Tooele planning commission grants six-month extensions for Wild Horse Ranch phases with strict conditions

The Tooele County Planning and Zoning Commission voted Feb. 18 to grant Richmond America Homes six-month extensions for Wild Horse Ranch Phase 14 and Phase 16, contingent on three conditions designed to ensure infrastructure completion or renewed review under the updated subdivision code.

Planning staff told the commission the applicant had missed prior deadlines but submitted proof of progress in the meeting packet and recommended approval of six-month extensions with conditions. Staff and a commissioner read the conditions into the record: if infrastructure is not complete and approved by July 7, 2026, the developer must reapply from preliminary plat under the updated subdivision code; if infrastructure is approved before that date, the developer must record the next phase within 30 days of approval; and no refunds will be given for previous applications or inspections.

The applicant’s representative told commissioners he expected Phase 14 construction to begin within weeks and to proceed quickly because existing infrastructure approaches are in place. “We do fully anticipate that on Phase 16, we will need that second 6 month extension,” the applicant representative said, noting that Phase 16’s pavement work could extend into the fall. When commissioners asked whether early snowfall could delay paving, the same representative said severe early winter weather could affect pavement timing but is less likely to impede early utility or pipe work; he added, “I was paving a project this year on December 22,” to illustrate that late-season paving can be possible.

Commissioner Beckstrom moved to approve the Phase 14 extension; Commissioner Mitchell seconded. The commission approved the motion by voice vote. For Phase 16, Commissioner Mitchell moved and Commissioner Alder seconded a motion that incorporated staff’s findings and the three conditions; the commission approved that motion by voice vote.

Commissioners discussed tightening the first condition to require that, if infrastructure is not complete and no additional six-month extension has been requested by July 7, 2026, the developer must reapply from preliminary plat. Planning staff confirmed the application was submitted on the day the previous approval expired, which affects how the six-month period is counted.

The commission’s approvals are contingent on the stated conditions; the decisions were procedural approvals of application timelines and did not authorize changes to zoning or final plat approvals. The meeting record shows no public comment on these items. The commission moved on to other agenda business after the votes.