Herriman City Planning Commissioners recommended the city council adopt a new Commercial Flex (CF) zone intended to help under‑used commercial parcels develop as small‑scale commercial, maker, and light industrial spaces. Commissioners approved the recommendation with a modification to reduce the minimum contiguous acreage threshold for certain sign-overlay eligibility from 8 acres to 5 acres.

Staff presented the proposed CF zone as a tool to fill a gap between existing commercial (C-2) and manufacturing (M-1/M-2) uses, expand options for home‑grown businesses to scale up locally, and allow selected accessory uses such as drive‑up and indoor self‑storage on sites of sufficient size. The CF draft would permit wholesale and warehousing on CF parcels (currently allowed only in M-1/M-2), allow a range of permitted retail and maker spaces, and include design standards intended to keep street‑facing façades to higher architectural quality while allowing simpler finishes on rear tenant spaces. The draft would restrict drive‑up storage to lots five acres or larger and generally limit such storage to tenant or lessee use, with potential policy options for operator-managed rentals.

Developer and contractor testimony: Kyle Norton of Aspen Lake Construction, a local contractor and developer, spoke in support. He described CF‑type developments as a lower‑cost stepping stone for entrepreneurs—small flex units combined with storage that can be scaled as businesses grow—and suggested a shared clubhouse/reception area for tenant services.

Commission discussion focused on sizing, uses, and potential effects on nearby residential areas. Commissioners agreed the CF zone should be a limited tool for selected parcels and that uses such as drive‑up storage and vehicle/equipment rental need careful location screening in any future zone‑change cases. One commissioner asked staff to consider changing the minimum contiguous acreage in the major‑corridor sign overlay from 8 to 5 acres; the commission approved that change and voted 4–1 to recommend the CF code amendments to the council (Heather voted no).

Next steps: The planning commission’s recommendation, including the 8→5‑acre adjustment, goes to the city council for consideration. Staff noted specific site applications would require zone‑change review and conditional‑use approvals as required by the new CF standards.