Finch event center at 2601 W. 280 S.","audioSeconds",1009,"startMs",6357000,"endMs",7366000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2433331-9da5648b5ee294aad8e2050490d368f3&start=6357&end=7366","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2433331-9da5648b5ee294aad8e2050490d368f3/thumbnail_6357000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6307403/Utah/Planning-commission-unanimously-backs-agritourism-overlay-and-Finch-event-center-at-2601-W-280-S","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6307403-65a1483d8ee3af9f0787b9eb12d7a3bc/orig.mp4?Expires=1770705256&Signature=S7lBZlQxypLSUKVctIfaKCZT9d9zX~Tyjf4oCCbW21-1MKujEm72Unr~PgQCw4TtPAeO~uVSzVMfuABjCpnML4fl5SkWT5jVqdMzXoz2Bt0~AWiaxVkcz02z01FEKnUIngaO-honsV59I1nAZ-O08we~EArka8OZ-U4I-CbykyIo1Xx6~H5haAR0Muk0VRZpiTvXnbDrg4dla-EZ~GQZGb5yKrHPeg0eLVtvCSKrA~nl561nkSRc6d5U5UiE~EylEGoDKx-kr5WL0N8g8K~1SZ6hfx5q13nxmmbR1IkvNgMv4eP0DTsunVoT-AoEEI9Bk~FxyLLJe~qWH5r6fqKWEQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-02-27T03:06:48Z","article","The Provo City Planning Commission on Feb. 26 recommended a zone‑map amendment to apply an Agritourism (AT) overlay to 8.86 acres at 2601 West 280 South and approved the Finch Family LLC project plan for a new event barn and supporting site improvements. Both actions passed unanimously.

Staff presentation and project scope
Aaron Arbor, planning staff, presented the application and said the AT overlay allows four additional uses on agricultural parcels — including event centers — and that the Finch project plan has been reviewed and found to meet the overlay’s standards. The property is nearly 9 acres of agricultural land; the application asks for the overlay on the portion needed to host an events facility, parking and supporting landscaping.

Applicant description and design
Applicants Judy and Barry Finch described the proposed barn as a post‑and‑beam structure with exposed timber and tongue‑and‑groove interior finishes, an asphalt access driveway and an asphalt parking area. Judy Finch displayed elevations and photos of similar built examples and said the building would be insulated and finish‑treated for a rural, agricultural appearance. Barry Finch described outdoor amenities that would be set well away from residences, including a small petting area, playground and walking areas; he said those features would be “hundreds of feet” away from the nearest homes.

Neighborhood input and staff safeguards
Arbor told the commission the neighborhood meetings had produced mostly positive comments; staff noted neighborhood concerns focused on parking and noise. The AT overlay chapter includes regulations on hours of operation and noise limits and also provides that an event‑center use may be revoked if the overlay requirements are not met. The staff report and commissioners noted that bonds, inspections and other performance measures would be required so the city can enforce the overlay terms.

Commission action and rationale
Commissioners who spoke in favor said the project had been substantially revised from earlier iterations, that the current plan included landscaping and parking improvements, and that the overlay contains enforcement tools if problems arise. The commission voted to recommend the zone change (apply AT overlay to 8.86 acres) and then approved the project plan; both votes were unanimous.

What’s next
The Planning Commission’s recommendation and the approved project plan are forwarded to City Council for final action and for permit review. Staff will verify setbacks, parking and any off‑site parking agreements and will ensure the applicant provides required bonds and monitoring to enforce noise and hour limits under the overlay. If the city finds overlay requirements are not being met following approval, the event‑center use can be revoked under the overlay code.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Provo City Planning Commission | February 26, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Planning Commission voted unanimously to recommend an Agritourism (AT) overlay for 8.86 acres at 2601 West 280 South and approved the project plan for a new wedding/event barn, subject to the overlay’s operational and noise/hour limits and required bonds/fees.","taxTitle","Provo City Other, Provo, Utah County, Utah","taxId",66233,"location","Utah","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6307408,"Planning commission recommends allowing data centers and private power plants in airport industrial zone, 4-3",5967,383000,6350000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2433331-9da5648b5ee294aad8e2050490d368f3&start=383&end=6350","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2433331-9da5648b5ee294aad8e2050490d368f3/thumbnail_383000.jpg","/articles/6307408/Utah/Planning-commission-recommends-allowing-data-centers-and-private-power-plants-in-airport-industrial-zone-4-3","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6307408-f057510c525cb4f9415e418fb04effb2/orig.mp4?Expires=1770705256&Signature=gQy6D45MXUU0AEWrYxIO3jumBJeXDHRrJWE~5AvvFBN-YmJIFxn1Dizo50f4Rki2ZFPnqtuGCRUlPvj2qSgtu7mXkiUbA8uzEVAs9TlHNH84mMZnnBl4dXWXHFUp39cq1xXmBCo2-yKD3HfyidWV0P-TpB1y0x28JPj~SqkumMXboCejPl1Y4iXdKlljav5wA8E0cuF381hWgyxzCUAFAiO42dQFEwNy8sTxfW-sMdG7KhaVktNOz0C9GrXkSkq0FiL6gt1eNvuXEns3Nkl1YUN57lQHoJgFxZbgVZN7RGp7DQvbxYRuqDbqapTJY3~4Jy2Q4gyGj963NTUYtl87gg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Provo City Planning Commission on Feb. 26 recommended approval of a zoning text amendment that would add data centers and self‑serve power plants to the list of permitted uses in the Airport Industrial zone, approving the measure 4‑3 and attaching conditions that public works and the city’s power officials must resolve emissions, water use and fuel‑source issues before the change goes to the City Council.

