Cottonwood Heights planners table request to relax accessory-structure setbacks in Giverny until August

The Cottonwood Heights Planning Commission on July 16 voted to table action on a request by Brent Johnson on behalf of the Giverny Community Association to amend setback standards for accessory structures in the Giverny Community Planned Unit Development.

The commission moved to postpone consideration to its Aug. 6 meeting to give staff and the applicant time to provide additional information on how the proposed changes would apply to sheds, potential fire-safety impacts and whether accepting the change in Giverny would create a precedent for R‑1‑8 zones elsewhere in the city.

The request asks the city to formalize lower setbacks for some detached accessory structures in the Giverny PUD, which was developed on smaller lots than typical R‑1‑8 subdivisions. Under the proposal, certain accessory structures could be sited as close as 3 feet from a side or rear property line when roof height does not exceed 8 feet; structures over 8 feet tall would require a minimum 5‑foot setback. The applicant also asked that such accessory buildings be treated as part of the primary dwelling for setback calculation when located within 6 feet of the primary structure.

Why it matters: Giverny’s lots are smaller than most of the city’s R‑1‑8 parcels, and residents and the HOA said many accessory features were…