The Smithfield City Council voted 3–2 on Jan. 14 to deny Ordinance 2025-27, a proposal from property owner Brian Fillmore to rezone a 5-acre parcel at 468 Southwest (Cache County parcel 08-105-0017) from A-3 agricultural (3-acre minimum) to RA-1 (1-acre residential/agricultural).

Fillmore told the council he sought the amendment to match neighboring zones and to allow, at most, a small subdivision of up to three additional lots (four homes total, including his existing home). “I’m only asking to put at the very most…3 additional lots,” he said, adding that he maintains irrigation shares and that the city engineer had assured him the sewer line on 400 West has capacity for limited development.

Opponents, including neighbors who live on 400 West and nearby streets, focused on safety and character. Luke Downs, who lives on 400 West, said the narrowness of the road and the existing pattern of one home per large lot make RA-2 zoning a better fit. Amanda Addison, a longtime resident, said drivers routinely speed and pass on 400 West and urged the council to prioritize road and sidewalk improvements before converting farmland to housing.

Council members discussed competing interests: a landowner’s right to redevelop, neighborhood character, infrastructure capacity, and the city’s future land-use map that designates the area for light industrial/commercial uses in some planning materials. Staff clarified technical constraints including subdivision-road standards (a 60-foot right-of-way and required turnaround), Union Pacific track setbacks, and that the road improvements required by a subdivision would occur at the parcel frontage.

An unidentified council member moved to deny the ordinance; another council member seconded the motion. After roll call, the motion to deny passed, 3–2. The denial means the parcel remains zoned A-3 pending any future, separate application or an amended proposal.

Next steps: Council members and staff suggested the issue be considered within the broader general-plan update now underway, and several council members asked staff to continue gathering neighborhood input on the Southwest corner of the city. The meeting record shows the planning commission previously voted 7–0 to reject an earlier version and later approved a reconsidered recommendation 4–3; that history was raised repeatedly during public comment and deliberations.