Planning commission forwards reduced Bluffs at Point Crossing plan to City Council

The Bluffdale City Planning Commission voted unanimously on Aug. 21 to forward a positive recommendation to the City Council for a text amendment and updated site plan for the Bluffs (Point Crossing) special district (application 2024-17). Caitlin Tubbs, the city planner, told commissioners the applicant found slope-stability issues during site work and that "the need for slope stabilization has reduced the developable area by approximately 30%," prompting a proposal to reduce entitled townhome units from 50 to 40 and commercial space from 62,000 square feet to 40,000.

The change would alter the special-district mixed-use zoning that the council originally approved in ordinance enacted in 2023. Tubbs said staff recommends adding a revegetation requirement for any hillside areas impacted by grading, to be enforced through the city’s landscaping plan and consistent with adopted standards. She said there would be no changes to the primary accesses along Porter Rockwell Boulevard, and that detailed site-plan review will verify parking and building compliance at the permit stage.

Applicant representative Clayton Rackham of Geneva Rock Products told the commission he had "nothing to add" beyond staff’s presentation and that the development team expects a mix of for-sale and for-lease units "to be determined" by market demand. Rackham said market uncertainty and the reduced buildable footprint explain the lower commercial square-foot target: "we think 40,000 in that ballpark is going to be what the market can support in this area." He told commissioners the applicant remains committed to bringing both the residential and commercial components online.

Commissioners debated whether the ordinance language should continue to include a minimum commercial square footage or use an approximate/anticipated figure. One commissioner warned that setting a fixed number when tenant configurations vary can be problematic; another said the original minimum-language intent was to encourage maximizing commercial uses. Staff pointed out the proposed code language uses phrasing that anticipates a minimum but is less prescriptive than the prior text, reflecting the reduced developable acreage.

A commissioner moved to forward a positive recommendation to the City Council for ordinance/application 2024-17 amending the SDX (Bluffs/Point Crossing) provisions; the motion passed on a roll-call vote with Ulysses, Eric Swanson, Corey Lucer, Tina Griffiths and the chair voting aye. The City Council is scheduled to consider the ordinance on Sept. 11.

What’s next: If the City Council approves the ordinance, the applicant will proceed with site-plan submittals that will include the required revegetation plan for impacted slopes and the detailed parking and building-level compliance checks.