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Council presses developer to coordinate with state and fire officials on traffic, considers phasing or conditions
Summary
Council members raised safety concerns about 1300 North and whether the developer can be required to ensure a traffic signal or other mitigation; staff said the development agreement can require coordination with UDOT but warned that a hard contingency could jeopardize financing, so phased approvals or partial buildouts were discussed.
Council members and staff spent a large portion of the Farr West work session focused on traffic safety and how to ensure road improvements accompany new housing.
Lou voiced the strongest concern: “1300 North terrifies me,” he said, warning that left‑turning vehicles and school traffic could create backups that raise the risk of collisions. Council members and staff said they want the developer to engage UDOT and the fire district; the group discussed three options: require the developer to fund a traffic signal before development proceeds, require coordination and allow phased development contingent on improvements, or accept some buildout and postpone additional phases until mitigation is in place.
Staff cautioned that UDOT has a subjective and sometimes slow approval process, and that making final approval strictly contingent on a UDOT signal could threaten a developer’s financing. “If it’s contingent your funding’s gone most likely,” one participant said, describing the financing risk if UDOT declines a request. Council members suggested alternative leverage, including pressuring UDOT with coordinated requests from nearby developers and the fire district and structuring the development agreement to require specific steps or phased thresholds tied to traffic triggers.
No formal decision was made; staff instructed the developer to attempt good‑faith coordination with UDOT and to bring back language for the development agreement. The council directed staff to set the rezoning and agreement for public hearings after notice.
This matter remains unresolved pending UDOT responses, the fire district’s input and the development agreement that staff will draft.
