By Rebecca Dopp
TN Correspondent

There were three items for consideration in the planning items section of the Nephi Council meeting agenda. One of those items was tabled, and the other two were approved.

The first item was a rezone request from the developer of Mt. Peak development associated with North Ridge Plat E.

“I’ve spoken with the developer...and he’s made the request that maybe you table this item for 30 days,” said Seth Atkinson, city administrator. “He’d like to talk to staff a little bit and put some feelers out on this particular property.”

The property in question, Plat E, was rezoned last year to HC1 at the request of the developer in order to facilitate a 2-lot commercial subdivision. The process was completed and a final plat was approved.

At the time of rezone, the city agreed that this would be a prime location for highway commercial zoning as this intersection of 1500 N. and Main Street will likely be a very busy intersection, and in fact has been shown to be another logical site for a city traffic signal by UDOT, said Atkinson. City staff feels this is a great location for a “commercial pod” with its access to the arterial highway, and the surrounding uses.

However, the developer has had difficulty finding a commercial buyer and wishes to have the ability to sell residential lots, but two other subdivisions within the development, Plat C and B, are already residential. The staff feels the available lots for sale should offset the concerns with needing to sell this ground as residential, said Atkinson.

To change the use of the lot would require a redo of the water and sewer lateral connection which was stubbed for a single purpose. If residential lots are approved, then it would require sixteen cuts within about a 500 feet lineal area.

There was a recommendation from the planning commission to deny the request, but the item was tabled for further discussion.

Another item on the agenda was a proposal to make a boundary line adjustment between two subdivisions, CR Circle and Winn Ridge Estates, that will affect four total lots, including Lots 60 and 61 of the Winn Ridge subdivision, and Lots 1 and 2 of the CR Cir.5

“They are doing a slight revision of a couple lots that are in Winn Ridge,” said Atkinson.

He showed on a map the affected lots and what they wanted to achieve.

No new lots are being created, said Atkinson, but some property that is currently in Lot 2 of the CRC2 subdivision is being added to Lots 60 and 61 of the WR subdivision, increasing the size of those two lots and decreasing the single Lot 2.

“Shanna [Talbot, city planner] is helping the developer go through that process and it just needs an approval from the council, it was recommended by the planning commission.”

He said that these lots were already in existence through Winn Ridge, but have been purchased by the developer of CR Circle.

JD Parady, council member, said that the change will make better use of the property.

“Better than a weed patch,” said Larry Ostler, council member.

The council approved the zone change request.

The last item on the planning items agenda was a rezone request from Desert Stream.

Atkinson said that a few years ago the city council had approved a zone change for the meat processing plant on Highway 132. It is zoned ID-2.

“Just south of that lot is another lot of similar size that was zoned as Highway Commercial,” he said.

He said that Desert Stream would like to build a building on that lot to expand their operations and have requested that parcel be rezoned to ID-3 or Light Industrial.

The business could fit into the light industry and warehouse, storage use categories of the HC-1 zone, but staff felt that the ID-3 zone fit best since there will be a manufacturing component to the business.

“What this would do is keep the consistency of the ID-2 zone which is above it, they didn’t have to do sidewalk,” said Atkinson.

Under HC-1, sidewalk was required. Atkinson said it would be odd to not have sidewalk on the north property, but have it on the south property behind it. Curb and gutter is still required for industrial.

It will also give them the option to have outside storage if needed.

Parady said he liked the idea because it would give some kind of buffer to residential as it moves away from the highway.

Ostler asked about access to the property. Atkinson said that right now there is a road and a cut de sac to the west of the property.

Staff recommended the commission to approve the rezone application from Desert Stream. A motion was made to approve the request and it passed unanimously.