Commission approves Summit Ridge site plan; commissioners urged coordination with UDOT over future ramp corridor

The Linden City Planning Commission on March 11 approved the site plan for Summit Ridge, a proposed 30,000-square-foot office-warehouse project at approximately 300 North and 2000 West, subject to standard engineering and landscaping conditions and UDOT permitting if access or utility permits are required.

City staff described the project as a precast concrete tilt-up building with 13 office-warehouse units on a 2.32-acre site. The developer proposed 98 parking spaces where the ordinance minimum is 92, and staff said the building height of 32 feet complies with the light-industrial zoning (the maximum in the zone is 48 feet). Staff also noted the project sits in a transit-adjacent area next to I-15 and must meet landscaping and tree-spacing requirements along the freeway-facing frontage.

Staff warned commissioners the property sits in an area where UDOT is preserving a corridor for a potential frontage road and ramp between the Pleasant Grove interchange and 2000 West; UDOT has completed environmental work and has sought to purchase some parcels in the area. "UDOT has corridor preservation funds," staff said, and the agency has expressed interest in acquiring some or all of the site or the right-of-way needed for an on-ramp. Staff and the city attorney told commissioners the city cannot require the applicant to reserve property for UDOT; those negotiations must occur between UDOT and the property owner.

The applicant’s representatives said they have been negotiating with UDOT and are open to selling part or all of the site to the agency, but that taking portions of the parcel complicates the tilt-up building layout. The applicant said if UDOT takes only part of the property, redesign or a return to the commission would be required. The applicant also said current timelines for property acquisition and project funding are uncertain. "We're definitely in communication with them ... they don't have an exact timeframe as to when funds will be allocated," an applicant representative said.

Commissioners approved the site plan with conditions that require continued work with the city engineer on final corrections, verification that plans meet Linden City development specifications, submittal of a landscape plan with vegetation percentages and interior landscaping calculations, and securing required UDOT access or utility permits prior to final site plan approval if needed. The motion as read into the record also directed the applicant to address all items of the staff report.

The vote was recorded as unanimous. Staff said the applicant will need to return with revised plans if the property is subdivided or if UDOT takes a portion that changes the proposed building footprint.

What happens next: the applicant must complete final engineering corrections, submit the detailed landscape plan and secure any necessary UDOT permits before final site-plan sign-off. The city and applicant will continue communication with UDOT about potential acquisitions and corridor preservation.