Orem council approves six-month moratorium on building in State Street districts on a 4-3 vote
August 9, 2021, 6:00 p.m. · Council Chambers, 56 North State Street
At a special meeting, the Orem City Council voted 4-3 to enact a temporary land use regulation of up to six months barring construction and subdivision approvals in the City Center, Hub, Canyon Crossing, Arts and North Village districts. The debate centered on a pending apartment-and-commercial site plan from Wright Development Group at the former Meadow Gold Dairy site and on whether a moratorium met the legal standard of a compelling countervailing public interest.
From the approved minutes. Updated October 14, 2026.
Orem's mayor is a voting member of the seven-member council. The minutes count the six council members in each tally and record the mayor's vote beside it, so a council vote of 6-0 with the mayor voting yes is 7-0 with the mayor.
In brief
1 item came up for a decision or discussion: 1 approved.
1 vote was not unanimous: Moratorium on construction in State Street districts (City Center, Hub, Canyon Crossing, Arts and North Village) (4-2).
2 items here are tracked in the city's development tracker.
This write-up links 3 source documents and the meeting video.
7 members were present.
Residents raised traffic on state street and 400 east, parking, high-density housing, legal risk of moratorium, and water use.
The previous City Council meeting was on July 27, 2021: Orem council lowers North Village District height limit to 48 feet in the core and raises parking requirement after hours of public opposition
The next one was on August 24, 2021: Orem council exempts remodels, signs and some commercial construction from State Street moratorium
Decisions at a glance
| Item | Result |
|---|---|
| Moratorium on construction in State Street districts (City Center, Hub, Canyon Crossing, Arts and North Village) | Approved · 4-3 with the mayor |
Agenda, item by item
Zoning
Moratorium on construction in State Street districts (City Center, Hub, Canyon Crossing, Arts and North Village)
Approved · 4-3 with the mayor
Deputy City Attorney Steve Earl told the council that Utah Code 10-9a-504 allows a moratorium only on a finding of a compelling countervailing public interest, and that Utah has no case law on whether traffic or height concerns qualify; he could not predict how a court would rule. Earl said staff regards the Wright Development site plan as within and adjacent to a residential zone, so a neighborhood meeting was required before the application could be complete and the developer had no vested rights. Attorney Stephen Mouritsen, representing Wright Development, said the Arts District is a mixed-use zone, the site is separated from residential zones by a city-owned right of way, no meeting was required, and the project had been in the works about three years. A Wright Development representative said the project would be apartments and that a bank proposed there four years earlier had been denied under new zoning. Council Members Spencer and Peterson cited traffic, road capacity and the delay of bus rapid transit, with Peterson also citing parking and water use; Mayor Richard Brunst said the city uses 62 percent of its available water and that traffic was not an emergency, and said he would leave the Hub and North Village districts out. Council Members Debby Lauret and Brent Sumner said they saw no compelling interest and warned of legal challenge, and Lambson said he would support it, citing a resident's concern that housing is becoming mostly rentals. Spencer said the council wanted to review all State Street districts after changing the North Village rules. The council heard 15 speakers.
- Duration: not to exceed six months
- Applies to: erection, construction, reconstruction or alteration of any building or structure, and subdivision approvals
- Alternative considered: temporary regulation on height, parking, setbacks and residential uses
- Legal basis: Utah Code 10-9a-504
What residents said
Traffic on State Street and 400 EastParkingHigh-density housingLegal risk of moratoriumWater useNeighborhood meeting requirement
Speakers at the 6:49 to 7:34 p.m. hearing mostly supported the moratorium, citing traffic, parking, neighborhood character, the intent of the State Street master plan and the pace of rental housing. Some said the master plan lacked public backing when adopted. One speaker said government should restrict private property as little as possible and that residential and commercial uses can coexist; another said housing is not affordable but that no housing is not an option. A Wright Development representative spoke for the project.