OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Lehi City Council Work Session on Environmentally Sensitive Area Regulations and Other Business - May 7, 2026

Meeting Portal — Thursday, May 7, 2026
BodyLehi, Utah
SessionMeeting Portal
DateThursday, May 7, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 35:08

Transcript — Verbatim
0:16

Work session to order.

0:20

And we're gonna move right on to item number two.

0:25

If I'm not forgetting anything.

0:29

Okay.

0:30

All right.

0:33

That's a great start.

0:40

All right.

0:48

Sorry.

0:49

Still learning this whole new thing.

0:57

Okay.

1:00

Can you guys see the presentation?

1:03

Is it up there?

1:04

Not yet.

1:05

We see what's up there.

1:07

Okay.

1:11

Take a second.

1:17

Yeah.

1:18

Yep.

1:31

Fortunately, we all know by now that tech just has a mind of its own, and so it's never the fault of the user.

1:37

So it's like, you know.

1:39

Oh, do I have to try to so weird that they disappear.

1:46

I know.

1:48

So did you just unplug and replug?

1:50

Yeah.

1:55

Okay.

1:55

There we go.

1:56

Cool.

1:56

Thanks, Jess.

1:57

Oh, that was Kate, actually.

1:59

Okay, thanks, Kate.

2:02

All right.

2:03

So I'm Katie.

2:06

Hi.

2:08

So here today to talk about a potential uh zoning zoning regulations for environmentally sensitive areas.

2:17

Some of you were here the last time I talked about this, but um Lindsay, hi.

2:22

Um the last time I proposed this, we were proposing it as an overlay zone, um, but now we are kind of switching things up and proposing some regulations for environmentally sensitive areas as design standards instead.

2:37

So they would function similarly to uh the chapter 37 design standards.

2:43

Um, in that each development would need to abide by the ESA design standards um to receive approval.

2:49

This would apply to all zones, commercial and residential.

2:53

Um there would still be those three key areas of protection that we're looking to um kind of protect and regulate.

3:00

This would include the hillsides up on Traverse Mountain, um, any wetlands, floodplains, and streams, including the Jordan River, and the Utah Lake Shoreline.

3:12

So kind of getting into the nuts and bolts of this.

3:15

Um essentially how it would work.

3:17

An applicant would submit a concept plan and a site features map.

3:21

Uh these would go concurrently to DRC and plan and commission for review.

3:26

If approved, the applicant would then move on to the site plan and preliminary subdivision, just depending on the nature of the application.

3:33

Um then in terms of the regulations themselves, we would have general requirements that would apply to any property or parcel that has a environmentally sensitive area.

3:46

Um and then there would be additional requirements for each specific area depending on where it's located in the city.

3:52

So including things like specific to the Jordan River, hillsides, um, and the Utah Lake.

4:01

Um this would kind of be like an example of some of the more general requirements that would apply to any and all parcels that have an environmentally sensitive area.

4:11

Just some things like, you know, we shouldn't um preserve important site features in their natural condition.

4:18

Umiented towards the designated open space, and that roadway crossings across streams and wetlands would be discouraged.

4:26

This is by no means an exhaustive list.

4:27

This is just some examples.

4:30

Um then getting specifically into uh the specific environmentally sensitive areas.

4:36

Things on the hillside would um, you know, you wouldn't be able to build on anything with more than 30% slope.

4:42

We would require additional geotech studies just to make sure that the ground underneath is structurally sound.

4:49

Um and then for the Jordan River, we and other you know, wetlands.

5:07

Similar with the Utah Lake Shoreline, but it would just be at that the high elevation line for Utah Lake, which I believe is 1,320 linear feet inland from the settlement boundary.

5:25

And then kind of discussing what a site features map is and what it actually would look like.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Environmental Protection█████████████████████████████████████████████62%
Community Engagement███████10%
Personnel Matters███████9%
Engineering And Infrastructure████6%
Community Development████6%
Public Engagement███4%
Parks and Recreation██3%
Summary of Proceedings

Lehi City Council Work Session on Environmentally Sensitive Area Regulations and Other Business - May 7, 2026

The Lehi City Council held a work session on May 7, 2026, primarily to discuss a proposed zoning regulation for environmentally sensitive areas (ESAs) as design standards. The session also included updates on city staff retirements, recent code amendments, and future agenda items.

