Taylorsville council approves zoning changes and development agreement for 222‑unit townhome project, conditional on sale

Taylorsville — The City Council on Dec. 17 approved a package of zoning and plan changes to allow a 222‑unit townhome development on three parcels at 4271 S., 4273 S. and 4225 S., all fronting 2700 West, but the ordinances and development agreement will not take effect unless the purchaser closes on the property.

Planner Taryn told the council the proposal, presented previously on Dec. 3, would change the general plan and zoning to a site‑specific residential district and adopt a development agreement committing the developer to design and mitigation measures. "The subject properties are 4271 South, 4273 South and 4225 South and 2700 West," Taryn said during the presentation, listing the parcels and summarizing the concept plan.

Why it matters: The project adds a “missing‑middle” housing type to Taylorsville — the packet describes a mix of two‑story stacked townhomes and three‑story three‑bedroom townhomes on about 13 acres — and includes infrastructure changes (a public road connection and sidewalks), parking and open‑space commitments that staff say will help manage impacts on nearby neighborhoods.

Site and design commitments: Staff said the project proposes 222 townhomes with a mix of 1–3 bedroom units, reduced setbacks on the public street, and a combination of garages and driveway parking. Taryn noted the developer proposes a minimum of three parking spaces per dwelling unit and driveways of at least 20 feet to avoid sidewalk overhang. The SSD (site‑specific development) text will require a minimum of 15% open space by code; staff and the applicant said the project will provide closer to 35–38% open space and landscaping buffers along the northern property line.

Traffic and circulation: A traffic study summarized for the council found the largest impact is to the new internal public road; the 2700 West/Dutch Draw intersection is currently operating at Level of Service B and was projected to decline to C by 2033 under the study’s scenarios, which staff described as still acceptable. Staff called the estimate for the 2440 West stub a projection of roughly four to five vehicles at peak hours and clarified that the numbers presented in parentheses were worst‑case vehicle delay in seconds per vehicle.

Developer timeline and commitments: The applicant thanked staff and the Planning Commission for their collaboration and described prior, similar work in West Valley. The applicant said the developer plans to build through the project "within probably 18 months" and expects lease‑up within 24 months based on a comparable, nearby project. The development agreement also commits to phased construction designed to build northern units first as a buffer, provide options for individual utility meters to enable future individual ownership, maintain the median through private ownership or HOA arrangements, and include regular garage inspections to discourage conversion of garages to storage that could push parking into adjacent neighborhoods.

Council action and condition: Council member Bob moved to approve Ordinance 25‑12 (general plan map amendment), Ordinance 25‑13 (site‑specific zoning text), and Ordinance 25‑14 (zoning map amendment), and Resolution 25‑27 (development agreement). Each approval included a clause read into the record that the mayor is "not authorized to sign" and the ordinance or agreement "will not become effective unless and until DAI Utah closes on the purchase of the property in question." The council approved each motion by roll call: for the motions and resolution, Council members Knutson, Barbieri, Burgess, Cochran and Chair Harker voted in favor.

What comes next: Because the approvals are conditional on the purchaser closing, the ordinances and the development agreement will remain ineffective until that closing occurs and the mayor is authorized to sign. Staff said final engineering, subdivision and site‑plan review will follow if the purchaser completes the acquisition.

Council context: Several council members acknowledged resident concerns about density, traffic and opening the stub street but praised staff for negotiating mitigation measures and the developer for proposing housing types the city currently lacks. No public comments were offered during the citizen comment period earlier in the meeting.

The council approved the package on unanimous recorded votes (conditioned on the purchaser closing); the development agreement motion was similarly approved. The mayor and staff will take next steps if and when the property sale to DAI Utah is completed.