Garden City Council remands large multifamily design review over height and traffic questions

Garden City Council on [date of this meeting] voted 2–1 to remand a contested design‑review application for a large multifamily development (DSR FY2025‑0008) back to city planning staff for redesign and additional review.

Council President Page opened deliberations by noting the public hearing had closed on December 30 and reminding the council that decisions must be based on the written and oral record. Page said the staff draft contained eight required conclusions of law and that the council would vote on each finding individually.

Council members split most sharply over findings tied to neighborhood compatibility and traffic. Council member Jorgensen urged a remand, arguing the project’s four‑story height “exceeds scale and intensity” for the surrounding single‑family quadrant and raising concerns that nationally derived ITE trip rates can undercount real‑world trips, particularly during event surges. He asked staff to obtain additional traffic verification requested on page 14 of the packet and to allow previously referenced observational counts to be validated.

Legal counsel warned members against relying on outside research not in the official record, saying, “If you do a Google search, that’s gonna be a mistrial,” and reiterated that the council…