Bluffdale planning commission backs senior-living zone edits, keeps 8‑ft south wall; forwards recommendation to council

The Bluffdale City Planning Commission voted 4–1 on Oct. 15 to forward a positive recommendation to the City Council on a revised text amendment to Section 11.80.060 (the R‑SL senior living zone), but with two specific conditions: strike the proposed sidewalk language and maintain an 8‑foot perimeter wall on the property’s south border.

The proposal, brought by Holland Partners Inc. and represented at the hearing by Tina Franco, would allow basements within the R‑SL zone and make several ministerial edits but would retain the zone’s 55‑and‑older age restriction. The Planning Commission’s action was a recommendation; the council will have final authority.

“This is a request,” Caitlin Tubbs, planning staff, said to the commission as she opened the public hearing, adding that the commission’s decision would be a recommendation to City Council (00:08:13).

Why it matters: the R‑SL zone was established by City Council ordinances in 2020–2021 and applied to a single property in Bluffdale. The zone includes design controls intended to preserve a senior‑oriented living environment; the applicant returned to the commission voluntarily after revising an earlier proposal that had sought to remove…