Sandy City Planning Commission Meeting - October 16, 2025
Sandy City Planning Commission Meeting - October 16, 2025
The Sandy City Planning Commission convened on October 16, 2025, to review legislative rezone applications, amendments to the Land Development Code regarding boundary adjustments, and several conditional use permits (CUPs) for accessory structures and alcohol retail. The meeting featured testimony from property owners and applicants regarding compliance issues, neighbor concerns regarding short-term rentals and parking, and the classification of tobacco and vape products in a local convenience store. The Planning Commission provided recommendations to the City Council for legislative items and approved CUPs with specific conditions.
Consent Calendar
- Approved the minutes from the meeting held on September 18, 2025.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Susan Updike (8253 South Rossett Green): Expressed strong opposition to the Creek Road rezone. She stated concerns that the property has been used for short-term rentals (VRBO, Airbnb) and argued that neighbors have experienced issues with excessive parking, noise, garbage left out for a month, dogs urinating on property, and frozen water lines. She questioned the necessity of the zoning change and expressed concern about the potential for farm animals.
- David Updike (8253 South Rossett Green): Expressed concern regarding traffic safety on Creek Road due to customers parking on the street, making it difficult for residents to exit. He confirmed that the property has repeatedly appeared on rental listings.
- Steve Van Maren (11417 South Banger Parkway, Draper): Reported that a property line adjustment occurred on his property without city record-keeping involvement after a sale to a neighbor, highlighting a need for better tracking under the new streamlined process.
- Mark Mason Taylor (8790 South 120th East): Strongly opposed the Midway Convenience Store beer license application. He stated the business is effectively a "vape shop" selling tobacco and hookah, arguing that such businesses destroy social capital and prey on disadvantaged communities. He noted the market for alcohol is already saturated in the area and claimed the store's advertising prioritizes Kratom and slushies.
- Rita Adam (Applicant, Midway Convenience Store): Refuted claims that the store is a "vape shop." She testified that 80% of the store is not tobacco-related and that she has been in compliance with the 20% tobacco sales threshold since opening 11 months ago. She stated that any signage advertising smoking has already been removed.
Discussion Items
- Creek Road Rezone (2140 East Creek Road):
- Applicant Joe Goot testified that he is not seeking to create a farm but to bring the property into compliance with setback requirements for existing structures. He confirmed he does not intend to operate short-term rentals.
- Staff (Jake Warner) clarified that the rezone to R115A is required to allow the attachment of an accessory structure to the primary dwelling to meet setback codes, a possibility not available under the current R140 zoning. Staff noted that the "A" designation grants farm animal rights but does not mandate their use.
- Staff clarified that Short-Term Rentals (STRs) remain a separate permitting issue; the applicant does not currently have an STR permit and would need to apply for one subject to city caps and owner-occupancy rules.
- Staff clarified that the neighbor's concerns regarding "farm animals" are theoretical under the new code, as the property historically had animal rights before annexation, and the number of animals is strictly limited by square footage (e.g., three horses).
- Amendment to Title 21 (Boundary Adjustments):
- Staff presented code amendments to align with Senate Bill 140, redefining "property line adjustments" as "boundary adjustments." The new code distinguishes between "simple" (no public right-of-way impact, requires no public meeting) and "full" boundary adjustments.
- A visual map exhibit on letter-sized paper is still required for simple adjustments, but the process is streamlined compared to the previous subdivision amendment process.
- Accessorie Structure CUP (11075 South 1700 East):
- Applicant Jeff Knighton requested approval for a second 1,500 sq. ft. accessory structure for vehicle storage, with no ADU or business use intended. The request involves a 50% increase in total accessory square footage.
- Midway Convenience Store CUP (9187 South 700 East):
- Applicant Rita Adam requested an off-premise beer retail license.
- Staff and applicants discussed the definition of an "alcohol and tobacco specialty store." Staff noted that if the business exceeds 20% in tobacco product sales or display space, or meets specific signage criteria, it would be classified as a specialty store and become ineligible for the location. The applicant confirmed the removal of non-compliant signage and offered the premise for inspection.
- Discussion clarified that the CUP is contingent on conditions that include an audit provision and a prohibition on operating as a specialty store.
Key Outcomes
- Creek Road Rezone: Motion passed: Planning Commission recommends City Council approve the rezoning of 2140 East Creek Road from R140 to R115A. Vote tally: 6 Yes (Bromley, George, Kitterman, Mortimer, Schoenfeld, Wrigley), 1 No (Duncan). Decision will be made by City Council on November 11th or 18th.
- Boundary Adjustment Code Amendments: Motion passed: Planning Commission recommends City Council amend Title 21 to implement state-mandated boundary adjustment processes. Vote tally: 7-0 Unanimous.
