Lehi City Planning Commission Meeting: January 22, 2026
Lehi City Planning Commission Meeting: January 22, 2026
The Lehi City Planning Commission met on January 22, 2026, to consider two public hearing items: a conditional use request for RV storage and a request for an exception to a trail connectivity requirement. The commission also discussed scheduling for upcoming work sessions.
Consent Calendar
- The minutes from December 4, 2025, and January 8, 2026, were approved unanimously. A correction was noted for the December 4 minutes: "William Harris" should replace "Willie Hyver."
Public Comments & Testimony
- (3.2) Montane Hamilton submitted a written comment opposing the trail connection exception. The comment argued that approving the exception would lock in a pedestrian-hostile design for decades, and that the connectivity standard should be upheld.
Discussion Items
- (3.1) Conditional Use Approval for SAJ Lehigh RV Storage – James Whitmore requested a conditional use permit to operate an RV storage facility at approximately 4300 North Digital Drive on a site zoned light industrial. The site previously had an approved Freedom Trucking Driving School. Staff confirmed the required 20-foot setback and 8-foot masonry fence were met. The Development Review Committee (DRC) provided 12 redline comments, which the applicant agreed to include. No online public comments were received. The applicant stated the concrete fence and buildings would improve the site's appearance. The commission found the plans met code requirements after multiple review rounds.
- (3.2) Exception Request for Trail Connection at Vivian Estates Phase 2B – Austin Cooper of JDH Developments requested an exception from the requirement to connect a subdivision trail to the master plan trail along 600 East, citing a steep grade (up to 8%) created by Lehi City's road improvements. Staff noted that the code allows exceptions based on grade. The commission debated the trade-offs between maintaining connectivity, engineering feasibility, cost, and ongoing maintenance (e.g., stairs and retaining walls). Commissioner Tyson expressed strong support for keeping the connection, arguing that connectivity standards are crucial and that the city’s role in creating the grade issue should not excuse the requirement. Commissioner Nicole noted concerns about long-term maintenance and ADA accessibility. The project engineer, Gary, recommended shifting the trail to a flatter diagonal alignment along the lot edge.
Key Outcomes
- (3.1) Conditional Use Approval – The commission voted unanimously to approve the conditional use request for SAJ Lehigh RV Storage, with the requirement to include all DRC comments. The applicant was told the project can proceed immediately.
- (3.2) Negative Recommendation on Trail Exception – The commission voted 4-1 (one commissioner opposed) to recommend denial of the requested exception, with a finding that an 8% grade with stairs can be done safely and that the connectivity standard should not be compromised. The recommendation will go to the Lehi City Council for a final decision, tentatively scheduled for early February or March 2026.
- The February 5, 2026, work session was cancelled due to commissioner absences. The training on the Open Public Meetings Act and bylaws will be rescheduled for a later date.
Meeting Transcript
Oh, there we go. All right. Seven o'clock on the top. Let's get started. Call this meeting to order. I'll hear motions or discussion on the consent agenda. I noticed on, sorry, did you share? Um the minutes um December 4th. It's uh William Harris, not Willie Hyver. Um you know where that is? Okay. We also call him Big Bill. So I'll I'll put that in parentheses. I'll make a motion to approve the minutes from on 2.1 and 2.2 minutes from December 4th and minutes from January 8th. Uh second. Motion and a second. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Opposed. Failed to mention we excuse uh Ken tonight as well as Bo from this meeting. And we'll turn the time over to Katie. Okay. Um yeah, so item uh 3.1 is public hearing and consideration of James Whitmore's request for conditional use approval of the SAJ Lehigh RV storage located at approximately 4300 North Digital Drive. Um the Freedom Trucking Driving School was previously approved on this site in December of 2023. The property is zoned light industrial and does not have uh utilities connected to the site. Um the plan shows that the required 20-foot setback from the property lines and the A-foot uh masonry fence is met according to the development code. Um the DRC had 12 red line comments, which mostly include technical updates to the site. Um but please include all DRC comments in your motion. Uh this is a conditional use, and conditional uses are allowed uses. Um the planning commission can determine um if reasonable conditions need to be put upon them to minimize impacts to surrounding sites. Um this is a public hearing item. There were no online comments for this, so turn it back to the commission for any questions. Is the applicant president come on up if you'd like to share some more with us? State your name and my name's James Whitmore. Uh I do have one question. You mentioned an eight-foot concrete fence. I was under the understanding that we had to get a special permit for eight foot over six foot, and eight foot is what we want to do. So are we already there at eight feet? Correct. Yeah, so yeah, according to your site plan, you have the eight-foot fence called out. And we actually require that as part of our code for um the use that you're doing. So I really don't have anything to say. Uh I think it's pretty well covered in all the literature that I read, and uh we're just requesting the use there for uh the covered storage. We feel like concrete fence and buildings will start to improve the way that site looks up there. The whole thing's kind of a mess, frankly. So any improvement we can do to make it look better will start to help it. That's all I have. Any questions for the applicant? All right.
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