Planning commission forwards Oakley City Center master plan to city council, rejects text amendment that would allow additional gas stations

The Oakley Planning Commission on Wednesday voted to forward a revised Oakley City Center master plan development application to the City Council with recommendations and conditions, and separately recommended that the council not amend the City Code to make gas stations an allowed use in the village mixed‑use (VMU) zone.

Developer representatives presented an updated master plan, describing changes made after two prior meetings and extensive public outreach. The plan covers north and south blocks of the proposed City Center and proposes mixed‑use retail, a grocery/hardware anchor (about 18,000 square feet), ground‑floor commercial with upper‑floor residential options, roughly 30–36 apartment units in the early design, public green space and a proposed convenience‑store fuel station relocated to the south block. The presentation included a timeline broken into phases and a proposed development agreement approach to address detailed design, utilities and access issues.

Project representative Matt summarized the timeline and outreach: "We had what we call a think tank... about 25 in attendance" and "75 citizens showed up" to a subsequent open house, and said the team responded to feedback by relocating the proposed fuel station and moving parking off Center Street. He said the team seeks a "positive recommendation" from the Planning Commission to forward the master plan and a related text amendment to the City Council.

A major portion of the meeting was public comment. Dozens of residents voiced concerns about scale, phasing, traffic and infrastructure, and multiple speakers questioned whether Oakley’s population and street network can support the proposed retail, two convenience stores, and apartments. Key public remarks included: "There's no way that there's enough people to make this work," one resident said of the proposed retail and grocery; another asked whether the city has completed a traffic study and pleaded for a slower process and more transparency.

Several residents raised specific points: concerns that apartments adjacent to Center Street would separate the park from the public; requests that the city prioritize park/amenity construction in early phases rather than later; and the suggestion to investigate using existing nearby residentially zoned land for housing rather than placing apartments in the core. Kelly Edwards, owner of the existing Duchess gas station, urged caution: her property includes environmental remediation and business investments that complicate relocation; she warned the city to consider potential environmental cleanup obligations if a fuel site were moved.

Commissioners and staff explained process constraints and next steps. City attorney Lisa Watts Baskin and planning staff outlined that the master plan application launches the development agreement process under Utah Code (discussed in the meeting as Utah Code 10‑9a‑532). Staff said further, detailed work — traffic studies, utility impact analyses, UDOT access permitting for Highway 32 and formal development‑agreement language — would follow if the City Council agrees to proceed.

After extended discussion the commission voted to forward the master plan to the City Council, with recorded guidance and conditions for the forthcoming development agreement and design review. The commission requested that the development agreement explicitly address: phasing tied to city‑owned parcel conveyance, sequencing of park/amenity construction in early phases, a title/encumbrance report for city‑owned parcels on the south block, specific utilities and capital‑improvement funding/impact fees, a firm commitment to architectural review standards, and clarity about UDOT access and sequencing of permitting. The motion to forward the plan with those points passed 4–1.

On a separate ordinance matter, the commission considered a proposed text amendment to the land‑use matrix that would make gas stations allowed in VMU. Commissioners and many public commenters expressed concern about creating a new, general entitlement for gas stations across VMU land. The commission voted 4–1 to recommend that the City Council not amend the code to add gas stations as a permitted VMU use. Commissioners noted that the existing Duchess station is a legally established, nonconforming use under current code but that creating a new across‑the‑board allowance would be a policy decision for the council.

What happens next: the Planning Commission's forward recommendation and the record of tonight's public hearing will be delivered to the City Council, which must draft the ordinance and decide whether to begin the development agreement process. Staff and the applicant will continue technical work requested by the commission, including utility impact analysis and title/encumbrance checks for city‑owned parcels on the south block. A development agreement, if initiated, will return to the Planning Commission for additional public hearings before final City Council action.

Votes at a glance: - Master plan development application (north and south blocks): forwarded to City Council with recommendations and conditions; commission vote 4–1 to forward. - Text amendment to allow gas stations in village mixed‑use: Planning Commission recommended against the amendment; commission vote 4–1.

The City Council will receive the master plan, the transcript of public comment, and the Planning Commission's recommendations for further action and may direct staff to prepare a draft development agreement, draft ordinance language, or both.