Pleasant Grove planning commission backs rezone of 7.53 acres near 1100 North for professional offices

The Pleasant Grove Planning Commission voted to forward a recommendation of approval to the City Council for a rezone requested by Maple Springs of PG Holdings LLC for four parcels totaling about 7.53 acres at 1783, 1807, 1841 and 1855 West 1100 North from R1-8 residential to the professional office (PO) zone.

The commission's recommendation, made by Commissioner Fugal and seconded by Commissioner Nelson, adopted the exhibits, conditions and findings in the staff report and carried after a roll-call vote. The motion as moved and seconded instructed staff that site-plan review would follow if the council approves the zone change.

Neighbors spoke during the public hearing, urging caution and additional transparency. An unnamed resident who lives adjacent to the site said, “I came back here because I don't want to hear the sirens,” and asked for traffic studies and a detailed site plan before a rezone decision. Resident Steve Winter said a similar request had been considered by the council five or six years ago and argued a PO designation “would create an island” of nonresidential zoning. Neighbor Landon Diaz, who said he and his young children moved to the area for a quiet neighborhood, said converting the site to offices would increase traffic and risk theft, describing prior local road changes that raised traffic and crime concerns.

City staff spoke to property-specific constraints and requirements. A staff member said that if a well or access rights exist on the land, those rights “predate any of the stuff” proposed and any developer would need to coordinate with the well rights holder to maintain access or abandonment. Staff also described the city process: the rezone is considered first; a site plan would be submitted only if the zone change is approved. A staff speaker noted that maximum building height in both the R1-8 and PO zones is 35 feet (two stories) and reviewed permitted and conditional uses in the PO zone. The staff presentation noted transitional development standards apply where nonresidential uses border residential zones, including requirements related to screening, mechanical equipment placement and trash enclosure locations.

The commission discussed the area's development history and the practical reasons the land had not previously developed as residential. Commissioners asked staff to display the PO permitted-uses list and conditional-use list and discussed limits on building height and setbacks. Commissioners also emphasized that conditional-use and site-plan reviews can impose additional development standards if the zone change is approved.

The motion to recommend approval was moved by Commissioner Fugal and seconded by Commissioner Nelson. The motion carried; the commission's action forwards the matter to the City Council for final action.

The planning staff noted that any site plan, landscaping, and access details would be subject to later review, and that existing wells or access easements must be respected during development.