Planning commission recommends rezoning about 160 acres for industrial development

The Willard City Planning Commission on Feb. 20 voted to recommend that the City Council rezone roughly 160 acres near 1500 North and 600 West from A‑5 (agricultural) to industrial, forwarding the application submitted by Willard Land Partners LLC, an affiliate of Millstream Management LLC.

Maddie, the planning staff member who introduced the item, identified Greg Nelson as the applicant and landowner representative. In a detailed presentation, Millstream representative Greg Nelson said the company has assembled about 152 acres for rezoning but must coordinate about 480 acres of land swaps overall so farming can continue east of the railroad. “We’re asking for a rezone on a 152 acres,” Nelson said, and added that rezoning would give the company the “license” to market the site to potential industrial users.

Nelson stressed infrastructure and market reasons for industrial zoning: the property sits between I‑15 and a Union Pacific Class I railroad line with a nearby freeway exit, which he said makes it attractive to distribution, manufacturing and data‑center users. He told commissioners that if and when a specific user is found, the applicant will return for site‑plan review and any conditional‑use permits required for particular operations.

Landowners who addressed the commission voiced conditional support. Jeff Wells, who said he owns a portion of the land, described long family investments in irrigation and said he had worked with Nelson on a land‑for‑land swap; Larry Holmes, another parcel owner, said the city needs revenue and that business development would generate tax income the municipality does not get from residential subdivisions.

Commissioners asked about water supply, fire‑suppression capacity, traffic and the possibility of retail or hazardous uses in the future. Nelson said hazardous‑waste disposal is not on Millstream’s list of prospective uses and that specific uses would be subject to later site‑plan and conditional‑use processes. On water and utilities he said the project would require extensions (for example, a 10‑inch water line) and that detailed utility needs depend on the eventual user.

After discussion, a commissioner moved to recommend approval of the rezoning request; a second was recorded and the commission took a voice vote. The chair announced the item will be forwarded to Willard City Council for final consideration.

The planning commission’s recommendation does not change the property’s status until City Council acts. If council approves rezoning, staff and the applicant plan to undertake subsequent site‑plan review, infrastructure engineering and any necessary conditional‑use permitting for individual tenants.