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Orem planners review options to limit 'boxy' 35‑foot homes; staff favors graduated envelope
Summary
At a Jan. 21 work session the Orem planning staff presented options to curb three‑story, flat‑roof homes that maximize the city's 35‑foot height limit; ideas include defining flat roofs and a graduated height envelope that slopes inward from lot lines to reduce massing while leaving pitched roofs at 35 feet.
Orem planning staff told the planning commission on Jan. 21 that the city’s residential height limit is currently 35 feet measured from the average of the building corners and that a recent uptick in infill redevelopment has produced concerns about three‑story, flat‑roof homes that feel overbearing to neighbors. The staff presentation said exceptions in R‑20 and R‑12 allow up to 45 feet when setbacks increase, and that chimneys and cupolas are excluded from height measurements.
Why it matters: Commissioners said the immediate goal is narrow — prevent flat‑roofed houses from exploiting the 35‑foot allowance at minimal…
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