Planning commission backs TOD zoning near FrontRunner on former city landfill, ground-floor retail rule downtown
January 8, 2025, 6:00 p.m. · American Fork City Hall, 31 N. Church St.
The American Fork Planning Commission recommended a staff-initiated rezone of about 7.2 acres at 518 W. 200 South from industrial to Transit Oriented Development, land Commissioner Bruce Frandsen said was once the city dump, and recommended code changes requiring developers to run utility mains along their whole frontage and requiring ground-floor commercial in downtown buildings on public streets. A land use change at 380 W. 200 South was pulled.
From the approved minutes.
Decisions at a glance
| Item | Result |
|---|---|
| Land use map amendment, 380 W. 200 South (2.3 acres) | Withdrawn |
| 518 W. 200 South zone change (about 7.2 acres) | Recommended for approval · 6-0 |
| Utility installation code amendments: sewer mains (17.8.402), water mains (17.8.403), underground utilities (17.8.409) | Recommended for approval · 6-0 |
| CC-1 Central Commercial zone ground-floor commercial code amendment (Section 17.4.401) | Recommended for approval · 6-0 |
Agenda, item by item
Item 3a · General plan
Land use map amendment, 380 W. 200 South (2.3 acres)
Withdrawn
Request to change from Transit Oriented Development to Residential Medium Density. Pulled from the agenda. Commissioner Geoff Dupaix later raised sight-distance concerns at the site near the bridge.
- Acres: 2.3
- Land use: TOD → Residential Medium Density (requested)
Item 3b · Zoning
518 W. 200 South zone change (about 7.2 acres)
Recommended for approval · 6-0
City-initiated rezone of parcels 13:042:0062, 0063 and 0028 from PI-1 to TOD (the agenda also listed R1-7500) to match the TOD overlay rules that already govern them; staff said no project is proposed. Frandsen said the parcels were the city landfill when he was a child and environmental review must be thorough. Dupaix noted FrontRunner double-tracking needs room and raised access to the oddly shaped parcels. City Engineer Ben Hunter said one parcel was for sale, buyers were told the city will need right-of-way, and access is expected through a shared drive at the 570 West intersection on 200 South.
- Applicant: American Fork City
- Acres: about 7.2
- Zone: PI-1 → TOD
- Parcels: 13:042:0062, 13:042:0063, 13:042:0028
- Former city landfill (per Commissioner Frandsen)
Item 3c-e · City code
Utility installation code amendments: sewer mains (17.8.402), water mains (17.8.403), underground utilities (17.8.409)
Recommended for approval · 6-0
Requires subdivisions to install main-line utilities across their full frontage within the development so neighbors can connect later, with pioneering agreements to recoup costs; the underground utilities change lets electric lines of 12,470 volts or more stay overhead and cross-references fiber requirements. Commissioner Bruce Frandsen asked for exemptions for large RA-5 lots, saying neighbors on 60-acre parcels might stay in the county rather than run utilities three-quarters of a mile; Hunter said the rule applies only to subdivisions. Three separate motions.
- Initiated by city engineering
- Overhead allowed: lines ≥ 12,470 volts
- Votes: 6-0 each (moved by Christiansen, Dupaix and Dudley respectively)
Item 3f · City code
CC-1 Central Commercial zone ground-floor commercial code amendment (Section 17.4.401)
Recommended for approval · 6-0
Requires ground-floor retail or office space in multi-family buildings that front a right-of-way in the downtown CC-1 zone, allowing residential only on upper floors, to strengthen the downtown core. Senior Planner Travis Van Ekelenburg said the recent apartments by the Presbyterian Church would have needed ground-floor commercial under the rule. The recommendation changes the wording to 'public right-of-way,' as Commissioner Geoff Dupaix asked.
- Initiated by city staff
- Change: 'right-of-way' → 'public right-of-way'
What residents said
No one spoke at any of the public hearings.