Kaysville council denies rezoning for downtown parcel after residents raise density, parking and safety concerns

The Kaysville City Council on Oct. 16 denied a proposal to rezone 80 East Center Street from A‑1 (light agricultural) to CC (Central Commercial) with a mixed‑use overlay, a plan that would have preserved the site’s historic Presbyterian church and added townhomes with ground‑floor commercial space.

The applicant, Jake Williams, told the council his primary goal was to save the historic church on the parcel and to introduce housing he said would help revitalize downtown. Williams described the plan as a compromise reached after planning commission review: the applicant reduced the project from 27 to 24 dwellings (including conversion of the church to a single‑family residence) and lowered storefront ceiling heights and added open space after neighborhood feedback. “Our driving force for this project initially was figure out a way to save the church,” Williams told the council, and he said the design sought to use existing trees to buffer adjacent homes.

The planning staff presentation noted the project had gone twice to the planning commission; staff…