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Members of the Spanish Fork City Council and Mayor Steve Leifson listen to public comment during a meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020. 

Connor Richards, Daily Herald

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The Spanish Fork Municipal Government building is pictured Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020.

Connor Richards, Daily Herald file photo

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A map shows a zoning change to the properties along Del Monte Road that the Spanish Fork City Council approved on Tuesday, Jan. 19.  

 

Courtesy Spanish Fork City

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The Spanish Fork City Council unanimously approved a general plan amendment Tuesday to change the zoning of properties along Del Monte Road from mixed-use to a combination of mixed-use, medium density, residential and commercial.

The properties are located among Del Monte Road between Arrowhead Trail and the American Leadership.

A map presented to the council shows that the approved change will make about a third of the area mixed-use designation, which would allow five to 12 homes per acre, and would make about half medium density residential, allowing 3.5 to eight homes per acre. The remaining area will be classified as commercial.

The Spanish Fork Planning Commission reviewed various zoning options for the property and found that “the property on the corner of Arrowhead Trail and Del Monte Road is not well suited for residential development but is well situated for commercial uses,” according to a report presented to the council.

Additionally, the planning commission found that a mixed-use designation would be appropriate for the property between Spanish Fork’s Mountainland Technical College campus and American Leadership Academy, and that a medium density designation “would allow for development that is compatible with the adjacent uses; the subdivision to the west, MTEC, and non-residential development on the corner.”

Spanish Fork Community and Economic Development Director Dave Anderson said the amendments would reflect the city council’s “vision for future development (and) for any land use changes that might come your way.”

“And (it) really has to do with what you think Spanish Fork City should look like in the future,” Anderson told the council Tuesday.

The Spanish Fork councilmembers discussed five different options for the general plan, including keeping the plan the same.

Councilmember Stacey Beck asked whether they could change the number of homes allowed in a mixed-use zone from a maximum of 12 to a maximum of eight, both with a minimum of five. Anderson said he believed “that difference is pretty negligible.”

In September, the city council approved a zone change ordinance to change the property at 800 W. Del Monte Road from industrial to residential in order to make way for a proposed townhome development.

A handful of Spanish Fork residents spoke out about the proposed development at the time, arguing that it would increase congestion near Riverview Elementary and the American Leadership Academy and create a danger for school children.

Anderson said planning staff and officials took those concerns into account when putting together the proposal that was presented to the city council on Tuesday.

“That is counsel that we’ve taken seriously and that the planning commission took seriously,” he said.

The ordinance will become effective 20 days after its passage and publication.