Auburn council leaves public hearing open, postpones vote on temporary moratorium for student housing to Nov. 18

The Auburn City Council on Tuesday postponed action on Ordinance 9A, a proposed temporary moratorium on construction of multiple-unit and private dormitory developments in the city's urban core and the Urban Neighborhood West zoning districts, and left the public hearing open until the council's Nov. 18 meeting.

Council members moved to postpone the ordinance to a date certain of Nov. 18 and agreed to keep the public hearing open so members of the public could speak both tonight and at the later meeting.

The ordinance would declare a temporary moratorium in the named zones. City staff and council members said the moratorium is intended to give the city time to study impacts such as traffic, stormwater and sewer capacity before new projects proceed.

Jim Beatty, vice president of development for Capstone Communities, asked the council to exempt his group's West Lehi project from the moratorium. Beatty said the team's pre-application meeting is scheduled for Nov. 12 and described the project as a by-right student housing plan for roughly 927 beds on a site currently providing about 200 beds, a net increase of about 700 beds. He told the council that, "Should the council approve the moratorium, our development could be delayed until, potentially, the 2031, 2032 school year, effectively creating a 2 year delay." (Jim Beatty, vice president of development, Capstone Communities.)

Residents urged differing approaches. Robert Wilkins urged a permanent moratorium and sharply criticized the city's development trajectory and past council decisions. Tom Haley urged the council to consider the economic benefits of development, noting ad valorem and impact fees, and asked the council to pursue alternatives to a broad moratorium. Downtown resident and business owner Bridal Worth said she opposed a blanket moratorium and urged 'smart growth' policies that support downtown businesses while addressing infrastructure concerns.

City staff confirmed the council would not vote on the ordinance tonight and reminded the public that written and in-person comments will be accepted before the Nov. 18 meeting.

The council took no final action on the substance of the moratorium; the motion to postpone was approved by the council.

Looking ahead, the council will reopen the public hearing on Nov. 18 and may take final action then.