Orem council exempts remodels, signs and some commercial construction from State Street moratorium
August 24, 2021, 3:00 p.m. · City Council Conference Room (work session) and Council Chambers (regular session), 56 North State Street
At its regular session the Orem City Council unanimously amended the August 9 moratorium on building in five State Street districts to exempt remodels, signs, fences, utility work and purely commercial construction up to 60 feet with one parking stall per 250 square feet. In the afternoon work session, the city attorney reported that Wright Development had asked the state property rights ombudsman for an advisory opinion on the moratorium, and staff reviewed Planning Commission recommendations on State Street district height, setback and parking rules.
From the approved minutes. Updated October 14, 2026.
Decisions at a glance
Agenda, item by item
Zoning
Amendment to State Street districts moratorium (exempting certain construction)
Approved · 6-0
Deputy City Attorney Steve Earl said the amendments fix problems the moratorium created unintentionally, such as blocking commercial remodels, fence and sign maintenance, and purely commercial development. The exemption covers interior and exterior remodels, signs, fences and retaining walls, utility and parking-lot work and similar improvements that add no habitable space, capped at 60 feet, plus purely commercial construction up to 60 feet with at least one stall per 250 square feet of floor area. In response to Council Member David Spencer, Earl said more restrictive rules, such as those in the North Village District, would still apply.
- Commercial exemption: no residential use, 60 feet maximum height, 1 stall per 250 sq ft of gross floor area
Presentation
Work session: advisory opinion request from the State Property Rights Ombudsman
Discussed
City Attorney Heather Schriever said Wright Development had asked for an advisory opinion on whether its site plan application was complete and vested before the moratorium, which depends on whether a neighborhood meeting was required. The city retained outside counsel and agreed to use a staff attorney in the ombudsman's office. City Manager Jamie Davidson said a legislator had raised concerns and that a state housing affordability commission is studying the issue; Council Member Spencer asked about a work session with legislators, and Council Member Peterson said a state senator had told him of support for the moratorium.
Zoning
Work session: State Street district height, setback and parking standards
Discussed
Mr. Bench reported the Planning Commission's recommendations: against the proposed overall height standards, for setbacks from residential zones, and against the parking standards. He also reviewed limits on residential use as a share of mixed-use projects. Council Members Spencer and Peterson said they wanted to review each district in detail and Peterson proposed neighborhood meetings in each district.
Presentation
Work session: Neighborhood Improvement Team update
Discussed
Staff introduced the new Neighborhood Improvement Team, which enforces rules on weeds, junk and homeless encampments, and reported its results since the start of the fiscal year.
Contract
Work session: Orem-Vineyard water agreement
Discussed
Public Works Director Chris Tschirki reviewed past water agreements with Vineyard and a proposed agreement that would add emergency connections between the two systems and give Orem an option to buy back Vineyard's share of a shared tank. The council agreed to place it on the consent agenda at a later meeting.
Other
Consent agenda: Sleepy Ridge agreement amendment, primary election certification and Public Safety Advisory Commission appointments
Approved · 6-0
The council approved an amendment to a 2008 agreement among the city, The Links at Sleepy Ridge, The Suites at Sleepy Ridge and Plant Specialties, certified the 2021 primary election, and confirmed Rick Clark, Spencer Rand and William Fowlke to the Public Safety Advisory Commission.
What residents said
Parking overflowTrafficHigh-density housingMoratorium legal challenge
Three residents spoke. One said a nearby mall keeps buying property near a historic neighborhood and raised parking, crime and traffic worries about the Wright Development proposal, noting a nine-page petition. Another thanked council members who voted for the moratorium and said a bank would have suited the site. A third objected to unlimited height and high-density housing next to residential zones.