Planning commission refines PD overlay language, keeps 15% open-space requirement and drops condominium provisions

Members of the Farr West Planning Commission spent the meeting refining draft Planned Development (PD) overlay language, agreeing that planned developments must retain “not less than 15% of the total acreage” as permanent open space and deciding to remove condominium-specific language from the ordinance.

The commission discussed why the draft specifies that required open space is calculated from total acreage and should not include streets or required setbacks. One commissioner summarized the provision as: “If we do a 10-acre development… the developer has to reserve 1.5 acres for open space,” and that the reserved acreage cannot be satisfied by counting streets or required setbacks.

The commission also directed staff to remove a block of redlined text that applies to developments created under the Condominium Ownership Act of Utah, with several members saying condominium provisions should be handled through development agreements in mixed-use zones rather than included in the PD overlay.

Why it matters: The PD overlay is the tool the city is using to allow flexibility in density and design—including measures intended to facilitate moderate-income housing—while protecting open space and setting performance and maintenance requirements for new developments.

Details and supporting items

- Open space: Commissioners affirmed retaining the draft phrasing requiring not less than 15% of…