Planning Commission backs code change to allow permeable parking at Tracy Aviary JRNC

The South Salt Lake Planning Commission voted unanimously on March 5, 2026 to forward a recommendation to the City Council to amend Title 17 of the South Salt Lake Municipal Code to allow permeable (unpaved) parking surfaces in the Tracy Aviary’s Jordan River Nature Center (JRNC) District at 1111 West 3300 South, provided specific criteria are met and the City Engineer and Fire Marshal (or their designees) approve the exception.

Deputy Community Development Director Eliza Ungricht described the proposal and the staff recommendation, saying the exception would apply only to the JRNC District and require supporting documentation before approval. Staff listed required submittals: a parking and traffic study, a geotechnical report, a drainage plan and report, a site plan verifying compliance with commercial parking lot design criteria, and a materials report demonstrating compliance with specified gradation and plasticity requirements. Ungricht told commissioners the standards were intended to ensure fire apparatus access and to prevent weeds or sediment from compromising drainage and structural integrity.

The staff report includes engineered-performance requirements: permeable surfaces must be "all‑weather" and engineered to support a minimum vehicle load of 80,000 pounds for fire apparatus, and a sieve gradation and plasticity index are specified in proposed redlines. Ungricht tied the proposal to the City's General Plan, noting less pavement aligns with the nature-center character and the City's economic development strategy to preserve neighborhood-based services.

Chair Jeremy Carter asked whether a future owner could convert the site entirely to parking and raised concerns about oil or pollutant seepage into soil from an unpaved lot. Ungricht responded that future changes would depend on zoning at the time and that the exception would require engineer and fire‑marshal sign-off; Commissioner Mary Anna Southey added that rezoning would be required for a different primary use.

Applicant representatives Angela Dean (AMD Architecture) and Tracy Aviary CEO Tim Brown said permeable surfacing supports the nature center’s ecological goals and reduces standing water. Brown said permeable surfaces "provide a better habitat for doves and pigeons," and Dean emphasized that stormwater would be retained onsite and routed to a bioswale. Dean also said the parking area was designed with the property’s full buildout in mind and that the applicant does not plan additional development beyond a proposed visitor center.

Commissioner George Pechmann moved to forward a recommendation of approval; Commissioner Olivia Spencer seconded. The commission voted 5‑0 (Dahlberg, Pechmann, Southey, Spencer, Chair Carter) to forward the ordinance amendment to the City Council for final action. The recommendation included two findings of fact limiting the exception to the JRNC District and requiring City Engineer and Fire Marshal approval, and concluded the change aligns with the City's General Plan.