The Franklin Municipal Planning Commission voted July 24 to recommend that the Board of Mayor and Aldermen rezone and adopt a revised master plan for the Orem planned-unit development south of East McEwen Drive and west of Carruthers Parkway.

The commission approved the rezoning recommendation and then voted, item by item, on four requested modifications of standards for the development plan. Commissioners approved a request to allow pitched or gabled roofs for nonresidential and mixed-use buildings, allowed three digital interactive wayfinding panels limited to interior village-center locations, denied broad approval for new exposed neon/LED sign illumination, and approved string lighting in designated pedestrian areas. Staff told the commission the revised plan would cut projected vehicle trips on the McEwen–Carruthers corridor compared with the earlier entitlements.

Why it matters: The Orem site sits within the city’s Envision Franklin regional commerce design concept, a designation intended for high-intensity, mixed-use centers serving employers and visitors regionwide. The commission’s recommendations set new entitlements and send the package to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen (BOMA) for final action.

Staff presentation and traffic
Chelsea, a planner with the City of Franklin Planning Department, told the commission the applicant submitted a revised development plan that is vested under the July 2018 zoning ordinance and placed the property within the regional commerce design concept. Staff said the mix of multifamily residential, office and commercial uses in the master plan “meets the intent of the regional commerce design concept.”

Applicant Glenn McGee, developer with South Star, said the project was originally zoned in 2019 but market changes following the pandemic prompted the team to rework the plan. “We kept saying we want an executable plan,” McGee said, explaining the team sought a program that is financeable and buildable now.

Applicant representative Greg Gamble said the revised entitlements change the program on the site to a larger residential component and much less office space than the prior approval. Gamble said the new entitlements reduce traffic impacts by roughly 4,000 average daily trips on the corridor and reduce morning peak trips by about 110 and evening peak trips by about 333 compared with the previously approved plan. “It is a reduction of 4,000 average daily trips,” Gamble said.

Modifications, votes and staff positions
• Roof forms (MOS 1): Staff recommended approval; the commission approved the modification allowing pitched/gabled roofs for specified village-center buildings. The vote was unanimous.

• Digital interactive wayfinding (MOS 2): The applicant asked to allow up to three digital interactive screen panels within the village-center zones shown on the plan. Planning staff pointed to sections of the city sign ordinance that prohibit moving signs and visible exposed neon or LED illumination and recommended disapproval. The commission approved MOS 2 by a 6–2 vote. Commissioners Allen and Williamson voted no.

• Sign illumination (MOS 3): The applicant requested permission for neon/LED as internal illumination or halo effects. Staff recommended disapproval because the vested and current ordinances prohibit visible exposed neon and LED illumination for principal signs. The commission approved MOS 3 by a 6–2 vote (Allen and Williamson no).

• String lighting (MOS 4): The applicant requested to allow string lighting in pedestrian/dining/amenity areas (not over rights-of-way or across fire access lanes). Staff said the more recent ordinance updates allow string lighting; the commission approved the request unanimously.

After the MOS votes, the commission approved the development plan package and recommended approval of the rezoning to BOMA with conditions recommended by staff.

Discussion and constraints
Commissioners and staff discussed the tension between preserving the city’s sign standards and allowing new wayfinding tools and placemaking elements the developer argued were necessary for a modern, mixed-use center. Several commissioners urged the city to consider a broader ordinance update rather than repeatedly granting exceptions for individual projects.

What happens next
The planning commission’s action is a recommendation to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen. BOMA will consider the rezoning ordinance and the revised development plan at its work session and vote. The applicant and staff said parkland and other site agreements will be executed to align with the development plan as the project moves forward.

Ending note
The Orem PUD developer said construction on the southern phase — the first phase of residential already approved — is underway; the commission’s recommendation clears the way for the remaining phases to proceed through BOMA review and permitting.