Kaysville planning commission recommends approval of rezone for 13 W. 915 N. with development agreement limiting uses

The Kaysville City Planning Commission on May 8 voted to recommend approval of a rezone request that would change the property at 13 West 915 North from RA (residential agricultural) to LI (light industrial), subject to a development agreement that narrows allowed uses and includes a conceptual site plan.

The development agreement, prepared in coordination between the applicant and city staff after an April 24 continuance, strikes several heavier manufacturing and utility uses from the LI allowed-uses list and adds a conceptual site plan showing potential layouts for retail at the frontage and lighter industrial/warehouse uses toward the rear. Planning staff recommended approval with those restrictions and the commission majority agreed.

Why it matters: Commissioners said the added development agreement and site plan addressed the principal concerns raised at the prior hearing — buffering of heavier uses from nearby residences, limiting noise and visual impacts, and preserving retail frontage that better serves traffic along the corridor.

Commission discussion centered on which uses remained and how the site layout would buffer neighboring homes. The development agreement removes utility substations, offices, small tools and light metal products from the permitted-use list and removes furniture and fixtures, stone/clay/glass product manufacturing and fabricated metal product industries from conditional uses, according to staff. Phil Holland, representing the applicant, told the commission the applicant worked with staff to “strike out most of those manufacturing, if not all of them,” because heavy manufacturing was not the applicant’s intent.

Commissioners repeatedly praised the added conceptual site plan. One commissioner said the layout “keeps the busiest stuff farthest away from the neighbors,” noting a proposed retail frontage and warehousing/flex space toward the rear that would help screen lights and activity from nearby homes. Commissioners also pressed staff and the applicant on curb cuts and access; the applicant indicated state highway access limitations mean access would be from Devai Drive (as stated by the applicant).

Formal action: The commission made a motion to recommend approval per staff recommendation and voted to recommend approval. Recorded voice votes in the meeting transcript show three affirmative votes and no recorded opposing votes; chair Packer announced the motion passed. The commission chair said the item will be forwarded to the City Council for consideration on June 5.

What the approval means next: The planning commission’s recommendation will be transmitted to the City Council for a public hearing and final action. If the council approves the rezone and executes the development agreement as drafted, the property’s LI zoning will include the narrower list of permitted and conditional uses and will be governed by the conceptual site plan attached to the agreement.

Details and limits: The development agreement includes a 70% lot coverage limit (no more than 70% of the lot can be covered by buildings or structures) and restricts certain heavy manufacturing and utility uses. The applicant stated the conceptual flex building shown in the plan is roughly 30,000 square feet in the rear, and the applicant said the developer expects retail frontage uses (roughly an acre shown at the front) to be the higher-value portion of the site. The applicant also said he does not plan to build to the maximum 35-foot height allowed in the zone.

Commissioners identified outstanding non-zoning work that remains — notably a traffic crossing farther to the east — but said those issues are largely outside the immediate parcel redesign and can be addressed in subsequent engineering and plan review steps.

Votes at a glance: Motion to recommend approval per staff recommendation — mover and seconder not specified on the record; tally recorded in the transcript: yes 3, no 0, abstain 0. Outcome: recommendation to City Council to approve (motion passed).

The commission chair said the rezone recommendation would be scheduled for the City Council meeting on June 5.