Snyderville Basin planning commission approves ADU at Altitude Lofts Unit 6

The Snyderville Basin Planning Commission on Aug. 12, 2025, approved a conditional use permit allowing an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) at Unit 6 of the Altitude Lofts condominiums. The owner is Mark Abbott and the applicant is Brooke Milton; Laura Kumar, the county planner assigned to the application, recommended approval after finding the proposal met the land-use code.

Kumar told the commission the application “is almost identical to an application that we reviewed probably about a month ago” and described how the third floor of the mixed-use shell building must be partitioned so the ADU meets size limits. “Because this shell building was built with the third level being more than a thousand square feet, they have to kind of wall off and make a section of the third level inaccessible in order to make the ADU meet the size requirement,” Kumar said.

The commission and staff discussed how many ADUs may occur in the same building. Kumar said this will be the second ADU approved in that particular building, with a third application expected to come to the planning commission. “This building specifically would be capped out at 3,” she said, noting additional ADUs beyond three would require building-wide accessibility changes—such as an elevator or other access upgrades—before more units could be converted.

Commissioners asked about operational safeguards and impacts. One commissioner asked whether the ADU’s certificate of occupancy could be granted before the commercial use in the same unit was active; Kumar said the county requires a commercial use to exist and that the certificate-of-occupancy condition is intended “to make sure that there is some sort of business there before we allow the ADU to be occupied.”

Construction and technical questions were addressed by Rob Milton, who identified himself as the project builder and contractor. Milton said the mixed-use design separates ventilation systems for the commercial and residential uses: “So, they have to so you don't we wouldn't mix air from the commercial to the residential,” he said.

Parking was raised; staff said it has not been flagged as a problem at the Altitude Lofts project to date. Kumar said the county had not received reports of parking problems for the condominium project but acknowledged she had not driven by frequently.

After public hearing procedures and no public comments documented, a commissioner moved to approve the conditional use permit “according to the findings of fact, conclusions of law, and conditions of approval in the staff report.” The motion was seconded and the commission voted unanimously; the motion passed 6-0.

The approval includes the certificate-of-occupancy condition and the other conditions listed in the staff report that staff and the commission reviewed during the hearing. The applicant, owner and planner indicated the project will return to building review for technical permitting as required by the county code.