WEST JORDAN -- The City Council cleared yet another 25.5 acres for development in the jumbo-size Jordan Landing project last week, rezoning the ground for multiple-unit housing use.
That action allows developers to increase the area of massive mixed-use project to 503 acres. When built out, Jordan Landing will feature assorted commercial, entertainment and industrial enterprises was well and single- and multiple-unit housing development.In addition to providing homes for thousands of people, developers have told the council Jordan Landing employers will provide well over 15,000 jobs for area workers and provide the city with millions of dollars in sales-tax revenue annually.
Exactly how many units will be constructed and the nature of that housing remains open to future negotiation, however, as council members voted 4-1 to approve a zoning that could allow up to 510 condominiums or rental apartments on the property.
Councilman Gordon Haight cast the dissenting vote, saying he would rather see the 25.5 acres developed for commercial use.
City planning staff had recommended a lower zoning density limiting the project to 408 units, noting some 1,300 housing units have already been built or are under construction nearby.
Russell Grosse Development has been proposing up to 440 units, however, depending on how the property is used. The firm is considering several potential residential uses for the property including condominiums, town homes, senior housing, an assisted living center or apartments.
Developer Gary Harrison told the council his company is committed to maintaining 40 percent of the 25.5 acres in open space that will include a six-acre "passive" park. "In order to attract some of the retail uses" to the rest of the development, he noted, "we need that open space there."
In a similar action earlier, the council increased the Jordan Landing project by 69.8 acres when it rezoned property near Salt Lake Municipal Airport No. 2 for new Wal-Mart and Sam's Club stores and other commercial uses.
That area lies to the east of the property rezoned Tuesday night, which is literally surrounded by parcels of ground now set aside for commercial and business development.
Wayne Harper, community and economic development director, told the council that planners haven't seen another project anywhere where a residential area is completely surrounded by commercial development.
Such projects are better suited as buffer zones on the perimeters of commercial development, he told the council, rather than in the middle of a regional business center.
But the majority of the council agreed to go for the higher density, allowing developers and staff to work out details on the number and type of units to be constructed at a later date.
Councilman David Newton, who moved to approve the rezoning request, said he doesn't object to giving developers that kind of latitude because they are handling both the commercial and residential portions of the project -- ensuring the areas will be developed in a compatible fashion.
Newton abstained from voting on the larger rezoning, saying he might have a potential conflict of interest on the project. After council meeting Tuesday, he said a prospective deal has "fallen through," leaving him free to vote without running afoul of state ethics statutes.
Councilman Jay Bowcutt, who has had a carpet contract with Jordan Landing developers since last spring, also declared a potential conflict on the larger rezoning last week but voted anyway. On Tuesday, however, he voted for the additional 25.5-acre rezoning but did not declare a conflict.