A proposal to rezone a former Wells Fargo site for a potential slate of townhomes in Cottonwood Heights is moving forward.
Last month, the city’s planning commission voted to forward a positive recommendation to the city council on measures to change the land use designation and to rezone the site. The land is located at 3425 E. Bengal Blvd., which is just north of the Brighton Pointe shopping center that includes a Smith’s grocery store, a Cupla Coffee location and a handful of other businesses.
The land is a former Wells Fargo bank location that closed in the early 2020s, according to a staff report for the proposal. To the east of the site is a church owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and west of the old bank is Oak Shadow Circle.
Currently the land is zoned as Neighborhood Commercial (NC) and the proposal would rezone the land to Multifamily Residential (RM). The maximum height for both zones is 35 feet. The proposal would also change the land use designation from Neighborhood Commercial to Residential Medium Density.
“The current NC zoning of the property has proven a failure, resulting in a property with a vacant building and no viable commercial prospects,” the project’s written narrative says. “Proximity to Brighton Pointe shopping center has not proven helpful as it is offset from the Center and across the street. A rezone of the property is needed in order to put the property to beneficial use, and eliminate the blight that the current zoning has created.”
The rezone proposal discussed by the planning commission doesn’t include the townhome development, though if the rezone is approved by the city council, it would likely lead to potential development of townhomes, the staff report says.
Details on the townhomes themselves are light, though a written narrative included in meeting materials says the potential development would consist of six townhomes with three levels that would each be, “brick brownstone townhomes perpendicular to Bengal Boulevard, and facing the public street of Oak Shadows Circle.” Renderings attached to the staff report show each unit would also include a garage and a fenced-in yard.
The narrative also says the developer, Brighton Lofts LLC, “intends to keep the sales price in the attainable range for Cottonwood Heights,” meaning the townhomes would likely be for-sale.
Nathan Anderson of Brighton Lofts LLC, the project applicant, told the council that much of the area along Bengal Boulevard is residential, adding that the application is compliant with the RM zone.
“I think that serves the community (and) the city to have more housing stock at a more attainable price,” Anderson said.
Despite a handful of public comments in opposition to the proposal — with community members voicing their concerns over changing the neighborhood character and added traffic on Oak Shadow Circle — the planning commission voted to move the rezone application forward.
It’s not clear when the proposal could be reviewed or discussed by the Cottonwood Heights City Council. The rezone proposal is not listed in the city council’s Aug. 5 business meeting agenda.
0 Comments