Santaquin planning commission debates removing ‘Central Business District’ zoning; resident warns data center threatens neighborhoods

The Santaquin City Planning Commission spent its Jan. 13 meeting debating whether the city’s Central Business District zoning still fits the built environment along Main Street and whether a downtown vision should shift to 100 South.

City planning staff member Jason introduced the item as a discussion only, summarizing code 10.20.190 (the Main Street Business District zone) and telling commissioners the council asked for the commission’s feedback before any legislative action. Jason said recent Main Street widening and the fact that the corridor is US Highway 6 make the area more automotive and less suited to the pedestrian-focused CBD rules. "It's kind of a strode — not sure if it wants to be a street or a road," he said, quoting a planning term used by consultant Charles Marone.

Why it matters: the CBD zone includes higher minimum heights and intensity rules intended to cluster commercial uses near the Main and Center Street intersection. Staff said several parcels and existing businesses (Stoneridge Plaza, AutoZone, the post office and local stores) limit redevelopment opportunities in that block, and UDOT control of the highway right-of-way constrains traffic-calming measures the commission might otherwise use to create a walkable downtown.

Public comment raised separate but related concerns. Resident Dustin Holden urged council members in the room and the commission to stop zoning changes that he said would permit a data center near homes. "You allowed the city to hide behind an NDA to sell out our city," Holden said, adding that data centers operate 24/7 and can bring noise and other impacts. He asked the council to "reject or heavily condition any application for data centers in or near residential adjacent zones" and to require studies on noise, air quality, water use, energy strain and community health impacts.

Commissioner feedback was split on tactics but largely aligned on the goal of preserving a downtown feel. Several commissioners said they did not want to discard the idea of a central business area but questioned whether the CBD overlay is appropriate on a five-lane highway. Multiple commissioners suggested redirecting the downtown intensity to a block south, around 100 South, where the city has more control of the right-of-way and where City Hall, Centennial Park and pedestrian-friendly streets are already clustered.

Next steps: staff will prepare a draft ordinance that would remove the CBD designation from the zoning map (or otherwise modify the code), initiate a legislative process and schedule a public hearing with mailed notices to property owners within 500 feet of the zone. Jason also noted a general-plan update expected in one to two years could address larger visioning questions. No formal zone-change or ordinance vote took place at the Jan. 13 meeting.

The discussion focused on trade-offs between the current code’s intent — concentrated, higher-intensity development near the Main/Center intersection — and the practical constraints of the widened, highway-class Main Street. The commission asked staff to return with a draft that includes public-notice steps and the timeline for hearings; the item will return to the commission for formal hearings and any vote.