Planning commission reviews Bennett master plan changes, discusses bridge impact-fee credit and 4700 West buffers

Western Weber County planning staff and commissioners discussed proposed revisions to the Bennett master plan development at the Planning Commission meeting on July 15, but took no formal action on the plan. County staff said the applicant has agreed to build two pedestrian bridges over the river if the developer can receive credits against trail impact fees, and commissioners debated a proposed 25-foot landscape buffer for residences along 4700 West and language encouraging senior-friendly housing.

County planning staff told the commission that the developer has agreed to construct two pedestrian bridges “as long as they can get an impact fee credit for those 2 bridges,” and that the county would provide a credit repaid from trail impact fees earned by that project. Planning staff said the mechanism would credit the developer only for trail impact fees generated by their own development and that, at the end of each year, the county would reimburse the developer the accrued amount or apply it as a credit against future fees.

The discussion also covered which county code provisions would apply to the project. Staff said portions of county code Title 108 were being reviewed and, in places where the master developer’s standards are judged equal or superior, certain Title 108 items are proposed to be excluded from the development agreement. Staff asked commissioners to review the specific line edits in a tracked-changes draft that staff planned to send by email.

Commissioners debated a proposal from Commissioner Harvey to require a 20- to 30-foot open-space belt along parts of 4700 West, modeled after Norton Commons. Several commissioners pushed back, saying the county general plan envisions portions of 4700 West as a main-street style frontage with buildings close to the sidewalk. The chair summarized the concern, saying, “That wasn't the intent in the general plan,” and warned that enforcing a continuous buffer could produce a patchwork of different conditions if the developer does not acquire adjacent parcels.

To try to reconcile those views, staff read a draft provision that would require a 25-foot-wide landscape buffer for residential development adjacent to 4700 West, measured from the 4700 West right-of-way line, but would exclude commercial or ground-level commercial frontages and would allow the planning director to reduce the buffer “in compliance with the general plan” if the developer proposed a separate community benefit. Staff noted the planning director’s authority to reduce the buffer, and commissioners said they would watch how that discretion is applied during future site-specific reviews.

Commissioner Harvey also sought a set-aside of units for senior housing. Several commissioners and staff said imposing a fixed percentage would limit the developer’s ability to respond to market demand. Staff presented a milder alternative paragraph emphasizing that the project is “planned as a multigenerational community that supports a broad spectrum of housing needs, including opportunities well suited for senior residents,” and that the developer is committed to design and housing options that can appeal to senior households. Commissioners said they had not yet agreed whether that language satisfies Harvey’s intent.

The meeting included discussion of outreach the county has done with the Hanson family, who own roughly 150 acres near the river that are shown in the general plan as green/open space but which the general plan also routes a future road through. A Hansen family member told staff the family would prefer the land be preserved rather than sold for development, saying, “We would really like to see this permanently preserved.” Staff discussed options including conservation easements, the West Weber Park District and Department of Agriculture funding, and the need for an entity to operate and maintain any preserved land.

Staff emphasized that road alignment and right-of-way acquisition remain open questions and that the county will need landowner cooperation before finalizing any route. Staff asked commissioners to look for opportunities to suggest solutions if the Hansons or other landowners are willing to pursue conservation or park options.

No formal vote on the Bennett master plan occurred at the July 15 meeting; staff said they would send commissioners a tracked-changes draft by email and requested feedback within a week. The commission approved two sets of minutes by consensus earlier in the meeting and later took a motion to adjourn, which passed by voice vote.

The file of changes to the master plan and the staff-tracked draft will be circulated to commissioners for review before the item returns to any later hearing or decision by the county commissioners.