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Planning department outlines 2024 workload and 2025 priorities, including plan-review coordinator
Summary
Millcreek planning staff reported 2024 permit and review activity and outlined 2025 goals: adopt recodified zoning in April, finalize station-area plans and water-use element, add an electronic application portal, and request a plan-review coordinator hire to improve application throughput.
Planning staff reviewed the department’s 2024 workload and presented goals for 2025, including a push to adopt the consolidated zoning code, implement an electronic planning-application portal, complete station-area plans and water-use elements, and request funding for a plan-review coordinator to streamline reviews.
Francis (planning director) summarized workload figures staff provided for 2024: building-permit reviews, business-license reviews, follow-up reviews and a range of land-use approvals including accessory dwelling units, conditional use permits, site plans, variances, subdivisions, and rezones. Francis told the commission the department performed numerous reviews and consultations and that final building inspections and permit issuance reflect a substantial amount of behind-the-scenes work.
Staff highlighted accomplishments in 2024: adoption of the Murray North Station Area Plan, a $10,000 grant from the Utah Division of Water Resources for a water-use and preservation element, exceeding the state’s moderate-income housing goals for a second year and positioning the city for priority state transportation funding, Village Center Special District adoption, and historic-preservation nominations (Mount Air Acres nomination to SHPO). Francis also noted the department’s role in projects such as the Porsche dealership and local development consultations.
For 2025 the department’s goals included adopting the new code (target April), implementing an online planning portal, nominating local historic sites (Iceberg Drive-In, Baldwin radio factory), adopting a sidewalk and trails master plan, preparing a Veteran Heights historic-district nomination, adopting a citywide sustainability policy, and finalizing a planning and engineering design manual that aligns development standards across titles.
Francis described operational improvements staff will propose to City Council: creating a single plan-review coordinator position to serve as the applicant’s primary contact and route plans through building, fire, engineering and planning reviewers to reduce handoffs and re-submittal confusion. "We're going to be asking the city council for additional capacity to staff a plan review coordinator who will actually be the sole point of contact for routing plans through different departments," Francis said.
Commissioners asked clarifying questions (for example, what a zoning compliance letter typically responds to). Francis said zoning compliance letters are often requested by appraisers or during property closings to confirm whether a property meets code. The department asked commissioners to note recommended priorities and indicated it will share further materials as projects advance.
