Dozens of residents addressed the Roy City Council on June 17 to press for changes to a proposed Rail Runner townhome project they said would funnel hundreds of new daily vehicle trips through a single neighborhood entrance on 4800 South.

Bridal McMillan, who gave her address as 4614 Westpark Drive, told the council the temporary diversion of construction traffic had helped but did not solve long-term safety problems. "We're gonna need a little bit more than that. A long term solution's what's necessary," McMillan said. She told the council the biggest concern was the many children who live in the neighborhood and the risk posed by hundreds of new vehicles using the neighborhood as a highway.

The remarks were followed by several other neighbors who described near-misses in the crosswalks and a steep approach over the railroad tracks that makes slowing difficult. Ally Welch, 4748 Southwest Park Drive, said the townhome project should not use the existing neighborhood entrance as its only access. "If they're gonna build Rail Runner and complete it and have people move in, then then give it its own access point of 4000 South," Welch said. She added that families, seniors and children would be harmed by routing all new development traffic through a narrow residential street.

Cindy Wynnum told the council the development's proximity to the tracks and the small road footprint amplified safety fears. She said the project could bring "281 units, which is over almost 500 cars," and asked rhetorically whether council members would want that level of traffic routed into their own neighborhoods.

Several residents also raised security concerns tied to increased rental density and said they would prefer the developer create a separate ingress/egress or limit further phases until traffic patterns and safety can be evaluated. Richard Dunlap and other long-time residents asked the council to "cap" further phases and reconsider future approvals until the current expansion's effects are assessed.

Council response

Mayor Dandoid acknowledged the comments and told speakers the council takes the input seriously: "We do take this very seriously," he said, adding that staff and council would review the public comments as they continue permitting work. The council did not take any formal action on the development at the meeting; the comments were part of the meeting's public comment period and the public hearings later in the agenda focused on other items.

Why it matters

The neighborhood's warnings highlight a trade-off local governments face when approving higher-density housing near transit or rail lines: balancing new housing supply and sales-tax-producing commercial activity against neighborhood safety, emergency access and infrastructure capacity. Residents asked for concrete mitigations: a second access at 4000 South, traffic calming (signage, speed humps), a dedicated emergency gate and delaying subsequent development phases until the current traffic impacts are studied.

What happens next

Council members said they will review the public comments and follow up with staff. The city manager and planning staff review development applications and engineering plans; any developer proposals that require zoning changes, variances or development agreements will return to the planning commission and council for formal hearings. Residents seeking a formal restriction on the project may also pursue conditions as part of that public permitting process.