Orem council rezones 2.9 acres on Geneva Road for 40-home Westerly Way neighborhood
July 28, 2026, 3:30 p.m. · 56 North State Street, Orem (work session in Council Conference Room; regular session at 6:00 p.m.)
The council voted 6-0 to rezone 2.9 acres at 1875 South Geneva Road to PRD and add it to the Farm Haven plan for a 40-unit twin-home neighborhood, after the applicant added a Geneva Road connection. In the work session staff outlined the draft detached ADU ordinance due Oct. 1, a General Plan timeline and a task force update. Council Members Quinn Mecham, Crystal Muhlestein and Chris Killpack are listed as attending by Zoom.
From the approved minutes. Updated October 14, 2026.
Decisions at a glance
Agenda, item by item
Item WS · Public safety
Utah County Major Crimes task force update
Discussed
Police Chief BJ Robinson and Lt. Justin Gordon said the task force, for which Orem has long served as financial fiduciary, has 38 full-time detectives from county agencies and federal partners and is funded by state and federal grants plus annual assessments on member cities. They reported 2 to 2.5 million fentanyl pills seized since 2025 and 30 federal indictments this year. Orem supplies a lieutenant, two sergeants and three detectives.
Item WS · Roads and utilities
Capital construction projects overview
Discussed
City Engineer Taggart Bowen presented a map of active and upcoming capital projects, including the multi-year 950 North reconstruction, landscape work on Center Street and 12th West, the Fire Training Facility on 1600 West, storm drain work at 1000 East and near 18th South and State Street, a pump station and well house at 4th South and 4th West, Windsor Park, and the Center Street widening between Geneva Road and Interstate 15. Community Development Director Gary McGinn and City Manager Brenn Bybee said doing engineering and project management in-house avoids change orders and coordinates utility and paving work.
Item WS · General plan
General Plan update process
Discussed
Staff said the General Plan update, begun over a year ago, was slowed by complexity and commission turnover. Staff will now write the draft chapters, share them with the Planning Commission and council in September and October, circulate a full draft in early November and hold public hearings in January and February. Planning Director Jared Hall said the plan should stay general, reflect council goals (safe neighborhoods, a thriving business environment, dependable infrastructure) and move data to appendices.
Item WS · City code
Detached accessory dwelling unit ordinance draft
Discussed
Staff presented the draft to meet the state's Oct. 1, 2026 deadline: detached ADUs on single-family lots of 11,000 square feet or more (about 5,800 lots), with size caps of 850, 1,000 or 1,200 square feet by lot size and no more than 50 percent of the main home's footprint; heights of 20 feet (pitched) or 14 feet (flat); side or rear yard only; setbacks of 10 feet from interior lines, 25 feet from streets and 10 feet from the main house; owner occupancy; one ADU per lot; and no RVs or trailers as ADUs. Orem has about 859 licensed internal ADUs. Short-term rental rules are handled separately. Council members asked for a height-to-distance model, a setback keyed to a neighbor's zone line, a ban on fill to adjust sewer grade, and data from cities such as Provo. At least one more work session is planned, with a final vote at the second council meeting in September. McGinn also reported that doubling the notice radius to 2,000 feet costs under $1,000 per project.
Item 3 · Public safety
National Night Out preview
Discussed
Police staff invited the council to National Night Out on Aug. 4 from 5 to 8 p.m. at City Center Park, with demonstrations and about 25 community booths.
Item 5.1 · Appointment
Consent items: minutes and Events Advisory Commission appointment
Approved · 6-0
The council approved the consent calendar, which included an appointment to the Events Advisory Commission.
Item 6.1 · Zoning
Public hearing: rezone 2.9 acres at 1875 South Geneva Road from OS-5 to PRD and amend Farm Haven concept plan (Westerly Way)
Approved · 6-0
The council rezoned 2.9 acres from Open Space 5 to Planned Residential Development and folded the parcel into the Farm Haven concept plan to create 'Westerly Way,' a 40-unit single-story twin-home neighborhood with basements and two-car garages, about 2.7 parking spaces per unit. The applicants, who own the adjacent Autism Academy, had the item continued in May to resolve traffic; the new plan adds a public connection to Geneva Road that UDOT approved for full turn movements, and links to 850 West, 2000 South and Whitestone Estates. Applicant Craig Brady said the homes will be sold on the open market, though the neighborhood is designed to be autism-friendly. Three speakers, including one who recalled the Planning Commission's earlier denial over traffic, supported it. Members praised the applicant's revisions. Site plan and subdivision approvals still go to the Planning Commission.
- Applicant: Craig Brady (owner of adjacent Autism Academy)
- Acres: 2.9
- Current zone → proposed: OS-5 → PRD
- Units: 40 single-story twin homes
What residents said
Short-term rentalsCode enforcement and rental propertiesFlock cameras and immigration enforcementTraffic access for Westerly WayDetached ADU rules
Short-term rentals: Kris Hammond, Katie Brooks, John Brooks and Carolea Wolfley asked for property-rights-based, impact-based or grandfathered rules; City Attorney Steve Earl said Orem has never issued specific short-term rental licenses, only general rental dwelling licenses. Rennie Reeves thanked the city for a new crosswalk on 2000 South. Keith Walker raised unenforced codes, neglected rentals and parking congestion. John Brooks asked about the dry canal; Mayor Karen McCandless said the canal company owns it and a study is under way. Judy Christensen asked the council to bar use of city resources for federal immigration enforcement, and Ethan Stauffer objected to Flock license plate cameras and data sharing with federal agencies.