Council denies Sparks Ventures industrial rezone over roads and service concerns

The Cache County Council voted to deny a request to rezone roughly 10 acres west of Smithfield from agricultural A‑10 to industrial after planning commission recommended denial on a 5–1 vote.

The planning commission report and public comments highlighted two primary concerns: substandard access roads (4200 North and 800 West), which would require substantial improvements, and comments from Hyde Park city asserting the parcel lies in its future annexation area and that septic systems may be problematic because of a low water table. The applicant, property owner Blake Sparks, said the ground is largely untillable and said he sought industrial zoning to make constructive use of the site.

Nut graf: County staff and planning commissioners concluded that the property is not currently served by adequate public roads and that municipal-service and groundwater/septic issues make industrial development inappropriate at this time, so the council affirmed the planning commission’s denial.

During the public hearing, owner Blake Sparks said he had owned the property about 40 years, described the land as “unfarmable” and said a nearby parcel had moved to industrial zoning. Planning staff reiterated that adjacent industrially zoned parcels remained undeveloped in part because of road-improvement needs. After closing public testimony, a council member moved to follow planning commission’s recommendation to deny the rezone and the council voted to deny the ordinance.

Ending: The applicant may pursue other options consistent with the A‑10 zoning; any future rezoning would need to address road improvements, services and groundwater/septic concerns.