West Valley plans update for Fairborn Station adds mall parcel to station‑area map

Steve Paster, the city’s Community Development Director, presented the Fairborn Station general plan update during the West Valley City Council study meeting on July 22, saying the main change is the inclusion of the mall property in the station‑area map. Paster said the plan—originally adopted in February 2004 and updated in 2012—was updated now because state law requires station‑area plans and Wasatch Front Regional Council requested that the mall parcel be incorporated for certification.

Paster described the update as primarily land‑use mapping: the 2012 version focused between 2700 West and 3200 West, while the revised map shows commercial frontage along 2700 West and a mix of uses (including potential residential adjacent to Costco) across the remainder of the mall site. He said the inclusion of the mall property and these refinements are intended to satisfy the regional review and move the city toward certification.

Council members asked whether the mixed‑use designation could be shown as very high‑density residential for areas next to Costco; Paster said that could be done but staff initially grouped residential potential within a broader mixed‑use designation because the mall owner had shown mixed‑use in the earlier application. Paster also noted a prior proposal that would have added over 600 units on the mall site has been put on hold because construction costs made the plan unfeasible at this time.

Paster said staff pursued the certification process now because the council needs a certified plan by the end of the year and the mall applicant’s larger redevelopment proposal is not being pursued at present. No formal council vote was recorded during the study session; the item was presented for study and public hearing.