Utah County approves text amendment to allow limited 'stub' roads in steep subdivisions

A majority of the Utah County Commission voted May 29 to approve a text amendment allowing limited stub roads in planned subdivisions located on slopes exceeding 10 percent.

County staff presented the proposal as a compromise intended to balance development flexibility with long-term connectivity. "So these would be dedicated as county roads in areas that have a natural slope over 10%...we thought it might be good to have an allowance on areas that have some slope to them, such as West Mountain," a staff presenter said. The presenter said the draft includes safeguards requiring future connection to the existing road system and sets distance limits so stub roads are not "too long." The staff discussion referenced a maximum length on the order of 7,000 linear feet as an upper bound in the proposal.

The amendment was described as a response to a prior application by property owner Landy Sorenson that sought broader permission for dead-end roads; staff said they revised the proposal to add safeguards and that the original applicant attended a recent meeting and appeared satisfied. "We did send this version to the applicant of the first request...he seemed to be satisfied with this proposal," the presenter said. Staff also noted the Planning Commission voted unanimously to recommend approval.

During the meeting a commissioner moved to approve the amendment and the motion was seconded; the Chair called for the vote and recorded audible "Aye" responses before stating the motion passed. The public did not address the commission on the item.

The commission did not supply a full roll-call vote in the recorded transcript; the vocal "Aye" responses in the audio were captured from the Chair and from another commissioner who had been asked to confirm audio earlier in the meeting. The amendment will be incorporated into the county's land-use regulations per the commission's direction.