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Commissioners review commercial zoning and plan to consolidate site standards
Summary
Staff presented a revised commercial zoning chapter that condenses retail and service uses and excludes industrial uses; commissioners discussed bed‑and‑breakfast allowances, Sun And Moon property map designations and a plan to merge FCOS with new site development standards into a single chapter.
Emigration Canyon — Planning staff walked commissioners on Aug. 14 through a proposed commercial zoning chapter intended to condense retail and service uses, tighten design standards and remove industrial or higher‑impact uses the commission deemed inappropriate for the canyon.
Brian, the planning presenter, said the nine‑page draft consolidates many specific use listings into a smaller set of categories (for example, "retail and service commercial") and excludes certain personal services or industrial uses that the commission does not want in canyon zones. He said the draft consolidates roof and façade standards informed by commissioner feedback and retains C2 zoning in a couple of areas temporarily to avoid immediate rezones.
Commissioners questioned allowing bed‑and‑breakfast inns in commercial zones while excluding similar uses in forestry zones. Staff said bed‑and‑breakfast inns in the commercial zone would likely be larger businesses (five or more rentable rooms) and could trigger building‑code or accessibility obligations. A commissioner noted potential legal exposure if a commercial inn lacked required accessible rooms and said staff would research accessibility obligations and report back.
The commission also discussed map anomalies: two Salt Lake County parcels (including one with a perpetual conservation easement) and the Sun And Moon site appear as commercial on the current zoning map but carry conservation or county holdings that limit development. Commissioners asked staff to clean up map designations and consider rezoning where appropriate.
Finally, staff explained that the proposed site development standards chapter (19.46) is not currently present as a single chapter in the municipal code; the draft consolidates site development requirements that are scattered across supplementary regulations and general provisions so designers and reviewers can find standards in one place. Commissioners discussed harmonizing FCOS (Foothills and Canyons overlay) with the consolidated site development standards or otherwise ensuring the two documents do not create conflicting requirements.
Staff said it would return revised drafts for commissioners to review and check whether the new commercial chapter is more or less stringent than FCOS; if duplicative, staff suggested using references to FCOS rather than repeating standards. The commission scheduled follow‑up review and asked staff to produce a clear index of moved or condensed language so commissioners can quickly identify changes.
