Weber County staff, developer outline new Traditional Neighborhood Zone; river setback and open-space rules draw debate

Jeff Beck, a representative for the project (developer/Black Pine/Blanchard), told the Weber County Planning Commission at a work session that the proposal would rezone roughly 550 acres to a new Traditional Neighborhood Zone, or TNZ, and attach a development agreement that will govern land uses, design standards and infrastructure for the master-plan community.

The proposed TNZ would “promote a pedestrian-friendly master plan development that binds diverse residential, commercial, civic, and recreational uses,” Beck said. The draft term sheet and design code linked to the agreement set a framework for density, open space, street layout and a town-architect review process to enforce design standards.

Why it matters: planning staff said the development agreement and new zone are intended to deliver public benefits — trails, interconnected streets, parks, and a mix of housing — that the county’s standard zoning and subdivision rules would not secure on their own. Commissioners and agency representatives pressed the developer on how open space would be defined and delivered, how phasing and securities would protect public infrastructure, and whether the county could or should require specific river setbacks along the Weber River.

Key points from the work session

• Project scope and new zone. Beck described the TNZ as a form-based, master-plan zone that directs most of the detailed rules to an attached development agreement and a design code. The draft limits most buildings to four stories in the main-street corridor and anticipates a maximum of about six dwelling units per acre in the areas governed by the design code. The development agreement term in the term sheet is 30 years with a five-year renewal option.

• Open-space target and how to count it. The draft ties open-space requirements to a formula staff and the developer proposed: roughly 10 acres of open space for every 330 dwelling units (a simplification of “10 acres per 1,000 residents,” using an assumed three residents per dwelling). Planners and park-district…