Small business owner asks North Ogden council to sponsor zoning text amendment to allow 'light manufacturing'

A North Ogden resident and small-business owner asked the City Council on June 24 to help clear a path for his company to operate a small-scale manufacturing and final-assembly business in a warehouse near Brilliant Lighting.

Mike Schoblom, who said he and a business partner operate a two-person company that sells aftermarket accessories for Humvees and who used local shops for laser cutting and machining, told the council he applied for a business license that was denied because the city's zoning ordinance does not explicitly permit manufacturing in that zone.

“I don't know too much about that company,” Schoblom said of prior occupants, but he listed past businesses at the space—fertilizer manufacturer, SureCan (final assembly/shipping), Timber West Cabinets and Pilkington Glass—arguing the types of activity he plans are not new to the site. He said his in-house activity is primarily final assembly and occasional prototyping using small 3-D printers and that the loudest tool would likely be an angle grinder used occasionally.

Council members and staff recommended a zoning-text amendment to define and limit “light manufacturing.” Council member Barker asked staff to draft a “really definitive definition of what light manufacturing is so it doesn't grow,” and council member Dalpez suggested including a sound parameter in the definition to address neighbor noise concerns. City staff (Scott and Blake were identified in discussion) agreed to work on a definition and bring it back to council.

Why it matters If the city adopts a narrowly tailored “light manufacturing” definition and adds it to the zoning text for the relevant zone, that could allow small-business operations that focus on final assembly and light prototyping to operate in warehouse spaces without requiring a zoning variance or relocation. Staff cautioned that the city does not currently have a zone that permits manufacturing and that an amendment needs care to avoid unintended expansion of heavier industrial uses.

What happens next City planning staff will draft proposed zoning-text language that defines and limits light manufacturing, including potential sound or equipment restrictions, and return to council. Schoblom said he needs a quick timeline because his Riverdale lease runs month to month.

Ending Council members encouraged the owner to work with staff and said they favored bringing a narrowly defined amendment back to council quickly.