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Planning commission continues Wolverine rezoning as staff flags zone-area and engineering uncertainties
Summary
The Orem Planning Commission voted to continue a request to rezone city-owned land near 1500 South and 360 West after staff raised a code minimum for M2 zoning and cited remaining uncertainty about buried concrete and remediation costs; staff recommended options including expanding the requested area or withdrawing the application.
The Orem City Planning Commission on May 20 continued a rezoning request for the Wolverine property so applicants and staff could resolve whether the site meets the city’s M2 zone-area minimum and address remaining engineering uncertainties.
City staff told commissioners the applicant is seeking M2 (heavy manufacturing) zoning to allow self-storage use, and that an M2 rezoning is not permitted for areas smaller than the code’s 10-acre zone-area minimum. A staff presenter corrected a packet misprint and said the city-controlled portion of the site is about 4–5 acres. "This is an application to rezone the property to M2," a city staff member said, adding that "we can't really recommend approving it" until the applicant either adds adjacent acreage or seeks another approach.
Staff also described preliminary geotechnical work: consultants dug five test pits and additional excavations on buildable areas and generally found native Sand Hill soil with only limited concrete fragments in some places. The staff member cautioned, however, that earlier projects had uncovered extensive buried materials during construction and that remediation costs could be large. "We dug till we found the sand that's up there... in one or two areas we found a few concrete chunks," the staff member said, while warning "I can't guarantee that we won't get into this and find something else." Commissioners said that uncertainty about hidden concrete and the absence of technical staff at an earlier hearing contributed to their discomfort making a recommendation.
Commissioners and staff also debated whether the city should develop the property itself or rezone and sell it to a private developer. Staff estimated that entitling and selling roughly a dozen lots could generate about $2,000,000 in proceeds to the city and provide ongoing property- and sales-tax benefits, but warned that the city would not undertake development that would be a loss. "If it's a loss, I would tell the council, don't do this," a staff member said, adding that any decision to develop would be made by the municipal council.
On the question of parks, staff noted the parcel appears on the parks master-plan map as a possible park but said the city has no funding to develop it and that the site’s topography and liability concerns make it a low priority for park investment. The staff member said proceeds from any sale would likely be recommended to the council for a regional park in the southwest area.
After discussion, a commissioner moved to continue the rezoning request to allow applicants and staff to resolve zone-area and technical issues; the commission voted to continue the item. The continuation means staff and the applicant may pursue adding area to meet the M2 minimum, request an amendment to zone-area standards, or withdraw the application. The item will return to a future planning commission meeting and then, if recommended, go to the municipal council for final action.
