Approval on site plan extension and grading/slope text amendment
1) Action Item: Windsor Mill Townhomes and Office Building Site Plan Approval Extension Request (Administrative Action) - APPROVED
The commission approved a one-time, six-month extension to the site plan approval for the Windsor Mill Townhomes and Office Building Site Plan located at 11450 South 820 West. The applicant originally received approval in February 2019 for a site plan of 30 townhomes and 16,000 square foot office building. The project was delayed because of health issues with the owner.
For more information:
Staff contact: Jennifer Jastremsky, 801-576-6328, jennifer.jastremsky@draper.ut.us
Application SP-277-2018
2) Public Hearing: City-Initiated Grading and Slope Text Amendment (Legislative Action) - APPROVED
The City of Draper requested a Text Amendment to various sections of Draper City to modify the regulations pertaining to grading, slopes, and retaining walls on properties. These changes would apply citywide. Concerns were raised due to the appearance of high buildings in some new developments. The issue was found to not be the building height, but the perceived building height due to the retaining halls. Examples shared included Harmony Hills and Liberty Park, which meet maximum building height, but seem higher and more overpowering due to the retaining wall heights or being close to the sidewalk edge.
The following changes were approved by the commission to address this issue. These changes do not affect current projects or any pending applications. They also do not affect the Hillside Sensitive Lands Overlay Zone, which is everything south or east of Highland Drive. The overall heights of future building sites will be lowered based on the new restrictions on slope heights, and tiers and heights of retaining walls.
- Updated the regulations for retaining walls
- Added clarification for instances when a retaining wall may have a varying height. The limit is 9 feet and the largest value is always considered the wall’s height.
- Clarified the front setback area as the area on the property within the front yard setback requirement, and a corner lot has two front setback areas.
- Added exception within the front setback area where a single retaining wall shall not exceed 4 feet in height.
- Changed phrase “viewable from a public right of way” to “within 30 feet of a street” for better clarity.
- Applied plant requirement to the front of every wall, rather than just between walls.
- Plain exposed poured walls are not permitted. Retaining walls must be decorative.
- Retaining walls shall not be within 7 feet adjacent to a street.
- Required a maintenance plan for any retaining wall permit.
- Adjust driveway slope limits and front setback maximum rise
- Set the slope max to 10%, a reduction from the slope max of 12%.
- Created a definition for existing grade.
- Set a maximum rise of 2 feet within the front setback. Not applicable to parking lot screening.
For more information:
Staff contact: Pete Kane, 801-576-6335, pete.kane@draper.ut.us
Municipal Code Title 9
Application TEXTMAP-962-2020