Planning commission reviews text amendment for gravel‑pit condominium allowing 12‑ to 14‑story building

Cottonwood Heights City Planning Commission members on Feb. 5 reviewed a legislative text amendment that would allow Rockworth Companies to pursue final entitlement of a condominium building on the northern 21.5 acres of the gravel‑pit PDD‑2 zone at 6695 Wasatch Boulevard.

Staff framed the session as an impact analysis limited to the condominium pad; most other buildings on the site already have massing, height and density approvals. "Just for context, though, this is the northern 21 and a half acres of the gravel pit site, 6695 Wasatch Boulevard," a planning staff member said.

The text amendment does not propose changes to the underlying PDD‑2 standards for affordable housing, lighting, signage or geotechnical requirements; it would only authorize the developer to return through the legislative and entitlement process to set the condominium building’s massing, unit count and final design. The developer’s current proposal describes 9–10 residential floors above 3–4 levels of parking, producing a 12‑ to 14‑story building with an estimated 75–110 units.

Why it matters: the proposed condominium would be taller than most buildings in Cottonwood Heights and raises questions about visibility from neighboring streets and geologic hazards on the hillside. City staff said the site is heavily constrained by verified fault lines, a regional transmission water line and steep slope hazards, and that additional site‑specific geotechnical work and trenching will be required for the condominium phase before building permits can be approved.

Key points from the discussion

- Prior entitlements and phasing: Staff said the overall mixed‑use project previously received entitlement for the apartment building, retail pads and hotel; the condominium portion was reserved for later review. The condominium is anticipated as the final phase (phase 7) of the project.

- Height and zoning limits: The PDD‑2 ordinance measures allowable height by horizontal distance from the Wasatch Boulevard right‑of‑way, with allowable heights increasing the farther a building is set back. Staff said the condominium, as proposed, would be within the parameters established by that ordinance and the Wasatch Boulevard master plan, which envisions higher intensity development in the gravel‑pit area. Staff noted the southern portions of the gravel pit are eligible to request heights up to 300 feet under the PDD rules, but the proposed condominium would be well below the ordinance maximum.

- Units and traffic: Staff reviewed the original traffic study (completed in 2021), which included a 100‑unit condominium among other uses. City engineering staff concluded that the prior study’s methodology and findings remain acceptable; projected intersection levels of service would not fall below a level of service C under the studied scenarios. Staff said the project now proposes fewer residential units overall than earlier iterations examined by the traffic study.

- Access and circulation: The approved access configuration preserves the current Wasatch Boulevard curb geometry; the project entrance will be stop‑controlled rather than signalized, and staff said a previously discussed full three‑way intersection was not advanced after concerns from the adjacent Holiday City neighborhood. Staff clarified there will be no vehicular access to Gun Club Road and that a temporary secondary ingress/egress easement (near the ski shop driveway) must be functional before occupancy.

- Geotechnical hazards: Staff referenced a GeoStrata memo in the packet summarizing site‑specific work done and remaining steps for the condominium pad. The transcript records staff saying additional trenches, slope stability analyses and mitigation will be required for the condominium phase and that if substantial changes are needed (for example, unexpected fault conditions), the applicant must return through the review process.

- Visibility and neighborhood impact: Staff noted the top of the proposed building would be visible from nearby parcels on Gun Club Road and that the highest portions of the building would sit at elevations similar to or above some adjacent homes. "That building will be visible," staff said, adding that the city’s finding is visibility, in itself, is not necessarily a regulatory problem when balanced against the PDD and master‑plan intent.

Commission feedback and direction

Commissioners asked about precedent, view impacts and the risk that a reduced footprint could be compensated by additional height. One commissioner said they were "probably gonna recommend ... a 50‑foot cap above Wasatch Boulevard" as a cautious position to limit height regardless of setback. Staff explained the PDD process limits expansion without returning to the planning commission and city council: reductions in footprint or unit count that decrease overall scale may proceed within limited thresholds, but any enlargement or increase in intensity would require a full return through the legislative process.

Next steps

Because this item is a legislative text amendment, the planning commission will make a recommendation to the city council. Staff and the applicant will also need to complete the required site‑specific geotechnical work and final building plans before any building permits may be issued for the condominium phase.

No final vote on the PDD text amendment was recorded at the Feb. 5 work session; the commission continued discussion and may finalize a recommendation in a subsequent business meeting.