The City Council has decided to postpone decisions on commercial zoning for the Cannon property and on a revised master plan, pending further study.
"It's a bigger and broader subject than meets the eye," Mayor D.W. "Jake" Simmons said Tuesday night. "The two matters go hand in hand."The council will meet on Monday, Sept. 9, at 5 p.m. to discuss commercial zoning and the city's master plan. This will not be a public hearing and a portion of the evening will also include a closed-meeting executive session.
The city wants to construct a golf course in its "hillside district," east of Orchard Drive, but is concerned about related commercial development in the area.
At a recent public hearing on the matter, residents were especially concerned about increased traffic in their neighborhoods and having adequate roads constructed before too much development takes place. Many residents were also against having any convenience stores in that foothill area.
The Utah Golf Association has signed a letter of intent that it wants to locate its executive offices and a future Utah Golf Hall of Fame on the proposed golf course but the city has yet to sign the agreement.
Council member Bryon Bervan presented a motion for the city to restrict use of the hillside area to residential development except for the golf course and related construction until Bountiful Boulevard is extended, allowing a southern access to the area.
"We shouldn't put you off any more," Bervan told the developers of the Cannon property as the reason for his motion, which failed by a 3-2 vote.
The city attorney, Kent Christiansen, expressed some concerns over the motion, saying it might also zone out the UGA or be challenged in court by other developers as being inconsistent with the city's master plan.
Other council members expressed concerns that the motion may be premature or that the city should address the master plan issue first.
Mayor Simmons also said he has given the planning commission information on special-use zones, which Farmington City uses. They may be another option that would allow the golf course and related development while keeping the door shut to many other commercial enterprises.
The city council did express agreement over a preliminary budget for golf course bonding, another step toward the city's obtaining the financing to build the course.