Lindon Planning Commission recommends keeping 1200 East/1000 South connector on city street master plan after contested public hearing

The Lindon City Planning Commission voted unanimously Feb. 25 to recommend denial of an application to remove the remaining segment of a proposed major collector (commonly referred to in testimony as the 1200 East / 1000 South connector) from Lindon's street master plan.

The commission heard more than two hours of presentations and public comment before the vote. City staff described the highway's history and purpose, the city engineer presented a traffic study modeling 2050 build-out conditions, and the applicant, Dave Gardner, urged removal of the corridor from the plan. Dozens of residents testified, most asking that the commission remove the corridor because of noise, wildlife, property impacts and construction cost.

The recommendation reverses neither a final council decision nor immediate construction; it is a Planning Commission recommendation to the Lindon City Council. The council will consider the commission's recommendation at its March 3 meeting.

Why it mattered: The corridor has been on Lindon's general-plan maps in various forms since the 1960s and appears on Pleasant Grove and regional circulation plans. Proponents say leaving the alignment in the plan preserves future options to improve regional traffic circulation, utility connections and emergency access. Opponents — including homeowners whose properties contain construction or slope easements — said the road is unnecessary for local circulation, would burden residents with traffic and noise, risks wildlife and carries a very high construction cost.

City presentation and traffic study: City staff summarized the corridor's inclusion on Lindon's general plan maps dating to 1968 and showed prior alignment studies and preliminary road profiles. Staff emphasized the corridor's intended functions: a collector to move traffic off local streets, provide a utility corridor (culinary and pressure-irrigation lines), and improve emergency access. Staff also noted property-ownership complications, including parcels owned by the U.S. Forest Service, an aqueduct company and a private owner (referred to in testimony as the Millet property), and recalled that Mountainland Association of Governments (MAG) reimbursed Lindon about $430,000 in 2009 for earlier right-of-way purchases that could need repayment if the city abandons transportation use of that property.

Noah Gordon, Lindon's city engineer, presented results from a traffic study carried out by Hales Engineering using the Wasatch Front regional travel-demand model. Key findings he reported: - Peak daily counts measured on 1200 East: about 2,400 vehicles/day north of 200 South and about 4,200 vehicles/day south of 800 North (field counts used to calibrate the model). - 2050 model results: if the 1200 East connector is built, the modeled daily traffic on the new segment ranges roughly 6,000'7,100 vehicles/day (different nodes in the model produced values in that range); if it is not built, traffic shifts to 400 East and other local streets. - Approximately 75% of trips on the modeled 1200 East were projected to be cut-through traffic originating in Pleasant Grove or Orem rather than local trips for Lindon residents. - Both the build and no-build scenarios were modeled to remain better than level-of-service D on the studied facilities; the report concluded that 1200 East is not required on traffic/operations grounds alone to maintain acceptable system performance to 2050.

The study recommended, even if the connector is not constructed, that the city complete a shorter connection up to 380 North to avoid an exceptionally long cul-de-sac serving the Queensland Court townhome area.

Applicant and resident testimony: Applicant Dave Gardner, who filed the amendment application asking the city to remove the corridor from Lindon's street master plan, told commissioners he had purchased his house in 2016 and later discovered construction and slope easements that, in his view, encumber several neighborhood yards. Gardner and multiple neighbors said they were told during sales that the road was unlikely to be built, and they said a developer buying the Millet property could use the corridor alignment to take land and construct a road to the detriment of current homeowners.

Residents raised multiple concerns during the public hearing: noise, wildlife displacement and vehicle-animal collisions, reduced privacy and property usability because of slope and construction easements, potential retaining walls and drainage impacts, and very large estimated costs for road construction on steep terrain. Speakers repeatedly cited estimated construction costs for the full alignment in the range of $20'$35 million (several speakers and staff referred to figures between $20 million and $35 million); one resident quoted a consultant estimate in the $25'$35 million range for the bench segment. Several speakers also raised concern about repayment obligations to MAG for the earlier 2009 MAG reimbursement if Lindon abandons the corridor: staff said earlier estimates of potential repayment ranged from roughly $800,000 to $1 million but noted that appraisals and final figures would vary.

Commission deliberations and outcome: Commissioners questioned the traffic study's geographic scope, observed that the study did not assume future development east of the corridor, and discussed whether removing the alignment would remove options for future emergency access and utility installation. Commissioners also weighed the rights and concerns of current property owners and the probability the corridor could be built only if future political and funding conditions changed. After deliberation, a motion was made and seconded to recommend denial of the applicant's request (i.e., keep the corridor on the Lindon street master plan). The commission vote was recorded as unanimous; the item will be forwarded to the city council on March 3.

What remains uncertain: The corridor crosses multiple ownerships (forest service land, an aqueduct company, private parcels), and the city and Pleasant Grove both retain the alignment on their general-plan maps. If the council and staff later consider abandoning the corridor, Lindon would need to address MAG repayment obligations, alteration of recorded subdivision plats and utility planning. Residents also urged the city to consider interim measures (temporary sound or visual screening) and to continue coordination with Pleasant Grove.

Next steps: The commission's recommendation will be presented to the Lindon City Council on March 3. Staff said engineering and land-ownership issues remain unresolved, and the city will continue coordinating with Pleasant Grove, regional agencies and property owners as this matter proceeds to the council.