Commission recommends approval of RM zoning and PRUD overlay for 16 East 950 North; 56 townhomes proposed

Kaysville planning staff recommended approval on April 20 of a rezone for 16 East 950 North from RA (agricultural residential) to RM (multiple-family residential) with a PRUD overlay. The applicant proposes 56 townhome units on approximately 3.77 acres, internal private lanes, rear-loading garages, and a package of common amenities.

Staff said the parcel is shown as general commercial on the city’s future land use map, but that state requirements and the city’s moderate-income housing plan direct staff to give strong consideration to rezonings that add housing types the city lacks. Mindy McNamara told commissioners the RM application responds to an objective in the 2022 general plan and the city’s moderate-income housing implementation measures.

The proposed site plan shows 56 units with two-car garages, room for two additional cars per driveway, and 12 guest parking stalls for a total of approximately 236 parking spaces; staff said the code-required minimum would be far lower. The developer proposes about 42,000 square feet of open space (staff calculated required open space at roughly 32,000 square feet). The applicant requested small modifications to setback standards and an additional three feet of building height (33 feet requested to allow a workable three-story form); staff said those standards could be set in a development agreement.

The application includes a package of on-site amenities the applicant described for residents: pergola seating, a small play area, a fenced dog run, a perimeter walking path and a small gathering/grill area. Staff recommended approval of the rezone with a PRUD overlay contingent on the development agreement and site-plan review.

Public commenters opposed the RM rezone for reasons similar to the earlier item: concerns about traffic and sight lines at the nearby interchange, the effect of three-story buildings adjacent to single-family yards, possible impacts on school crossings and pedestrian safety, and potential effects on neighborhood character and property values. Several commenters said they supported careful, lower-density alternatives such as single-family housing in that location.

Applicant Phil Holland said the project proposes about 14 units per acre (RM allows up to 16 units per acre), that the housing product is intended to provide housing options Kaysville currently lacks, and that the proposal includes parking and open-space levels above the code minimums. Holland said the site is adjacent to arterial roads and interchanges and that mixed-use commercial and residential nearby is consistent with the city’s long-term plans.

After discussion, a commissioner moved and the commission voted to recommend approval of the RA→RM rezoning with a PRUD overlay to the city council. Commissioners noted they expect additional engineering details at the subdivision stage and that the applicant and staff should coordinate on drainage, storm-water mitigation, and traffic access; the applicant said he preferred the RM item be scheduled to go to city council along with the LI item once the LI item returns to commission.