Commission discusses changing TOD rules to require street‑facing commercial frontage instead of a building‑footprint minimum

Midvale planning staff presented a proposed change to the Transit Oriented Development (TOD) overlay code during the Oct. 22 meeting that would shift the city’s commercial‑use requirement from a percentage of building footprint area to a percentage of street‑facing frontage.

Ben Lehi (first name and title in the transcript only) explained the motivation: under the current TOD ordinance mapped areas around Center Street and Fort Union station require a minimum share of commercial uses based on building footprint (historically 50%), but developers building podium parking (parking within or under the building) find it difficult to meet a footprint percentage while also providing necessary parking. Lehi said staff is considering a change to require a minimum share of street‑facing building facade to be…