Planning commission recommends rezone of land near 1500 North, 600 West to industrial

Willard City Planning Commission on Feb. 20 recommended the City Council approve a petition from Willard Land Partners LLC, an affiliate of Millstream Management LLC, to rezone acreage near 1500 North and 600 West from agricultural (A-5) to industrial.

Applicant Greg Nelson, who described himself as the applicant and property owner for most of the parcels, told the commission the rezone would match the city’s future land use map and allow the developer to recruit industrial users. "We just need to know we can go hunting," Nelson said, using the phrase to describe his need for zoning certainty before marketing the site to potential tenants.

The petition covers parcels on the east side of I‑15 and west of the UP railroad tracks. Nelson said the immediate rezone request concerned roughly 52 acres but that assembling a workable project involved roughly 480 acres in land swaps with multiple families; in other remarks staff and motion language referenced other acreage figures (see clarifying details). He said Millstream Partners has developed industrial buildings elsewhere in Utah and that potential future uses for the site could include large distribution, food manufacturers or data centers. Nelson also said utilities and road access (including extending 600 West) would need further work and additional site-specific approvals before any building plans proceed.

Two landowners who spoke at the public hearing — Jeff Wells and Larry Holmes — told the commission they were participating in the land-assembly process. Wells described the value and cost of existing irrigation and farming improvements and said he and family members were negotiating the swaps. Holmes said he supported adding business development to expand the city's tax base, citing nearby Perry as an example of commercial revenue the city could attract.

Staff briefed the planning commission that the rezone request aligns with the city’s future land use plan; commissioners asked questions about potential traffic, water and sewer capacity, and whether hazardous waste facilities were possible. The applicant explicitly said hazardous-waste transfer or disposal was not on the list of planned uses.

After public testimony the commission voted to close the hearing and, by voice vote, to forward a recommendation of approval to the Willard City Council. The commission’s action is advisory; any specific project proposed for the rezoned land will require additional steps, including site-plan review, engineering approvals and any applicable conditional-use or permitting processes.

Next steps: the commission’s favorable recommendation will be transmitted to the City Council for consideration. Any prospective tenants, site plans or utility upgrades will return to the city for review after that legislative action.