Council remands Sunset Ranch zoning and development agreement with minimum 7,500-sq.-ft. lot condition

The council remanded a proposed zoning-map amendment and related development agreement for the Sunset Ranch (White Horse Land LLC) subdivision back to staff, directing staff to return with a revised plan that ensures no lot will be smaller than 7,500 square feet and that maintains similar proportional ratios of the larger-to-smaller lots discussed at the meeting.

Planning staff presented the proposal and a concept layout that staff and the applicant had negotiated: a requested R-1-9 zoning designation with a development agreement allowing up to 30% of lots at 6,500 square feet and 70% at 9,000 square feet or larger, with 65-foot frontage allowed on the smaller lots. The applicant said the product would be single-family homes with a range of floor plans and estimated base prices and argued the project would improve access by constructing a fully improved 1950 Road extension and provide necessary infrastructure.

Council members pressed on neighborhood form, lot width vs. depth trade-offs, traffic choke points near 1700 West and the I-15 frontage, and the precedent of allowing exceptions to zoning via development agreements. One council member said several lots felt "too skinny" and proposed a 7,500 minimum; the developer agreed to consider modifying the layout and ratios while keeping the majority of lots larger. In the end Councilor (maker) moved to remand both the authorization of the mayor to execute the development agreement and the zoning-map amendment back to staff with the 7,500-square-foot minimum-lot-size intent. The motion carried on roll call.

Next steps: staff will work with the applicant on a modified site plan that widens the smallest lots (and may reduce the total lot count by one or two) and return to council for final approval.