Orem council approves Geneva Road gas station rezone with development agreement, accepts 9.87-acre park donation from IHC
December 8, 2020, 3:00 p.m. · Orem City Center, 56 North State Street (held electronically)
The council rezoned 2.16 acres at 2000 South Geneva Road for a gas station under a development agreement, set a parking ratio for residential-zone day cares on a 5-2 vote, ratified IHC Health Services' donation of 9.87 acres for recreation use, and accepted a clean FY2019-20 audit. Consent items included $1.29 million in redevelopment money for the Hillcrest purchase.
From the approved minutes. Updated October 14, 2026.
Decisions at a glance
Agenda, item by item
Parks
Library Hall and Family Fitness Center update (work session)
Discussed
Development Services Director Ryan Clark said pandemic shipping delays affected finishes at the new Library Hall and the Family Fitness Center, which was progressing, with an opening expected in February 2021; the Library Hall ribbon cutting would wait until larger gatherings are safe.
Roads and utilities
1200 South and 400 West roundabout design (work session)
Discussed
City Engineer Sam Kelly said traffic at the intersection is projected to reach a failing level of service before 2040 and proposed a two-lane roundabout, designed with Horrocks Engineering, that would reach levels A and B. Council discussion covered construction impacts, landscaping, a maintenance agreement with UVU and bus rapid transit.
General plan
State Street zoning and master planning (work session)
Discussed
Planning Division Manager Jason Bench reviewed five years of State Street corridor planning and outreach that created five State Street districts and aimed to direct density to the corridor to protect single-family neighborhoods. Council Member Debby Lauret said the council had unanimously chosen that approach. Council Member David Spencer said the district edge had crept onto side streets and should be re-evaluated. City Manager Jamie Davidson said the state legislature was moving to limit local land use authority.
Roads and utilities
Utility master plans and bond schedule (work session)
Discussed
Public Works Manager Chris Tschirki said utility modeling was complete and a bond parameters resolution was expected Jan. 26, 2021. Financial advisor Laura Lewis said pay-as-you-go cannot keep pace with construction costs and financing long-life projects at historically low rates could reduce rates. Tschirki said staff would study rates for low-income seniors.
Item Consent · Other
Consent agenda: Hillcrest RDA transfer, Bridal Veil Falls resolution and appointments
Approved · 6-0
The council approved a resolution consenting to the Redevelopment Agency transferring $1,292,485 from project area 85-03-A to the city for the Hillcrest Elementary property purchase; a resolution supporting preservation of Bridal Veil Falls with a conservation easement, urged by the city's Natural Resources Stewardship Committee; the 2021 meeting schedule; Council Member Jeff Lambson as Mayor Pro Tem for January through June; and board and commission appointments.
- Payment$1.29 million to Orem Redevelopment Agency
Item Public hearing · Budget
FY2020-21 budget amendment
Approved · 6-0
Finance Manager Brandon Nelson listed adjustments for grants and donations, interest on unspent 2019 general obligation bond funds, money for the Hillcrest Elementary purchase, insurance recoveries for two Fire Department vehicles, and use of surplus Water Reclamation Fund money to rebuild the Carterville and Springwater lift stations. No one spoke.
Item Public hearing · City code
Parking and standards for commercial day cares and private schools in residential zones
Approved · 5-1
Staff proposed a parking requirement of 0.24 stalls per child plus one stall per full-time and 0.5 per part-time caregiver, all on site with no on-street credit; existing day cares become legal non-conforming. Council Member Debby Lauret and Mayor Brunst said Smiling Faces should have more flexibility than 83 children. A caller asked the council to delay, citing larger Utah families and that traffic studies were unfinished. Council Member Tom Macdonald said he had not targeted or threatened the Pardo family, as a written comment suggested, and proposed per-household parking, which staff said was hard to monitor. Council Member Brent Sumner said emails had referred to 200 children, which was unclarified. Mayor Brunst's motion to continue failed 3-4; Sumner then moved approval.
Item Public hearing · City code
Accessory apartment ordinance clarifications
Approved · 6-0
Staff clarified that a home owned by a company or trust is owner-occupied only if occupants hold at least a combined 50% interest, that any room reasonably usable as a bedroom counts toward the two-bedroom limit, and that an accessory apartment must have an interior door connection to the main home. No one spoke.
Development
Conditional use permit for a large accessory building in the PD18 zone
Approved · 6-0
The council approved a conditional use permit for a 1,735-square-foot accessory building with a basketball court and garage on a 1.46-acre residential lot in the PD18 zone. The building is about 3% of the lot, below the 10% limit, and 31 feet tall, with stone finishes matching the house. A pool house and pool on the lot did not need a permit.
Zoning
Rezone 2.16 acres at 2000 South Geneva Road to C2 (continued)
Approved with conditions · 6-0
Continued from Nov. 10 so the applicant could sign a development agreement. The draft limits the site to the concept plan, dims lighting to security level from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m., limits hours to 5 a.m. to 11 p.m., and limits the site to eight pumps (16 fueling positions) with diesel only for small trucks and passenger vehicles. Staff said the structure would be 32 feet tall with an 8-foot stamped concrete wall. Council Member David Spencer raised light pollution; Council Member Jeff Lambson said the site sits lower than the homes behind it; Council Member Tom Macdonald thanked staff for addressing concerns. A UDOT signal at the intersection is to be built in 2021. The Planning Commission had split 3-3. The hearing was held Nov. 10.
- Applicant: Davies Design Build / Axley-Way Investments
- Acres: about 2.16
- Current zone → proposed: OS5 → C2
- Conditions: development agreement on lighting, hours, pumps and diesel
Parks
Ratify IHC Health Services' donation of 9.87 acres near Orem Community Hospital
Approved · 6-0
IHC, which had leased the land to the city for recreation, donated the 9.87-acre parcel on condition that the city use it for public recreation, park or open space, allow a donor monument and keep the walking path easement; if the city stops using it that way it reverts to IHC. The deal closes Dec. 29. The nearby community garden stays with IHC. IHC's Tom Uriona, nearing retirement, thanked the council.
- Land dealAmount not given to IHC Health Services, Inc.
Budget
Accept fiscal year 2019-20 audit
Approved · 6-0
Ron Stewart of Gilbert & Stewart, the city's auditor for the sixth year, reported an unmodified (clean) opinion. The one finding was that the General Fund balance exceeded the 25% cap, which he called common.
What residents said
Parking rules for day caresNoise from a Center Street car washLighting at the Geneva Road gas stationProtecting Bridal Veil Falls
A member of the Natural Resources Stewardship Committee urged a conservation easement on Bridal Veil Falls. An adjacent property owner wrote about noise from a Center Street car wash. Written comments on the day care ordinance, mostly from Smiling Faces parents, said the center causes no traffic problems and should be allowed to expand.