Orem council approves Home Depot rezoning after neighbors win 12-foot wall and buffer concessions

Orem City Council on a split but passing vote approved rezoning 575 East 1000 South from single-family residential to PD-34 to allow a Home Depot at the University Place shopping campus.

Neighbors testified at length, saying delivery trucks and nighttime activity at a proposed north-side loading dock would place heavy noise and vehicle activity within a few feet of bedrooms. "If the trucks go north before they back into that space, they will be literally within 15 feet of our bedroom window," resident Ralph Olson said during the hearing, asking for stronger mitigation.

Mall and Home Depot representatives said they studied multiple layouts and utility constraints and presented an acoustical mitigation package. Dan Zoldack, representing Home Depot's design team, described why the truck-backup maneuvers create the most noise and said the project team's engineering indicated a taller wall would provide measurable reduction: "The additional buffer of four feet (a 12-foot wall versus the standard 8-foot) reduces noise roughly 5 decibels," he said.

After extended discussion, the developer and mall agreed to several neighborhood protections the council required before final RDA approvals: construction of a 12-foot masonry wall along the west/residential property line; conveyance of a small portion of the existing landscaped buffer to the two most-affected homeowners with deed restrictions limiting future use to landscaping; and covenants or CC&R language banning automotive repair/vehicle sales and similar vehicle-intense uses on the parcel.

Council members emphasized the compromise. "I personally like the idea of Home Depot as an asset for Orem," Mayor David Young said in explaining support, while adding that neighborhood protections matter. Council member Jen Gail voted against the rezoning on principle because it converted residential land to a PD designation, but the ordinance passed after others concluded the added protections and the provisions to memorialize them in the RDA participation amendment offered adequate safeguards.

The council also directed staff to incorporate the agreed changes into the RDA's third amendment to the participation agreement and to return the finalized exhibit and deed-restriction language to the agency chair for execution. RDA staff told the council they would (a) modify the participation agreement exhibit to show the 12-foot wall and the adjusted landscaped-strip conveyances, and (b) include language tying the developer's incentives to completion of the mitigation measures.

Home Depot representatives said they expect to begin preliminary utility relocations in spring and hoped to open the store in late 2027; they said most large deliveries would occur within an hour before or after store hours and that drivers are instructed to shut engines when parked. Several neighbors said the height and placement of the new wall, and the conveyance of the buffer strip, made the plan more acceptable. "That extra seven feet would make things feel a little more open," resident Ralph Olson said after the concession was described.

Next steps: staff will update the RDA participation amendment with the negotiated text and exhibits, return that amendment for agency signature, and finalize permits and site plans. The rezoning ordinance as approved directs formalizing the mitigation measures in legally binding documents before the project proceeds.