[0:15] the Tooele City Council yes.
[0:17] Welcome, it's 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday,
[0:19] May 6th, 2026. The Tooele City Council
[0:22] and the Redevelopment Agency of Tooele
[0:23] City are meeting in a work meeting. This
[0:26] work meeting is being held at Tooele
[0:28] City Hall in the Council Chambers
[0:29] located at 90 North Main Street in
[0:31] Tooele, Utah.
[0:32] We're also streaming this electronically
[0:34] on the Tooele City YouTube channel.
[0:37] We will start with the roll call.
[0:39] Councilman Gossett. Present.
[0:40] Councilwoman Grotches.
[0:41] >> Present. Councilman McCall. Present. I'm
[0:44] Councilman Brady and I'm present and we
[0:46] anticipate Councilman Hanson will join
[0:48] us shortly.
[0:49] We'll move on to item three, which is
[0:51] the mayor's report.
[0:53] Okay, thank you, Council. I have it just
[0:55] a couple of things tonight. Uh first of
[0:57] all, we had a letter come in about our
[0:59] cemetery crew um who would they were
[1:02] this resident was searching and
[1:05] in search of a family grave and the
[1:06] pages that they were looking for are
[1:08] missing from the public book and the
[1:10] cemetery workers went and got the book
[1:12] and found all the information and took
[1:13] them to the graves they were looking for
[1:15] and they said our employees were
[1:16] wonderful and helpful and went above and
[1:18] beyond to assist. So, I think it's good.
[1:20] We hear a lot of negative. It's good to
[1:21] point out when we hear the positive. So,
[1:23] appreciative of them um helping that
[1:26] resident. And then the second item is
[1:28] about water. We've had a lot of uh
[1:30] calls. If you've all seen the news
[1:32] reports about the dire situation in
[1:35] Utah.
[1:36] Um it's
[1:38] a little bit hard to because
[1:40] the situation is not the same in every
[1:42] town in Utah as we know. So, our water
[1:45] comes from wells in the ground. Our
[1:46] wells are in good shape. They're pumping
[1:48] water. Um of course, we always want to
[1:50] be conservation minded and we want to
[1:52] encourage everybody be conservation
[1:54] minded. Even in flood years, we
[1:55] shouldn't just water to water. Um you
[1:57] know, we just because there's there we
[1:59] should always be paying attention to
[2:01] that precious resource and using it
[2:04] responsibly. So, at this point we do not
[2:06] have mandatory watering restrictions,
[2:09] but we have had some calls with
[2:11] some concern and so I'm just going to
[2:13] read you something that the public works
[2:14] department has come up with. We're going
[2:16] to publish this and this will be our
[2:18] kind of a voluntary schedule. So, Tooele
[2:21] City has the responsibility and
[2:22] privilege to provide our citizens and
[2:24] customers with water for their everyday
[2:25] needs. While the outlook for Tooele
[2:27] City's water supply is positive, it's
[2:29] not unlimited. Tooele City has adopted a
[2:31] new voluntary landscape watering
[2:33] schedule that will help even out water
[2:35] summer water pressure demands around the
[2:36] city and make for more efficient water
[2:38] use if we all do our part. For homes and
[2:41] businesses, if your address ends in an
[2:43] odd number like 13579,
[2:45] water on odd number calendar days. If
[2:48] your address ends in an even number
[2:50] 02468,
[2:52] water on even number calendar days. If
[2:54] the month has 31 days, do not water on
[2:56] the 31st.
[2:58] Just because you can water on all even
[3:00] or odd days doesn't mean that you
[3:01] should. Deep infrequent watering
[3:03] encourages strong roots. Early morning
[3:06] is ideal to reduce evaporation disease.
[3:10] And we should avoid watering midday to
[3:11] avoid evaporation and late night to
[3:13] avoid fungus growth.
[3:15] Utilize
[3:16] the conserve water Utah weekly guide for
[3:18] specific localized timing and follow the
[3:21] tips in the IFA lawn watering guide to
[3:23] avoid over-watering. More drought
[3:25] conscious conservation irrigation
[3:27] landscaping efforts will help ensure the
[3:29] quality of life we enjoy in our great
[3:31] city continues for many years to come.
[3:33] The sooner we start making these and
[3:34] other water water wise changes the
[3:35] better.
[3:36] So, we're going to publish that in our
[3:38] newsletter and that will be our our
[3:40] voluntary watering schedule for this
[3:42] summer. So, if you get questions about
[3:44] it, please refer to that or you're
[3:46] welcome to reach out to our public works
[3:48] department. They're pretty helpful. And
[3:50] we will continue doing our water
[3:51] Wednesday social media post also and we
[3:53] appreciate you sharing that information.
