Salt Lake County considering new zone

The Salt Lake County Council is considering creating a new zoning category that could be applied to about 41,000 acres of west-bench land in one fell swoop.

The so-called planned community (P-C) zone, as proposed by county planning staff, would be applicable to any piece of land of at least 1,000 acres with one single owner or a group of owners voluntarily consolidating their zoning request. It would be a mixed-use zone allowing developers to master plan a community with parks, residential areas, business areas and open space all falling under one zone.

The zone is being discussed in conjunction with Kennecott Land's plans to develop 41,000 of its 75,000 acres on the county's west bench. The rest of that acreage is undevelopable, steep-slope mountain terrain.

Kennecott plans, over the course of about 75 years, to master plan and develop that land, once used for buffers, transportation and tailings areas for Kennecott Utah Copper's mining activities. Predictions see the development ultimately bringing about 500,000 new people to the Salt Lake Valley.

It would have two large urban centers — a northern one near Magna and South Jordan's Daybreak community to the south — connected by a transit spine with smaller town, neighborhood and village centers along the spine and some farther into the Oquirrh foothills.

There is talk of possible ski resorts, as well as plans for several schools, from preschool to university; libraries; parks; east-west roads; light-rail spurs and lines; office parks; retail centers; and a series of trails, including a west-side Bonneville Shoreline Trail. All those features and more would be planned under the P-C zone rather than each being individually zoned for, say, open space or commercial uses.

However, the zone would not be solely intended for the west bench. County planning director Jeff Daugherty said the zone could be applied throughout the county — anywhere there are at least 1,000 acres open for development with an owner who wants to turn the property into a master-planned community.

County planners presented the preliminary zone proposal to the County Council this past week in hopes that, in the coming months, the council will approve adding the new category to the zoning ordinance at the same time it approves the general plan for Kennecott Land's west bench development. That plan will be presented to the council April 1.