Orem council delays Geneva Road gas station rezone for a development agreement and creates HUB District Edge zone
November 10, 2020, 4:15 p.m. · Orem City Center, 56 North State Street (held electronically)
The council continued a rezone for a gas station and convenience store at 2000 South Geneva Road to Dec. 8 so a development agreement on lighting and hours could be prepared, after the Planning Commission split 3-3. It also created a new HUB District Edge zone along University Parkway and approved new CDBG-CV COVID-19 grant spending.
From the approved minutes. Updated October 14, 2026.
Decisions at a glance
Agenda, item by item
Other
2021 council meeting schedule, Mayor Pro Tem and Hey Orem ticketing (work session)
Discussed
City Recorder JoD'Ann Bates presented a 2021 schedule of meetings on the second and fourth Tuesdays, with one meeting in July, November and December. Mayor Brunst said he would appoint Council Member Jeff Lambson Mayor Pro Tem for January through June 2021. Staff demonstrated Hey Orem, a new app and web ticketing system for residents to report issues.
Roads and utilities
Water, sewer and storm water master plan update (work session)
Discussed
Consultant Keith Larson said updates reflect Vineyard leaving Orem's water system, added density along State Street, lower use from smart meters, abandonment of the West Union Canal and West Smith Ditch (requiring new storm water solutions), higher construction costs and historically low bond rates. Next steps are finishing storm drain modeling, finalizing capital facility plans, building an implementation plan using bonding, and updating rates and impact fees.
Item 9.1 · Budget
CDBG-CV COVID-19 funding amendment: hotspots, home repair and reallocations
Approved · 4-0
Of Orem's $411,983 first-round CDBG-CV grant, allocations to date included $30,000 administration, $132,000 for the Senior Friendship Center, $29,859.34 for the Family Support and Treatment Center, $12,000 to Alpine School District and smaller amounts to other groups, leaving $185,532.66. The commission recommended $7,200 for 30 library wireless hotspots, $75,000 for a critical home repair program (about 4 to 6 homes) and moving $5,000 from Kids on the Move to other public services, leaving $106,132.66 plus a second allocation of $287,940. Funds must be committed by August 2021. No one spoke.
- Grant$7,200 to Orem Public Library
- Grant$75,000
Item 9.2 · City code
Auto repair land use codes split into mechanical and body/paint
Approved · 6-0
Business Licensing asked to rename SLU 6413 Automobile Repair as Automobile Repair (Mechanical Only) and create SLU 6414 Auto Body Repair and Paint, because body and paint shops need extra state permits, and to help officers deal with unlicensed shops in residential areas. No one spoke.
Item 9.3 · Zoning
Rezone 2.16 acres at 2000 South Geneva Road from OS5 to C2 for a gas station and convenience store
Continued · 6-0
Davies Design Build asked to rezone the northeast corner of Geneva Road and 2000 South to allow a convenience store with internal restaurants and eight pumps (16 fueling stations), patterned after a Lehi station, under the Eagle brand with gas and diesel for passenger vehicles. A recent General Plan change had designated the corner Community Commercial. Provo and UDOT completed preliminary access reviews and must approve the site plan; UDOT plans a signal. Water and sewer lines must continue through the site to land to the east. Forty-four residents attended a neighborhood meeting and the Planning Commission voted 3-3, so it made no recommendation. Operators said the station would close roughly 10 or 11 p.m. to 5 or 6 a.m. Staff require a 7-foot masonry wall; Development Services Director Ryan Clark said staff worked with the applicant on neighborhood impacts. The developer's president said support grew after re-canvassing; a nearby property owner said he now supports it. A resident living about 650 feet away opposed living next to a gas station, and a petition with 204 signatures from people within a mile favored it. Mayor Brunst said he favored it and a development agreement on lighting; Council Member Brent Sumner raised lighting and said some petition signers lived outside Orem. Deputy City Attorney Steve Earl said an agreement must be signed before the zone change.
- Applicant: Davies Design Build / Axley-Way Investments
- Acres: about 2.16
- Current zone → proposed: OS5 → C2
- Planning Commission: 3-3, no recommendation
Item 9.4 · Zoning
HUB District Edge zone along University Parkway
Approved · 6-0
The council created an HD-Edge zone, 200 feet deep from the sidewalk at three places along University Parkway, with retail uses and no three-story minimum so pad-site restaurants and shops can be built in front of big-box tenants. A 6-foot landscaped setback is required next to parking, and rules on sidewalks, landscaping and alternate standards were added. Three properties were rezoned from HD-Core to HD-Edge: near 314 East University Parkway, 212 East University Parkway and 1315 South State Street. The owner of Carillon Square asked that a non-retail tenant be allowed, so medical, dental and health services (SLU 6510) were added. Deputy City Attorney Steve Earl wanted to keep the corridor retail, and City Manager Jamie Davidson urged protecting University Parkway as a retail destination.
What residents said
Gas station next to homes on Geneva RoadLighting and hours at the gas stationEnvironmental safety of fuel tanksKeeping Hillcrest property as a full park
A group of residents calling themselves Friends of the Orem Hillcrest Park wrote to urge the city to keep all nine acres as green space and not sell part. Written comments on the Geneva Road gas station came from the operator, brokers for the sellers and buyer, an employee of the developer and a nearby resident.