- Accessory Structure CUP (11075 South 1700 East): Motion passed: Planning Commission approved the Conditional Use Permit for the additional accessory structure. Vote tally: 7-0 Unanimous.
- Midway Convenience Beer CUP (9187 South 700 East): Motion passed: Planning Commission approved the Conditional Use Permit for an off-premise beer license with 9 conditions, including an amendment to Condition 1 clarifying the business cannot operate as an alcohol and tobacco specialty store. Vote tally: 5 Yes (Bromley, Duncan, Mortimer, Rigley, George), 2 No (Schoenfeld, Kitterman).
- Next Meetings: Noted that the next meeting will be held on November 6, 2025, followed by a meeting on November 20, 2025. No meeting on November 13th due to the October schedule (three Thursdays in the month remaining for meetings).
- Adjournment: Motion to adjourn carried.
Meeting Transcript
Well, we'd like to welcome everybody out to uh the planning commission um this evening, and uh do we do the pledge first or introductions? We'll we'll begin with the uh pledge of allegiance. Okay, so we'll begin with some introductions now. Uh my name is Dave Bromley, and I'll be uh chairing the meeting this evening, and then we'll begin over here to my left with Jennifer on introductions. I'm Jennifer George. Craig Kitterman, Danny Schoenfeld, Ron Mortimer, Steve Brickley, Cameron Duncan. Thank you, and then James, uh, if you'd introduce staff. Um, I'm James Sornson, I'm the community development director, Sandy City. Here we have uh Darren Alcorn is a senior city attorney, Mike Wilcox is the planning director, Jake Warner, long-range planning manager, Melissa Anderson over here as a zoning administrator. Sarah Stringer, the planner at the office, Ivan Hooper. I think he's yes, transportation engineer, um, Travis Ackerman is the city engineer, and Aisha is the planning secretary. Someday I'll try the rest of that. Malaya Talua. Did I say it right? I wonder if James will say that. Okay, thank you. Um to kind of communicate what will happen through the evening this evening, uh, as for each of the items that's on the that are on the agenda, we'll have a staff member that will introduce the item that will then have the opportunity for the uh developer or the applicant to be able to uh provide any input that they would like to provide. Um, and then if the staff has anything else they'd like to uh add to that after the applicant and developer has uh uh discussed the item, then they would come back and up and do that. Afterwards, we would then open the item up for public comment, and uh, we would invite those of members of uh of the audience to be able to come up, or if you are online to be able to uh address the item and as you do that, if you could uh state your name and address, and then we will uh provide two minutes per individual for their for your comments. And if you do have comments, if you we're really interested in those. And so if but if you could also make sure you focus them on items that are new or have not been addressed already, that would be appreciated. And uh we would then close the item for public comment and then uh bring it back for any discussion or deliberation of the planning commission, and um uh have a motion as well from the planning commission. So we will now begin with the uh first item on there with the agenda, which is the uh public hearing for the creek road rezon. Good evening, planning commission. Uh good to be with you again for the public. My name is Jay Corner, Long Range Planning Manager for the city, and I will be presenting a rezone application submitted by Joe Goot, titled the Creek Road Rezone for property located at 2140 east Creek Road. The uh property is about 1.5 acres. Um property is currently zoned as R140. The property was annexed into the city with some surrounding properties about five years ago, at which time it was given the R140 zone. Properties around it are zoned R115, R140, R120. The applicant is requesting that the property be rezoned to the R115A zone. So that is a single family residential zone that requires a minimum of 15,000 square feet, and the A designation would allow farm animals on the property. The uh staff did hold a neighborhood meeting, and uh this item has been noticed for a public hearing. The applicant is in attendance. This is a legislative item, so it is coming before the planning commission for recommendation to the city council, and as a legis legislative item, the city council will be the final decision maker on the application. Um with that staff is will be available for questions. Thank you. Okay, so do we have uh the applicant uh did you say the applicant is here? Okay. Do you have anything that you would like to add? The well, if you do, you come up and state your name and address and I'm uh Joe Goot, the owner of the house you see in the picture there. And uh when I purchased the property many years ago, probably 93, I believe it was, uh, it was under the county, in which at that time there were sheep on it. In fact, if you just looked up about a hundred yards up, there's a home there with goats now, and and it's been horse property for so many years. I don't have any animals. I'm not necessarily intending to turn this into a farm at all. Uh I wouldn't say uh I don't want to commit to that because I I've thought about keeping bees and I know people keep some chickens and that. I'm not gonna turn it into a farm by no means. I'm trying to bring it into compliance. That's the main reason for the R15 zoning. As uh I've met with with the city I've come down, and uh there's some concerns.
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