[3:55] It's tips to help water wisely. So,
[3:59] that's why we're doing it and we're
[4:00] trying to do the best we can to help
[4:01] educate and inform our residents. That's
[4:04] all I have.
[4:05] Thank you.
[4:06] We'll move on to item four which is the
[4:08] council members reports. We will start
[4:10] with Councilman McCaul.
[4:14] Um, I
[4:16] did a uh
[4:18] You can't hear me?
[4:20] >> [laughter]
[4:23] » I did a a ribbon cutting
[4:27] and something else I just can't remember
[4:29] what it is.
[4:30] But I know I went to the St. George
[4:33] convention.
[4:35] I was hanging out with you guys so
[4:37] You were down there? That was about it.
[4:39] Okay, thank you. Councilman Hansen.
[4:43] I did a lot of other things besides city
[4:45] things this last month but I wasn't
[4:47] around much but there was a couple citizens reach
[4:50] out about a couple things but
[4:53] I think we got them handled and
[4:55] so yeah, we're good.
[4:57] Thank you. Councilwoman Gauches.
[5:00] Thank you, Mr. Chair. I also attended
[5:02] the Utah League of Cities and Towns
[5:04] mid-year convention in St. George and
[5:06] they always present a lot of good
[5:08] information, great breakout sessions and
[5:10] I always feel like we gain a lot from
[5:12] that. Um, today I attended the Utah
[5:15] Transit Authority. I'm on the
[5:18] local authority board and we met today
[5:20] at the Salt Lake Central Station and had
[5:23] a nice tour of the facility and
[5:26] learned about FrontRunner 2 and the
[5:28] things that are coming up that that may
[5:29] have impact our county. So, good things
[5:32] are happening in transportation and they
[5:33] do affect generations. So, that
[5:35] concludes my report. Thank you.
[5:37] Councilman Gossett.
[5:39] Well, we had the opportunity to go to I
[5:42] think one of the most important things
[5:43] for
[5:44] chief to
[5:46] for the police banquet. That was really
[5:48] cool and uh
[5:50] learned a lot. I think those videos were
[5:52] pretty eye-opening at some of the things
[5:55] that you get confronted with on a daily
[5:57] basis. So,
[5:59] I'm glad I don't have your job, but it
[6:02] was it was good to go and and see that
[6:04] and support that. And I wasn't able to
[6:05] go to the St. George thing because we
[6:07] were
[6:08] walking to Wendover. So,
[6:10] not not any excuses, but probably would
[6:13] have been funner to go to St. George.
[6:16] But that's all I have.
[6:17] Thank you.
[6:19] Okay, I I was unable to attend the North
[6:21] Tooele City Special Service District
[6:23] meeting, but during that meeting they
[6:25] discussed that they will be raising tax
[6:28] incre- they will do
[6:30] truth in taxation to go through a tax
[6:32] increase. They're recommending a 35%
[6:34] increase is what it says in their
[6:35] minutes.
[6:36] So, they're going through that process.
[6:38] They were planning to do that last year,
[6:40] but they had some challenges with the
[6:43] process and so now they're they're going
[6:45] through that process this year.
[6:47] I also attended the Utah League of
[6:49] Cities and Towns conference in St.
[6:51] George. There was a lot of discussion
[6:52] about water just as the mayor had said.
[6:55] Uh the big thing that I got from that is
[6:57] that most of our water usage comes from
[7:01] outdoor [clears throat] watering and so
[7:02] we really want to encourage our
[7:03] residents to conserve where they can.
[7:07] Most residents overwater. They
[7:10] and so just really pay attention to the
[7:12] amount of water you're putting on your
[7:13] lawn. And then the police banquet, it
[7:15] was excellent. It's always fun to go to
[7:17] that and it was we had Chief Day had the
[7:20] three council members go up and
[7:22] put us in a situation where we had to
[7:26] um
[7:27] I guess
[7:29] shoot a suspect. I don't know.
[7:30] [laughter] A suspect had a a gun a a
[7:33] fake gun obviously and we had to
[7:36] be in a situation trying to decide when
[7:38] we would react to that that shooter. So,
[7:41] it it really was an
[7:42] about what police officers go through
[7:44] and not an easy job and we appreciate
[7:47] all that you and your your officers do.
[7:48] So, thank you.
[7:50] That concludes my report. We'll move on
[7:51] to our discussion items.
[7:54] Our first discussion item is a
[7:55] discussion on a proposed text amendment
[7:57] to Tooele City code title seven chapter
[7:59] four, off-street parking requirements
[8:02] regarding the establishment of specific
[8:04] parking and storage standards for
[8:05] automobile-related commercial uses,
[8:08] presented by Andrew Aagard, the
[8:09] community development director.
