Planning commission recommends Purple Church rezone and development agreement to City Council

The South Jordan Planning Commission on Feb. 10 recommended that the City Council approve a development agreement and a rezone for the Purple Church property at 10353 South Temple Drive, by a 3–0 vote.

Staff presenter Miguel Agalera described a proposal to rezone the site from agricultural (A‑1) to community commercial with a planned development overlay to allow an event/reception center in the existing historic chapel and a three‑story, 45‑foot office building to the north. Agalera said the development agreement preserves the church’s architectural character and adds flexibility the standard zone would not allow.

On parking, staff said the project proposes 92 on‑site stalls (40 for the church use, 52 for the office building). With two neighboring properties and a shared‑parking arrangement, the applicants estimate about 216 stalls would be available overall, but staff noted that under the stricter interpretation of the code the project would be roughly 18 stalls short and that a final shared‑parking agreement must be submitted prior to site‑plan approval.

Applicant Kip Lambert, representing Destinations Inc., said the project aims to preserve an historic building and to make it economically viable as an event venue while adding a complementary office building. "This is a great opportunity for us to preserve a piece of South Jordan history," Lambert said. Architect Chris Thompson said design features were scaled to fit the neighborhood and that the city council suggested a 45‑foot height cap for the office after earlier consideration of 50 feet.

Multiple neighbors and stakeholders spoke in support during public comment, including Russ Naylor, Ted Frotton and Craig Johnson, who emphasized the chapel’s historic value and said they prefer renovation and adaptive reuse to redevelopment. The applicant said it has letters of intent with neighboring property owners and will provide a formal shared‑parking agreement before the site‑plan review stage.

Chair Gedge moved that the commission recommend City Council approval of Resolution 2026‑03 (authorizing the mayor to enter into an agreement with Destinations Inc.) and Ordinance 2026‑02‑Z (rezoning the Purple Church property to community commercial with a planned development overlay); the motion was seconded and approved by roll call, producing a favorable recommendation for the council hearing scheduled March 3 at 6:30 p.m.

Commissioners emphasized that site‑plan review will address details including parking, sound mitigation and any changes to the building’s exterior.