The amendment, requested by John Jensen, would allow data centers on approximately 30 acres now zoned AI in the city. Nancy Robinson, planning staff, told commissioners the city’s review found the proposal \"a reasonable land use request if the significant infrastructure impacts and needs can be met\" and recommended the Planning Commission forward the proposed ordinance to City Council with conditions on emissions, low water usage and confirmation of sufficient utility infrastructure.

Why it matters: the change would clear a land‑use hurdle for large computing facilities that require unusual amounts of power (and historically have required significant water for cooling). Commissioners and staff described the proposal as an opening for major private investment but said the city, Provo Power and the joint action agency UMPA must resolve whether the electric grid and water resources can meet a data center’s needs without harming reliability for residents or violating FAA and air‑quality constraints.

Staff summary and conditions
Nancy Robinson told the commission the AI zone was written differently from other zones and currently covers roughly 30 acres in Provo. She said the applicant asked only to add \"data centers\" to permitted uses; staff raised the related issue that power substations and privately operated power plants (so‑called self‑serve plants) would also need to be permitted for a data center to operate there. Robinson recommended approval \"if the significant infrastructure impacts and needs can be met,\" including that \"all issues regarding emissions and low water usage be addressed and resolved with public works\" and that sufficient utility infrastructure be confirmed.

Infrastructure and regulatory concerns
Representatives from the city’s power and regional power entities told the commission the technical challenge is large. Tad Smalcom, introduced in the record as an engineering manager at Doval Power, urged caution, saying Provo’s peak system load had reached about 90 megawatts last summer and that some data centers seek 50–100 megawatts or more. \"We're not built for that,\" he said, describing requirements from UMPA and interconnection needs with Rocky Mountain Power and FAA height restrictions where transmission lines approach airport property.

Applicant and technical response
Applicant John Jensen described the developer’s interest in the airport‑adjacent site, said his group has invested more than $20,000,000 in the property and said the project team expects to use reciprocating engines with emission controls and a closed‑loop cooling approach called absorbers that the company says reduces potable water consumption compared with traditional evaporative cooling. Jensen acknowledged outstanding issues about connecting to the grid and said the amendment is intended to begin a longer technical and regulatory conversation rather than to guarantee immediate construction.

Engineers and consultants who spoke at the hearing described the closed, recirculating absorber approach in technical terms and offered preliminary claims about water use and emissions. Civil engineer Bob Patty explained absorbers as a technology that captures and transfers heat in closed loops and said the system requires several thousand gallons to fill but does not rely on continuous evaporative losses. An air‑quality consultant, Brian Ventsinger, said the team had modeled emissions and expected the project to meet permitting thresholds; he noted that permitting would rely on state and federal permitting rules under the Clean Air Act and state air‑quality programs.

Points of disagreement and uncertainty
Commissioners pressed for specifics. Several asked whether a privately operated power plant would be connected to the city grid or operate as an island, how excess generation would be handled, and how much water an operating facility would need. Staff and applicants offered differing estimates: the applicant team described the cooling approach as producing negligible net potable water use beyond ordinary domestic needs (toilets, drinking fountains and occasional topping), while one commissioner cited a local Salt Lake‑area data center report (the Nova facility in West Jordan) that had monthly water use in the hundreds of thousands of gallons as evidence that water risk should be examined closely. Commissioners also cited FAA concerns about visible plumes near air traffic and asked staff to ensure aviation compatibility.

Commission action and conditions
The commission voted 4‑3 to recommend approval of the proposed ordinance text amendment to the Provo City Council, attaching conditions that: all emissions and low‑water‑usage issues be addressed to the satisfaction of public works and the power department; the city have input on allowable fuel sources used for any privately operated generation; and applicants demonstrate sufficient utility infrastructure (transmission, substation capacity, interconnection agreements with UMPA/Rocky Mountain Power) before final approvals. The commission’s recommendation forwards the text change to the City Council; it does not itself change the code.

What’s next
The recommendation moves the matter to the City Council for final consideration. Staff, public‑works engineers, Provo Power and UMPA will be expected to review technical submittals and permits; FAA and state air‑quality permitting processes were identified as separate regulatory pathways that the applicant must clear. Several commissioners said they wanted explicit documentation of projected water and emissions numbers from the applicant before City Council action.

Votes and formal action
The Planning Commission’s recommendation carried 4‑3. The motion as announced asked that the Planning Commission recommend approval of the text amendment to Provo City Council (adding data centers and self‑serve power plants to permitted uses in the AI zone) with conditions that public works resolve emissions and water‑use issues and that the city confirm sufficient utility infrastructure and fuel‑source approvals. The motion passed by a 4‑3 recorded vote; the file will be transmitted to City Council with staff’s recommended conditions.","On Feb. 26 the Provo City Planning Commission voted 4-3 to recommend a text amendment to allow data centers and \"self‑serve\" (privately operated) power plants in the Airport Industrial (AI) zone, subject to conditions requiring city sign‑off on emissions, water use and fuel sources and confirmation of adequate utility infrastructure.","actionData","errors"]

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Planning commission unanimously backs agritourism overlay and Finch event center at 2601 W. 280 S.

Planning commission recommends allowing data centers and private power plants in airport industrial zone, 4-3