[8:11] Thank you, Council. Appreciate this
[8:13] opportunity to
[8:15] present a couple of ordinance amendments
[8:16] to you today.
[8:18] The first one is an amendment
[8:20] that is coming to you from the Tooele
[8:22] City Planning Commission.
[8:25] >> [clears throat]
[8:25] >> And it involves Tooele City title seven
[8:28] chapter four off-street parking
[8:31] and is regarding parking requirements
[8:33] for automobile-related commercial uses.
[8:38] The reason that this has come before you
[8:39] is over the past year the Planning
[8:41] Commission has dealt with a number of
[8:45] conditional use permits involving
[8:47] automobile dealerships and automobile
[8:49] repair businesses.
[8:51] And one of the main issues that always
[8:53] comes up is parking. How do we do
[8:56] customer parking? How do we deal with
[8:59] uh vehicle storage yards, vehicles
[9:01] awaiting repairs, vehicles being
[9:04] uh stored for display purposes and so forth.
[9:09] And currently in our code, there is no
[9:13] requirements, there's no standards,
[9:16] there's nothing in our ordinance
[9:17] regarding parking for automobile-related
[9:20] commercial activities.
[9:22] When that occurs, the ordinance actually
[9:25] delegates authority to the community
[9:27] development director
[9:29] to establish a parking standard for
[9:32] those businesses, but it doesn't give us
[9:33] any
[9:35] parameters or any guidelines that we can
[9:37] follow.
[9:38] So, what I do in this situation is I
[9:41] require these businesses to provide me
[9:43] with
[9:45] customer I'm how many customers they're
[9:47] going to have on their busiest day, how
[9:49] many how many employees do they
[9:51] anticipate on their on their busiest
[9:53] hours, how many vehicles are they going
[9:55] to require to be stored, and we try to
[9:57] establish the parking standards based
[9:59] upon the information that's provided by
[10:01] the applicant.
[10:03] The planning commission wanted to
[10:05] approach
[10:06] an ordinance amendment whereby we have
[10:08] some standards specifically set up for
[10:11] these types of uses.
[10:13] >> [clears throat]
[10:13] >> So, in your packets I provided two documents. The first one is the
[10:19] ordinance amendment that comes directly
[10:21] from the planning commission.
[10:23] Uh Commissioner Linford is the one that
[10:25] wrote this up and the planning
[10:26] commission discussed it during a
[10:27] discussion at a previous meeting. But,
[10:30] this is the ordinance that uh
[10:33] Commissioner Linford has proposed and
[10:34] the planning commission endorsed.
[10:37] They're proposing adding a new section
[10:39] to Tooele City Code 7-4-4
[10:42] automobile-related commercial uses.
[10:45] Uh section one in that code will have a
[10:47] purpose basically explaining the purpose
[10:49] of the ordinance. Why are we putting it
[10:51] in there? Why is it there?
[10:54] One of the things that it does say is to
[10:55] distinguish required parking from
[10:57] temporary or ancillary vehicle storage.
[11:01] And then they're proposing a section
[11:03] two. Section two is the portion of the
[11:06] code that would
[11:07] delineate the parking requirements for
[11:10] these types of uses.
[11:11] Automobile service and automobile parts
[11:13] and supply stores, three parking spaces
[11:16] for each service bay. So, if you have a
[11:18] Jiffy Lube or something of that nature,
[11:20] if they have three bays, they have to
[11:22] have nine parking stalls.
[11:24] And then three parking spaces for every
[11:26] 1,000 square feet of indoor retail floor
[11:29] sales area.
[11:31] So, an AutoZone or O'Reilly,
[11:34] those are the type That would be the
[11:35] parking requirement that they would have
[11:37] to adhere to.
[11:39] And then automobile sales, one customer
[11:41] parking space per 400 square feet of
[11:43] gross indoor sales area,
[11:46] or five parking spaces, whichever is
[11:49] greater.
[11:51] One of the reasons for this one is we
[11:52] want to make sure that an automobile
[11:54] dealership will have sufficient parking
[11:56] for customers
[11:57] and will not take up the entire site
[11:59] with display vehicles that are being
[12:01] sold,
[12:02] which right now our ordinance does not
[12:04] define.
[12:06] Section two also includes this table,
[12:08] which goes through pretty much the
[12:09] parking standards that I mentioned. Also
[12:11] has some language in there regarding the
[12:13] number of compact spaces allowed, which
[12:15] would be 25%.
[12:17] And then some notes and other
[12:19] requirements
[12:20] uh regarding towing services if
[12:22] provided.
