Roy City planning commission recommends denial of rezoning request at 4007 W. 5500 S.

The Roy City Planning Commission voted on April 8, 2025 to recommend denial of a request to amend the general plan future-land-use map from single-family residential to multifamily residential and to rezone the property at approximately 4007 West 5500 South from R-18 (single-family) to R-4 (multifamily).

Applicant Mark Hopkins, who told the commission he bought the roughly 4.62-acre parcel from the family of the previous owner, described two years of cleanup he has carried out and said he wants to build townhomes he said would be affordable for young families. "My goal is to provide affordable housing for young families," Hopkins said, adding that engineering advice indicated "12 per acre" could be feasible and that a maximum buildout could be roughly in the mid‑50s of units if road and utility layouts allowed it.

The request prompted extensive public comment from residents living adjacent to the site and from neighbors in the Kingsville neighborhood. Commenters raised traffic, infrastructure and environmental concerns, and noted the parcel’s relationship to the adopted Roy City General Plan. Rod McFarland, who owns farmland immediately west of the site, said he opposed multifamily use and described his property as "the last of the farmland." Eloy Martinez urged the commission to require environmental and feasibility studies before a rezoning: "We're discussing rezoning without any type of environmental impact reports," he said, noting the site’s prior accumulation of tires, vehicles and scrap material. Melissa Nielsen, a nearby resident, pointed to Ordinance 23‑1 (adopted Feb. 7, 2023) and said the proposed change "is not in harmony with the Roy City General Plan." Christina Hansen, whose father owned the property for decades, said the parcel was "a little bit under 4 acres" and asked what would happen to an existing house and a horse stable on the site.

City planning staff, represented by Steve Parkinson, presented the proposal and recommended forwarding a positive recommendation to the City Council. Parkinson told commissioners that zoning on busy roads and parcels of three to five acres can be appropriate for multifamily development and that the city’s goals for "modern income housing" support a mix of housing types. He also answered residents’ process questions: by law the city cannot require traffic, sewer or water studies before a rezoning application; those technical studies are typically required and paid for by the developer after a rezone is approved and when specific development applications move forward. Parkinson added that UDOT controls access decisions on the state road (5500 South) and any required traffic mitigation would be determined during the technical-review stage.

Commissioners weighed the competing arguments. Several residents emphasized they want single‑family infill rather than multifamily, citing neighborhood character, proximity to Emma Russell Park and concerns about sewer and secondary-water capacity. Other commissioners and staff noted that some remaining parcels on busy roads are candidates for increased density under the city’s housing strategies.

After deliberation a motion to deny the application was moved and seconded. In a roll call on the final motion to deny the rezoning request, the following votes were recorded in support of the motion to deny: Commissioner Tanner (aye), Commissioner Thompson (aye), Commissioner Cali (aye), Commissioner Felt (aye), Commissioner Hobert (aye) and Commissioner Bailey (aye). The commission’s recommendation is advisory; the matter will be scheduled for Roy City Council consideration at a later meeting.

What happens next: the planning commission’s recommendation will be transmitted to the City Council, which must take final action. If the commission’s recommendation is overturned at council, technical studies (traffic, sewer, water, and environmental assessments) would typically be required and funded by the developer as part of the development-review process.