Planners recommend R2S rezoning for 397–399 Harrisville Road to allow townhomes

A planning department presentation at the Jan. 14 joint work session of the Ogden City Council and Redevelopment Agency outlined a request to rezone 397 and 399 Harrisville Road — a 4.92‑acre site at the city’s north edge — from R2 to R2S to permit townhomes and small‑lot single‑family ownership units.

The proposal, Planning Director Barton said, was submitted after the applicant decided against asking for R3 apartments and instead sought the R2S designation to create ownership opportunities: “This is a request for a zone change at, 3 97 and 399 Harrisville Road.” Barton told councilors the R2S zone would allow substantially higher density than the existing R2 designation and would require units to be subdivided for individual ownership.

The rezoning request is partly a response to the city’s housing goals. Barton said multifamily production has been strong, while the city is “doing really poorly with meeting need for single family and ownership housing,” and that the applicant agreed to seek R2S rather than R3 to provide more opportunities for ownership.

Under the zoning comparison Barton presented, R2 allows single‑family on 6,000‑square‑foot lots (about 7.3 dwelling units per acre). R2S would allow smaller lots and higher density — Barton said the maximum theoretical townhome yield on the concept plan would be 85 units, and he counted about 78 on the drawing shown to the council. He cautioned the concept plan was illustrative: “I can guarantee you it's not going to end up looking exactly like this.”

Barton said two older single‑family homes sit on the property (one built in 1930) but that they do not meet the Planning Division’s criteria for distinctive historic significance. He recommended no special historic preservation measures tied to this rezoning.

Access and site details remain unresolved. The applicant has been in discussions with the Utah Department of Transportation because Harrisville Road is a state highway and UDOT typically prefers shared access points; if UDOT does not permit access on Harrisville Road, Barton said, access would have to come from North Street. The package also includes a small sliver of land owned by a Buddhist church; the applicant has a signed contract for that parcel but must finalize a lot‑line adjustment so zoning and lot lines match.

Open‑space requirements were noted: the group‑dwelling code mandates interior common open space for such projects, and Barton said a neighborhood park lies within the city’s half‑mile guideline for park access. The planning commission reviewed the request and recommended approval with the condition that the lot boundary adjustment be completed so the zone boundary and lot lines align.

Council discussion touched on building length and density. Councilman O’Hara asked about concerns over the potential length of townhome buildings; Barton said the code does not set a maximum building length but requires architectural offsets and features to break up long façades. O’Hara and others also urged staff to monitor how R2S projects are built out over time and whether the majority of units become individually owned as intended.

Next steps: the council was scheduled to consider the item again at a future meeting (the applicant will be present for the formal council hearing), and planning staff said the council will see final materials and the required lot‑line adjustment if the item moves forward.