Council denies Silver Sage variance, approves 45‑lot Enclave East preliminary plat

The Preston City Council on Aug. 25 denied a variance request for the Silver Sage Planned Unit Development that would have allowed six-unit buildings where the municipal code, amended in 2023, restricts PUDs to four units per building. Councilmember Brent Dodge moved to deny the variance and Councilmember Terry Larson seconded; the council cited conflict with the Comprehensive Plan, absence of exceptional circumstances, potential detriment to public health and safety (single ingress/egress concerns), and concluded the application appeared motivated by profit. The motion to deny passed unanimously.

On the same agenda the council reviewed the preliminary plat for Enclave East, a proposed 45-lot single-family subdivision on about 19 acres between 4th North and 2nd North. Councilmembers accepted a revised road alignment (a practical solution to avoid cul-de-sacs), found the developer’s engineering studies sufficient, and required the developer to provide 52 shares of secondary irrigation water for landscaping. The motion to accept the preliminary plat passed 3–1; Councilmember Brent Dodge voted Nay.

Council stated the denial of the Silver Sage variance was based on four formal findings read into the record: conflict with the Comprehensive Plan and recently enacted municipal code, lack of evidence of undue hardship or exceptional circumstances for the property owner, concerns regarding a single point of ingress/egress and population density affecting public safety, and a determination the request was not based on necessity but likely convenience or profit.