Council approves vacating part of Orchard Drive and amends Village Station plan for 60 rental townhomes

The council held a public hearing and approved an ordinance vacating a segment of Orchard Drive south of Eagle Gate Drive to accommodate changes to the Village Station development.

Planning staff Sherry (speaker 12) explained that the city previously closed the street to through traffic, and that UDOT'driven interchange realignment will effectively dead-end portions of Orchard Drive. The developer, Brighton, requested the vacation to convert the parcel associated with Building 4 from a planned 94-unit apartment building to 60 rental townhomes that each include two-car garages. "This proposal is for 60 townhomes, again, all rental units," Sherry said.

Sherry told the council that utility providers (Enbridge, South Davis Sewer and Kern River) have been notified and that recorded public-utility easements will be retained as part of a future plat amendment. The planning commission recommended approval with conditions including a required geotechnical (rockfall and hazard) review and incorporation of the vacated right-of-way into the plat.

A Brighton representative, Nick McMurtcher (speaker 15), said the townhomes are intended to keep existing renters who need larger units in place rather than losing them to neighboring cities. A resident (Dean Lallos) spoke in favor of removing the city'owned maintenance liability for the dead-end street.

Council voted to approve both the road vacation ordinance and the accompanying amendment to the general development plan with the stated conditions; staff will process plat amendments and required geotechnical studies before final site-plan approvals.

The council also instructed staff to maintain a 12-foot trail easement with bollards to permit emergency access if needed, and to record easements preserving utilities.