Discussion Items

  • Environmentally Sensitive Area Design Standards: Katie presented a proposal to replace a previously considered overlay zone with design standards for ESAs, applicable to all zones. Key areas include hillsides on Traverse Mountain (no building on slopes >30%), wetlands, floodplains, streams (including Jordan River), and the Utah Lake shoreline. The regulations would require a concept plan and site features map showing natural features such as floodplains, wetlands, and significant vegetation. A map showing affected private parcels (in red) was displayed. Public survey results (76 respondents) indicated 85% prioritize preserving wildlife habitat and natural resources; the highest areas of concern were the Jordan River, designated wildlife habitat, and the Utah Lake shoreline. The majority supported restrictions even if they impact property rights and preferred public ownership of open spaces. Council members discussed property rights implications, notification of affected property owners, and the need to coordinate with state and federal agencies. The code draft is approximately 90% complete, with further refinement based on council feedback.
  • Other Business:
    • Staff announced the retirements of Naureen (after 27 years, last day May 14) and City Engineer Lauren Powell (after 40+ years, end of June). A reception will be held May 14 from 2-4 p.m. at the old city center building.
    • Updates on buffering regulations: a quick amendment now requires buffering for existing residential homes in commercial zones, and fence height increased from 6 to 8 feet. Further discussion on fencing material is pending.
    • City council has directed staff to review auto sales zoning (currently restricted to heavy commercial with 1+ acre) and mixed-use regulations.
    • The Bishop property development (13 lots) was approved by city council with direction to prepare a development agreement, which will return for review.
    • Discussion on conservation easements: Lehi placed a conservation easement on the Traverse Mountain open space, and other cities (Payson, Provo) are following similar models.

Key Outcomes

  • No formal votes were taken. The council directed staff to proceed with scheduling a work session (potentially including a hike tour to view the sanctuary and other sites) for further familiarization with the ESA areas, and to coordinate with property owners in affected zones.
  • The council agreed to schedule a combined tour and work session for June, subject to public notice requirements.
  • Staff will continue refining the ESA design standards code and bring it back for a future public meeting.

Meeting Transcript

Work session to order. And we're gonna move right on to item number two. If I'm not forgetting anything. Okay. All right. That's a great start. All right. Sorry. Still learning this whole new thing. Okay. Can you guys see the presentation? Is it up there? Not yet. We see what's up there. Okay. Take a second. Yeah. Yep. Fortunately, we all know by now that tech just has a mind of its own, and so it's never the fault of the user. So it's like, you know. Oh, do I have to try to so weird that they disappear. I know. So did you just unplug and replug? Yeah. Okay. There we go. Cool. Thanks, Jess. Oh, that was Kate, actually. Okay, thanks, Kate. All right. So I'm Katie. Hi. So here today to talk about a potential uh zoning zoning regulations for environmentally sensitive areas. Some of you were here the last time I talked about this, but um Lindsay, hi. Um the last time I proposed this, we were proposing it as an overlay zone, um, but now we are kind of switching things up and proposing some regulations for environmentally sensitive areas as design standards instead. So they would function similarly to uh the chapter 37 design standards. Um, in that each development would need to abide by the ESA design standards um to receive approval. This would apply to all zones, commercial and residential. Um there would still be those three key areas of protection that we're looking to um kind of protect and regulate. This would include the hillsides up on Traverse Mountain, um, any wetlands, floodplains, and streams, including the Jordan River, and the Utah Lake Shoreline. So kind of getting into the nuts and bolts of this. Um essentially how it would work. An applicant would submit a concept plan and a site features map. Uh these would go concurrently to DRC and plan and commission for review. If approved, the applicant would then move on to the site plan and preliminary subdivision, just depending on the nature of the application. Um then in terms of the regulations themselves, we would have general requirements that would apply to any property or parcel that has a environmentally sensitive area. Um and then there would be additional requirements for each specific area depending on where it's located in the city. So including things like specific to the Jordan River, hillsides, um, and the Utah Lake. Um this would kind of be like an example of some of the more general requirements that would apply to any and all parcels that have an environmentally sensitive area.

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