Planning staff on Oct. 2 presented an update to the Fashion Place West station area plan, a state-mandated station-area planning process focused on the half-mile radius around the TRAX platform and on meeting statutory requirements for transit-oriented planning.

Mark Morris, a planning presenter, summarized the effort as a visioning exercise and described a four-subarea approach that differentiates neighborhood-facing commercial/light industrial (Subarea 1), transit-oriented mixed-use adjacent to Winchester (Subarea 2), larger regional mixed-use near the mall (Subarea 3), and established residential neighborhoods where land-use change is not anticipated (Subarea 4). "The short version of the plan is to focus context appropriate development in key nodes and improve physical infrastructure to improve neighborhood quality," Morris said.

Staff noted the plan update responds to state legislation requiring discrete station-area plans and that the city is coordinating with the Utah Transit Authority (UTA) and the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT). Key technical points presented to commissioners included recent demographic updates showing median household income in the study area has risen while median home values remain lower than the rest of the city and county, and a housing-plus-transportation cost metric estimated at roughly 35% of household income for the study area (2023 data). Staff pointed to the city’s authority to consider rezoning or overlays to encourage context-sensitive mixed use; however, any rezoning would occur only when property owners seek redevelopment.

Commissioners and staff discussed potential catalytic projects and implementation priorities for the next five years: exploring redevelopment opportunities on large surface-parking areas at Fashion Place Mall, improved pedestrian and cycling connections to the TRAX platform, redesigning Jefferson Park (now a detention basin) as a public amenity, and longer-term concepts such as widening or reconfiguring the Winchester bridge to improve pedestrian comfort. Staff said UTA owns roughly five acres near the platform that could serve as a redevelopment catalyst and stressed the need for a practical five-year implementation program so the city and partners can measure progress.

Commissioners asked for clearer zoning recommendations to accompany the vision; staff said the adopted small-area plan would include guidance and that more detailed rezoning or overlay recommendations could follow in code updates tailored to the station area's different contexts. Staff also said an update will be presented to the City Council and that materials and UTA ridership data will be shared with the commission for review.

The commission did not take regulatory action on the station plan at the meeting; the presentation functioned as an informational update and a staff check-in on next steps and outreach.