Lindon council approves amendment allowing two flag lots to share driveway, reduces side-yard setback to 10 feet

Lindon City Council on Monday approved an amendment to the cityflag-lot ordinance that allows two flag lots to share access from a single shared driveway and reduces the side-yard setback for flag lots from 15 feet to 10 feet.

The amendment, which revises ordinance 17.32.0.29 and was presented to council by Community Development Director Michael Florence, was the subject of a public hearing and several rounds of council discussion before passage. Florence said the change would update technical standards, align the ordinance with the 2021 International Fire Code for driveway surfaces and set a consistent limit of two flag lots created per original parcel or subdivision. "The fire code requires a minimum 20 feet of hard surface...a surface capable of sustaining a 75,000-pound vehicle," Florence told the council during his presentation.

Supporters and the applicant argued the amendment would allow owners of landlocked parcels to develop lots while keeping the maintenance burden for the shared access between property owners rather than the city. Applicant Rob Callas described his own triangular, landlocked parcel and said that sharing access with an adjacent property would allow him and his neighbors to build homes without requiring the city to construct additional streets. "We think it reduces the city's obligation for maintenance by sharing that road," Callas said.

Opponents and some council members cautioned that allowing a second row of homes behind front lots could feel intrusive to existing backyards. Council Member Van Broderick urged preserving a larger side-yard buffer, arguing that two homes placed behind front lots could change the character of neighbors' yards. Florence and other staff said the proposed ordinance retains several safeguards: the flag portion of a lot must still meet a 20,000-square-foot minimum, a primary lot must retain required frontage and setbacks, and shared access design must follow fire and utility standards. Florence also noted that the ordinance disallows using a flag-lot approach to circumvent future street connections shown on the citytransportation master plan.

Council Member Jake Hoyt moved approval of the ordinance amendment (Ordinance 2025-2-0 as presented to council), with Council Member Lincoln Jacobs seconding. The council adopted the change to allow shared access and amended the draft to set the flag-lot side-yard setback at 10 feet (down from 15 feet in the existing code). The motion passed 5-1.

The ordinance retains several technical limits: the flag portion must contain 20,000 square feet, the primary lot must meet required frontage (Florence noted examples where lack of the required width disqualifies parcels), and the shared driveway must meet a 20-foot hard-surface standard sufficient for fire apparatus. Florence said the city will still require utilities and meter placement to be finalized during engineering review and recommended that applicants work with staff on meter vault placement and easements.

What happens next: The ordinance change now becomes part of Lindon Cityland-use code. Property owners who want to use the shared-driveway provision must still submit a formal subdivision or lot-line application, meet all zoning and utility requirements, and obtain required building permits.

Votes at a glance: The council approved the ordinance amendment in a 5-1 vote (Jake Hoyt moved; Lincoln Jacobs seconded). Council Member Van Broderick cast the lone dissenting vote, citing concerns about rear-yard intrusion and preserving setbacks.

The council and staff flagged several implementation items for future administrative review: clarifying the exact technical standard for driveway surfaces (to match the fire marshal's interpretation of a surface that will support a 75,000-pound vehicle), specifying meter locations and whether traffic-rated meter lids are required in shared drives, and confirming how the standard applies where lots have irregular, nonrectangular shapes.