Planning commission recommends annexation and planned‑community zoning for Ochre Highlands

The West Jordan Planning Commission unanimously recommended that the City Council approve the annexation of the Ochre Highlands neighborhood and assign the area planned‑community zoning and land‑use designations for medium‑ and high‑density residential and parks.

At its Feb. 4 meeting the commission voted 7‑0 to forward a positive recommendation on the annexation petition and again voted 7‑0 to recommend the proposed zoning map designation of Planned Community (PC). Commissioner Anderson made the land‑use recommendation motion; Commissioner Gonzales seconded. The zoning recommendation motion was moved and seconded and carried unanimously.

City planning staff described the annexation area as approximately 60.5 acres east of Mount View Corridor and west of a Salt Lake County power corridor, consisting largely of developed single‑family homes, condominiums and multifamily units that were built under a Salt Lake County planned development. Staff said the area contains no developable parcels and includes a centrally located five‑acre park plus a landscaped detention basin that functions as parkland. Staff recommended designating single‑family areas as medium‑density residential, and condominium or attached housing areas as high‑density residential, with the parks marked as parks on the city’s land‑use map so they are preserved unless the owner seeks a land‑use change through the city process.

Staff explained that certain services currently provided by special districts would remain with those districts after annexation: water and sewer would continue to be provided by Kearns Improvement District and garbage/solid waste by the existing special district. The city would assume services such as police, fire, street maintenance and streetlights on public streets after annexation. Staff said some streets within the area are private and would remain private; homeowners associations would maintain private streets and many small green areas, while the city would maintain the identified five‑acre park and the detention basin if annexation and transfer proceed.

Brandy Fransen, who identified herself as an original petitioner and a member of the neighborhood petition group, told the commission the petition effort took place over many years and that petitioners gathered signatures quickly when the city allowed collection. Fransen said petitioners obtained “at least 58% or more” of signatures in under 30 days and thanked the city’s attorney and recorder offices for help in recording and validating petitions.

Staff discussed the timeline for formal annexation: the City Council has accepted the petition and will act in a future council meeting. Staff told the commission that if the Lieutenant Governor’s office approves the annexation by April 30, the area would become part of West Jordan on July 1; property tax and revenue timing would follow established assessment schedules, and staff said taxes are typically assessed on Jan. 1 so the city’s property tax receipts for the annexed area would be accounted for starting in the 2026 tax assessment cycle.

The commission’s recommendation moves the annexation and zoning request to the City Council for final action. The record does not show the council’s final vote; staff noted the annexation also requires formal acceptance by the Lieutenant Governor’s office per state annexation law.