About a month after rejecting a proposal for new, for-sale townhomes, the Sandy City Council reconsidered the move.
On Tuesday, the council revived and later approved a proposal that would allow 86 townhomes to be built at the Canyons School District’s Technical Education Center, which is located at 825 E. 9085 South. The site totals 7.15 acres.
The council voted to approve three ordinances as part of the overall Canyon Gate development: a general plan amendment changing the land use from Institutional to the Medium Density Neighborhood, a development agreement and a rezone from single-family residential (R-1-8) to a planned unit development zone allowing up to 12 units per acre, or PUD(12).
Back in September, the city council voted to deny a development agreement that sought to redevelop the Technical Education Center into mostly for-sale townhomes, with a handful of units eligible to be rentals. The project would be developed by the Boyer Company.
The 7.15 acre-site is currently owned by the Canyons School District and in use as an education center. However, the school district announced back in 2024 that it would purchase the old eBay campus in Draper to house its technical education programs and expand its programs.
Plans for the townhomes show a mix of two- and three-story units, as the taller homes are slated to be built along the south side of 9000 South. The plans didn’t specify how many bedrooms each unit could hold. The project details show the units would be accessed via Scirlein Drive and 9085 South. The plans do not show an egress point from 9000 South.
Since the September rejection, city officials have continued to work on the details of the agreement, which resulted in the council reviving the proposal on Tuesday.
Lynn Pace, the Sandy City Attorney, said the new proposal makes a key shift to the development agreement regarding rental restrictions. Boyer has the ability to own up to 17 units (around 20% the total units) as part of the development agreement, which they could either sell or use as rentals in case units aren’t selling as quickly as anticipated.
The previous proposal included rental restrictions for as long as the developer owned the unit, but once the unit is sold, the restrictions no longer apply. Pace said the new agreement would impose those same restrictions in the CC&Rs in the complex’s HOA for a period of five years. In other words, the agreement now says that no more than 20% of units in the complex can be rental units for a period of five years after the sale.
Tracy Cowdell, an attorney working with both Sandy City and the Boyer Company on the proposal, said the development agreement might not satisfy all of the council’s concerns, but it’s a step in the right direction. Cowdell previously said that while Boyer could rent out some units, the company has every intention of selling the units. On Tuesday he said the development agreement updates are about as far as the developer will go in terms of added restrictions to the project.
“I confidently am telling you that I think they have gone as far as they are willing to go. I’ve twisted their arm, so has Lynn (Pace), and we’ve told them ‘if you want this to be a yes, you have to give the council a darn good reason to revisit,’” Cowdell said.
During the vote on the first of three ordinances, which was regarding the rezone, Council Member Kris Nicholl said she took issue with the method of bringing back an ordinance that was already voted on by the council. She said this method did not adequately notify residents of the vote, and she ultimately voted no. Council Member Cyndi Sharkey also voted no on the rezone ordinance, but the measure was approved with a 5-2 vote.
The council later voted 5-2 on the development agreement ordinance, with both Nicholl and Sharkey voting against the proposal. Lastly, the council voted 6-1 on the general plan amendment, with Sharkey voting in favor of the amendment and Nicholl voting no.
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