Planning commission approves 206-unit Geneva Road residential project with parking, traffic conditions

Provo City Planning Commission unanimously approved a project plan July 9 for a 206-unit residential development at 88 North Geneva Road, a site in the Fort Utah neighborhood that is zoned Medium Density Residential (MDR).

The project, proposed by Wasatch Residential Group and described in the presentation as 18 townhomes and 188 apartments, received approval conditioned on a final plat being recorded and remaining CRC comments being addressed and approved, city staff said.

Staff presented the site plan and associated studies, saying the development provides 411 parking stalls — slightly above the code requirement of 407 — and shows landscaping buffers required where multifamily backs up to residential lots. "Our city engineers have reviewed the traffic study for this project, and have found that it's able to maintain an acceptable level of service," Dustin Wright, Provo City staff, told commissioners.

Why this matters: the site sits at Center Street and Geneva Road, two UDOT-controlled arterial streets. Public Works estimated trip generation from the project at roughly 2,300 vehicle trips per day, with peak flows of about four vehicles per minute. Staff and Public Works said that projected traffic is well within the roadway's capacity and that any required roadway work or access controls (for example, a center-turn median or widening) would be handled through UDOT and development review.

Neighbors who spoke during public comment voiced concern about spillover parking into adjacent, older single-family streets. "The reality that we've seen...is that young professionals and students tend to come live there, and they all have a car per room," said Tanner Welton, Provo resident. His wife, Brooke Walton, added that recommended parking ratios in similar developments have not prevented spillover in surrounding cities and that visitor parking often exacerbates the problem.

Staff and the applicant said the project does not request a parking reduction and that projects owned and managed by a single entity tend to have fewer over-occupancy enforcement problems. "What we have found in projects like this that are owned by one entity and are managed by one entity, we tend not to have the over-occupancy problems that cause the parking problems that the people are most concerned about," a city staff member said. Staff noted the city can respond with on-street parking regulations if spillover occurs.

Applicant Jeff Murdock, representing Wasatch Residential Group, said the company intends to be a long-term owner and manager and described amenities planned for the development, including a pool, clubhouse, fitness center, pickleball court, dog park and bike parking. "We invest our own money into these projects, and we plan on owning it forever," Murdock said.

Commission discussion noted that the development is below the maximum height and density permitted on the site and that the parking ratio meets city code. Commissioners raised bike and pedestrian connectivity as a desirable enhancement to reduce vehicle trips and encouraged links to nearby trails.

Formal action: A motion to approve the project plan with the conditions that the final plat be approved and remaining CRC comments be addressed passed unanimously. The commission record states the outcome as approved.

Details and next steps: the applicant will record a final plat, resolve outstanding CRC comments, and pursue building permits. Staff said the S C 1 (commercial) portion of the site is not part of this review and would be presented later for separate development review.

Votes at a glance: Motion — approve project plan with conditions (final plat and CRC approval). Outcome — approved (unanimous).