Planning commission approves modified Alta Canyon Sports Center site plan, sets parking at 148 stalls

The Sandy City Planning Commission approved a modified site plan for the Alta Canyon Sports Center, approving building height, massing, materials and colors and setting the on-site parking requirement at 148 stalls.

Doug Wheelwright, Development Services Manager, said the project would demolish the existing building and tennis courts and construct a 34,000-square-foot multipurpose recreation building. He reviewed an overlay of the new building, which shifts the main entrance northwest and adds a drop-off lane. The design uses masonry at lower walls and metal paneling at upper walls; staff said there is substantial glazing on the east elevation to capture mountain views.

Dan Medina, Parks and Recreation Director and the project applicant, told the commission he supports the staff report and noted the swimming pool will remain in place while mechanical systems are replaced. "The swimming pool is staying the same," he said. Staff acknowledged the building footprint expansion reduces on-site parking by 12 stalls (to 148 available stalls) but told the commission the reduction is within commonly used ratios (they cited a typical range of 2 to 6 stalls per 1,000 sq ft, with most examples in the 3–4 range) and proposed an event parking management plan and a recorded overflow parking agreement with UTA to manage peak events.

The motion to approve included conditions that the shared off-site overflow parking agreement with UTA be formalized and recorded with the county recorder and that the special-event parking management plan be adopted by the sports center managers. The commission carried the motion on a roll call vote.