Price planning commission backs zone change, approves conditional use permit for Bear River Storage at 1430 E. 300 S.

The Price City Planning and Zoning Commission on Nov. 25, 2024 recommended the City Council approve a zone change for the parcel at approximately 1430 East 300 South and approved a conditional use permit allowing a storage facility with an on-site caretaker residence and a potential future car wash.

Jesse Reynolds of Menlove Construction, the applicant for Bear River Storage, told the commission he plans to build storage units in the first phase with a possible car wash on another portion of the site. "I'm Jesse Reynolds with Menlove Construction, the applicant for the zone change and the conditional use permit," Reynolds said, and offered to answer commissioners' questions.

The commission read Resolution 2024-003 PZ and voted by voice to recommend that the City Council change the parcel (parcel ID noted in the meeting) from R-1-8 residential zoning to C-1 commercial zoning. The motion to recommend the zone change was made on the record and seconded; the commission approved the recommendation by voice vote.

Alongside the zoning recommendation the commission considered a conditional use permit for Bear River Storage. Commissioners and the applicant discussed site access, which the applicant said would be from Third South (not Highway 55), and project phasing. The applicant described roughly 56,225 square feet of storage area, an on-site caretaker office/residence of about 1,886 square feet, and a phased build-out that the applicant characterized as six buildings in phase one with two additional buildings later. The applicant also stated the development would contain a large number of individual storage units.

Commissioners flagged stormwater management, drainage, geotechnical conditions and emergency access as primary concerns. The permit as read by the meeting official includes detailed conditions: compliance with approved site plans, installation and maintenance of stormwater infrastructure designed to control and release predevelopment flows including capacity to handle a 100-year storm for a one-hour duration, an underground stormwater basin, minimum site landscaping, required fencing and lighting standards, restrictions on outdoor storage and overnight parking, provision of off-street parking for the caretaker residence, completion of a geotechnical study, and procurement of all required building and utility permits prior to construction. The permit also requires an acknowledgement letter from the Housing Authority of Carbon County regarding an emergency access point.

After conditions were read and discussed, Commissioner Ford moved to approve the conditional use permit; Commissioner Swinburne seconded and the motion passed by voice vote. The commission instructed the applicant to comply with all conditions and permitting requirements. Reynolds said the team has completed a geotechnical survey and that they will "do it right," and an engineer associated with the project (Ken Menlove) was referenced for stormwater and site engineering.

Procedural notes from the meeting record that the conditional use permit agreement "runs with the land," is subject to Price City code and state and local permitting, and that the applicant must obtain a building permit and satisfy public-infrastructure requirements. The applicant and staff also noted that the City Council was scheduled to consider the ordinance the following night and that the applicant generally has one year to pull building permits for the approved work, with limited extension options noted in the permit.

The commission adjourned at 05:30.