Sandy Planning Commission Meeting – May 7, 2026

The Sandy City Planning Commission met on the evening of May 7, 2026, to consider multiple land use applications including two annexations, three conditional use permits, a subdivision review with a special exception, and the annual parking access management plan for America First Field. All items were approved with the recommended findings and conditions. Public comment was received on the Silver Siege Estates subdivision and the America First parking plan.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Silver Siege Estates: George Allen (address: 10190 Majestic Canyon Road) expressed concern about drainage from an existing detention pond and pipe, requesting that the drainage plan be included in the subdivision plans to protect his property. The applicant’s engineer responded that they have worked with city staff to intercept the drainage and direct it to a natural drainage channel.
• America First Field Parking Plan: Christine Wheat (address: 9241 South Benton Way) stated that barricades to prevent neighborhood parking have not been consistently placed, especially on game days, and asked for enforcement. Representatives from Real Salt Lake acknowledged the issue and committed to improving signage and blocking at that location.

Annexation: LaCai 2

• Proposal: Annexation of remaining parcels (three addresses) previously reviewed as part of a larger annexation. County zoning includes C2, C2 with alcohol condition, and R1-43; proposed Sandy zoning is R1-40 and CC (Community Commercial).
• Staff Recommendation: Forward a positive recommendation to the city council.
• Outcome: Motion carried 6-0 (all members present voted yes).

Annexation: Rudlich

• Proposal: Annexation of property at 9521 South Cassell Drive, contiguity achieved through adjacent approved annexation. Proposed zoning R1-10.
• Staff Recommendation: Positive recommendation.
• Outcome: Motion carried 6-0.

Conditional Use Permit: Eink Accessory Structure

• Proposal: Increase accessory building square footage from the allowed 1,500 sq ft to 1,600 sq ft (50% cap) for a detached accessory building at 1779 East 10980 South. Height is within limits.
• Staff Recommendation: Approve with three findings and four conditions.
• Outcome: Motion carried 6-0.

Conditional Use Permit: Mortimer X Accessory Structure

• Proposal: Request for increased building height (19 ft 7 in) and reduced side setback (3 ft) for a 747 sq ft detached garage at 8383 South Mesa Drive. Commissioner Ron Mortimer recused himself as property owner.
• Staff Recommendation: Approve with three findings and six conditions.
• Outcome: Motion carried 5-0 (Mortimer recused).

Conditional Use Permit: Preschool at Established Studios

• Proposal: Conditional use for a preschool in a commercial center at 8695 South Highland Drive. The applicant, Lisa Glick, plans to use two rooms with up to 15 children per class (morning and afternoon). Parking and drop-off discussed; staff noted concerns about traffic but did not set specific conditions.
• Staff Recommendation: Approve with two findings and three conditions.
• Outcome: Motion carried 6-0.

Special Exception and Preliminary Subdivision: Silver Siege Estates

• Proposal: A three-lot subdivision at 10175 South Dimple Dell Road, reconfiguring existing parcels. Requires a special exception to omit the park strip along Dimple Dell Road (to honor prior county/city agreement and preserve drainage/wildlife corridor) and preliminary subdivision approval within the sensitive area overlay.
• Discussion: Extensive discussion about safety (blind curve on Dimple Dell), drainage from adjacent properties, wildlife corridor, and site triangles. The applicant reduced the project from five to three lots. Two additional conditions were added: (1) preserve a wildlife corridor on the north and west side of the natural drainage channel, and (2) maintain site triangles at driveway approaches.
• Public Comment: George Allen raised drainage concerns; applicant engineer responded with existing plans. No other public testimony.
• Staff Recommendation: Approve both the special exception (based on 5 findings) and the preliminary subdivision (based on 4 findings and 7 conditions, with the two additional conditions).
• Outcomes:
  • Special exception motion carried 6-0.
  • Preliminary subdivision motion carried 6-0 with added conditions.

Parking and Access Management Plan: America First Field (Real Salt Lake)

• Proposal: Annual update to the parking management plan for the stadium at 9256 South State Street. The stadium added 750 seats, increasing parking demand to 4,717 stalls for soccer and 5,560 for concerts. On-site stalls total 4,455; off-site secured stalls now include Jordan Commons (2,500 stalls). A total of over 14,000 off-site stalls are available within a 15-minute radius.
• Discussion: Staff recommended an updated traffic study (last done in 2008) due to the Monroe Street extension, improved signage for no-parking zones in neighborhoods (especially for concerts), and minor code references. Real Salt Lake representatives acknowledged the need for a broader traffic study with other venues (Hale Center, Expo Center, Smith Group facilities) and are working on a centralized traffic management plan. Public comment noted barricade placement issues.
• Staff Recommendation: Approve the 2026 updated plan with findings and conditions (including the traffic study update).
• Outcome: Motion carried 6-0.

Other Business

• Minutes Approval: The April 16, 2026 meeting minutes were approved with corrections noted (voting tabulation errors for recusals and absences).
• Staff Updates: Community Development Director James Swordson introduced new planner Cash Hansy, who will fill a vacant position. The search continues for another planner. The next meeting is scheduled for May 21, 2026, and will include an executive session discussion on ADU code development (state mandate by October 1).
• Land Development Code Update: Interviews with a consultant are scheduled in small groups; emails with sign-up dates were sent.

Key Outcomes

• All six main agenda items were approved unanimously (or with the appropriate recusal): LaCai 2 annexation, Rudlich annexation, Eink accessory structure CUP, Mortimer X accessory structure CUP, preschool CUP, Silver Siege Estates special exception and preliminary subdivision, and America First Field parking plan.
• Two additional conditions were added to the Silver Siege subdivision approval: wildlife corridor preservation and site triangle maintenance.
• The city will track enforcement of no-parking barricades in neighborhoods affected by stadium events.
• A comprehensive traffic study for the area around America First Field and other major venues is expected to be completed for the 2027 update.
• The next Planning Commission meeting is May 21, 2026, with ADU discussions in executive session.