Planning commission backs rezoning of Northpointe parcel; residents and tenants press traffic and policing concerns

The Linden City Planning Commission on July 14 recommended that city council approve Ordinance 2026-14-O to amend the city zoning map for multiple parcels west of I-15 near 2000 West, reclassifying them from a mix of regional commercial and light industrial overlays to commercial general.

Staff (speaker 10) said the change brings the official zoning into alignment with the city's adopted general plan and positions the parcels to benefit from planned regional transportation investments, including the Vineyard connector and Pleasant Grove interchange improvements. Staff noted environmental studies for the larger roadway projects are complete but construction funding remains pending.

Neil Schwendeman, representing Northpointe Solid Waste Special Service District (speaker 9), told commissioners Northpointe plans to sell the rezoned property and use the proceeds to improve its existing transfer station: constructing a roughly 70,000-square-foot building, removing aging structures, improving scale-house operations and traffic flow, and creating separate commercial and inbound lanes to improve efficiency.

During the public hearing, a WICP representative (speaker 12) said the company and its roughly 70 tenants support Northpointe's ability to secure value for its property but warned that promised traffic mitigation (a stoplight at a nearby two-way stop) and connector funding have been delayed repeatedly. The representative said past unfulfilled commitments (citing an eight-year-old promise of a stoplight) make the group skeptical that the broader interchange and connector projects will arrive in time to mitigate local congestion. The WICP speaker also raised concerns about several incidents of significant property damage against tenants and said Linden police were constrained by state thresholds for arrest in those cases, requesting the city examine enforcement and reporting procedures as development proceeds.

Staff and the applicant responded that traffic modeling and required studies will be completed at the development stage and that UDOT has completed studies and is acquiring property for the frontage and interchange projects, though funds and construction timelines remain uncertain. Commissioners asked about utilities, potential egress, the applicant's intended timeline (a phased start with design/bidding then two to three years of construction), and whether the rezoning had been properly noticed; staff said the missing parcel notice had been corrected in the staff report and application.

After public comment closed, Commissioner Steve moved to recommend approval of Ordinance 2026-14-O subject to all conditions in the staff report; the motion was seconded and passed by voice vote. Staff said the item will be on the city council agenda in August.