Council adds 'retail commercial manufacturing' use to regional retail commercial zone for former Suntana Raceway property

Springville — The City Council approved an ordinance to add a narrowly defined “retail commercial manufacturing” (RCM) use to the Regional Retail Commercial (RRC) zoning district, a change staff and the planning commission said is limited to the former Suntana Raceway site adjacent to the I‑15/1600 South interchange.

Why this matters: the change authorizes a specific type of manufacturing and retail operation — described by staff as manufacturing of lumber, doors and millwork with point‑of‑sale within Springville — on lots at least 350 feet south of 1600 South within the RRC zone. The ordinance was part of a package of actions tied to a proposed purchase and development of roughly 28 acres of the former racetrack.

City planning staff described the RCM use as limited, with design and landscaping standards proposed to screen storage and industrial activity from 1600 South and the freeway. Measures presented to the council included a minimum 10% landscape area, a 15% landscape buffer along the north edge of the site, interior parking lot landscaping and a dual‑wall plan to separate storage from right‑of‑way. Staff showed photos and a draft landscaping and fencing plan that place 3-foot and 6-foot walls and rows of Colorado spruce to screen the site from the freeway and 1600 South. Council members asked questions about visual impact from the 1600 South overpass and the freeway; staff said the proposed buildings and screening are designed so that storage yards would not be visible from those vantage points.

Planning commission support: Planning commissioners recommended the change after reviewing whether the RCM use would function for future owners and whether it would resemble typical office/warehouse uses the city had previously sought to limit along the freeway. Staff and commissioners concluded the RCM definition is specific enough to limit its application and is physically restricted by the location requirement in the RRC zone.

Vote: The council approved the ordinance by roll call. Several council members noted conflicts of interest on related items and abstained from those specific decisions; the ordinance vote recorded affirmative votes from council members who participated in the roll call.

Quotes: John, a city staffer, summarized the history of the parcel and the rationale for the zoning change: “The retail commercial manufacturing use … is manufacturing of materials to create finished lumber, doors, and millwork products to be sold as tangible personal property to building contractors with the point of sale being within Springville City.” Planning staff added that the use was attractive to prospective buyers because of projected sales tax generation.

Next steps: The zoning amendment clears the way for the developer to seek subdivision approval and to move forward with a development agreement (considered separately by the council). The ordinance applies to the RRC‑zoned parcel currently occupied by the Suntana Raceway property; staff said other RRC land would need separate review if the council chose to extend the use.