Council approves general-plan and zoning changes to allow townhomes at 4007 W. 5500 S.; planning commission had recommended denial

The Roy City Council voted on May 20 to amend Roy's general plan future land-use map from single-family residential to multifamily residential and to rezone a 4.6-acre property at 4007 West 5500 South from R-1-8 to R-4, clearing the way for a proposed townhome development.

Steve (city planner) summarized the request and the planning commission's action. The planning commission forwarded a recommendation to deny the general-plan amendment on a 4–2 vote; the subsequent rezone recommendation to deny the rezoning was 6–0. During the council meeting the applicant — who identified himself as the property owner and developer (presented to council as Mark) — said he bought the property two years earlier and had spent significant time and money clearing blight and removing debris. The developer said single-family lots on the parcel would be economically unfeasible because the infrastructure cost per lot (roads and utilities) would make individual houses unaffordable.

"I purchased this property ... to meet that need, to try to find something affordable," the developer said, and presented conceptual townhome designs with three-bedroom units and attached garages. He cited nearby market listings to argue that even the least-expensive single-family home in the one-mile radius was priced at approximately $469,000, and he said a comparable townhome product in the area was currently listed in the low-$400,000s.

Several councilmembers noted the tensions between neighbors' objections and the city's stated housing goals. Councilmember [first name provided in transcript only] said the city's general plan supports zoning flexibility to facilitate moderate-income housing and that townhouse development on this parcel could generate property-tax revenue and smaller units for buyers priced out of single-family inventory. Other councilmembers emphasized that rezoning to R-4 allows a broader set of uses (including offices) and that development agreements would be the appropriate place to lock in building type, materials and other design controls.

Councilmember (motion maker) moved to approve Ordinance 25-6 (general-plan map amendment) and Ordinance 25-7 (rezoning to R-4). The council approved both measures by roll-call vote; the motion to amend the general plan passed after debate and multiple councilmembers said they wanted to encourage townhomes specifically even though the R-4 zone allows other uses. The council did not approve a separate development agreement at the May 20 meeting.

Planning staff and the developer will continue detailed code and development review at the planning-commission stage for site plan, parking and design details. The council's approval changes the long-range framework for the parcel but does not authorize construction permits; those must follow standard plan review and permitting steps.

Provisions and clarifications recorded in the meeting: the lot was described in staff documents as 4.6 acres; Gardner Engineering provided a cost analysis the developer cited that suggested conventional single-family subdivision was not financially feasible without higher land values or lower infrastructure costs; the developer said his plan envisions three-bedroom, two-bath townhomes with attached garages and small shared open spaces near Emma Russell Park. The council did not place binding limits on ownership model (sale vs. rental) at the time of rezoning.