Council approves rezoning at 20 East Winchester to allow commercial uses

The Murray City Council voted to reclassify the property at 20 East Winchester from office to general commercial, approving an ordinance to amend the city's general plan and change the zoning designation from GO (General Office) to CD (Commercial Development). The motion, moved by Council member Goodman and seconded by Council member Cotter, passed on a 5–0 roll-call vote.

City planner Chad Wilkinson told the council the parcel is surrounded by commercial zoning and that shifts in work patterns since 2020 make office designation less appropriate. "Of course, in 2020 we had a worldwide pandemic and the nature of work ... changed fundamentally," Wilkinson said, calling the parcel "a good candidate for a general plan amendment based on those changes." He said staff mailed 52 public notices and the Planning Commission forwarded a recommendation of approval by a 6–0 vote.

During the public-hearing portion, the applicant (not named in the meeting record) said the intent is to convert the existing single-family house and home office into a public meeting or celebration space. Architect Fred Cox said site constraints would likely allow a roughly 3,400-square-foot building footprint with about 20 parking spaces, noting that the existing office zone does not provide the uses the applicant seeks.

The ordinance approval allows broader retail and commercial uses under the CD zone and, according to staff, opens limited redevelopment opportunities aligned with surrounding parcels. Next steps include any required building- or site-plan reviews under the CD zoning and compliance with applicable development standards.

The council took the ordinance action after public testimony and a staff presentation; the motion carried unanimously.