[12:24] And then sections three and four,
[12:25] required parking spaces shall be
[12:27] provided in compliance with all
[12:29] applicable design. Basically, this is
[12:31] just stating that uh the parking spaces
[12:33] have to comply with the typical parking
[12:35] standards in our ordinance currently
[12:37] that we that we do currently have.
[12:40] And then number four is kind of a
[12:41] critical one. Temporary vehicle storage,
[12:43] where towing services are provided and
[12:44] related strictly to automobile repair
[12:46] services,
[12:47] a site plan shall be provided
[12:49] designating an area for temporary
[12:51] vehicle storage.
[12:52] And we do have,
[12:54] you know, auto
[12:56] automobile repair businesses are
[12:59] naturally associated with vehicle
[13:01] towing.
[13:02] Uh sometimes vehicles are not be able
[13:04] not able to be driven to a repair shop,
[13:06] so they have to be towed.
[13:08] And uh so we have to have They would
[13:09] like to have the ordinance to have some
[13:11] accommodation for that, but we also want
[13:12] to make sure that a vehicle tow lot or
[13:15] an impound lot is not the same thing.
[13:18] Uh so the ordinance kind of
[13:19] differentiates. You can have towing
[13:20] services as long as it's automatically
[13:22] associated with automobile repair
[13:25] services.
[13:26] And then the last part is such areas
[13:28] shall be paved, screened, and approved
[13:30] through site plan or conditional use
[13:32] review.
[13:33] So, right now we don't have any
[13:34] ordinances that require screening of
[13:36] these materials. We can only screen them
[13:37] through conditions attached by the
[13:39] planning commission through a
[13:40] conditional use permit.
[13:43] So, that's the ordinance as proposed by
[13:45] the planning commission.
[13:47] Uh staff has reviewed it and we've made
[13:49] a couple of minor edits to it, nothing
[13:50] significant. So,
[13:52] uh section one will be the same. Section
[13:55] two, we are proposing eliminating the
[13:57] language and just including the table.
[14:00] So, under section two, you would just
[14:01] have the table. Uh we found that the
[14:04] planning commission's version there was redundancy between the table
[14:07] and the language.
[14:08] And then the little highlighted part
[14:10] with the red, I wanted to add uh
[14:12] automobile service and repair
[14:14] and then automobile sales and rental
[14:18] uh to make sure the ordinance is clear
[14:19] on those.
[14:21] And then the the other two sections are
[14:23] exactly as the planning commission
[14:25] proposed.
[14:27] So, that's what's being proposed. I'd
[14:29] like to move this through the process
[14:31] and get the city council's
[14:32] feedback and blessing. If you have any
[14:34] concerns or questions about it, I'm
[14:37] happy to try and answer those for you.
[14:39] >> [snorts]
[14:40] >> Any questions or comments? I got a
[14:42] question. So, how does this affect
[14:45] businesses that are already
[14:48] set up? I'm I'm thinking of one in
[14:50] particular, rental car company.
[14:53] How does that affect them? Do they have
[14:55] to update to this new standard or are
[14:57] they kind of grandfathered in?
[14:59] So, anytime we pass anytime the council
[15:01] adopts a new ordinance, existing uses
[15:05] are then they then become what we call
[15:08] legally non-conforming.
[15:09] So, they are legal, but they may not
[15:11] conform to the new parameters of the
[15:13] ordinance.
[15:14] In that case, we have a code to Will
[15:16] City
[15:17] code 7-3 non-conforming uses that
[15:20] permits those uses to continue on as is
[15:22] in perpetuity. So, they would be
[15:24] unaffected. If they're going to do any
[15:26] renovations or changes, then they would
[15:28] have to conform to this new code. Okay.
[15:33] Any questions?
[15:36] I have a question about the number of
[15:38] parking. You'd said like an oil shop, if
[15:41] they had three bays, they'd have to have
[15:43] nine parking spots.
[15:45] >> That's That's what this code would
[15:46] require, yes. Does that I'm thinking of
[15:49] like a Jiffy Lube down by Walmart. It
[15:52] seems like they don't have nine parking
[15:54] spots right now, but there's rarely that
[15:56] many people in the parking lot because
[15:58] their car is being serviced, right? You
[16:00] go to this oil shop, you pull into the
[16:03] bay, so
[16:04] I guess I have a hard time understanding
[16:06] why we need so much parking for
[16:07] something
[16:09] like an oil service business.
[16:12] The only thing I could The only response
[16:14] I could give to that would be some
[16:16] people do drop off their cars.
[16:18] Um
[16:21] Yeah, I It's a number
[16:23] >> number of the commissioners threw out
[16:24] that threw out to that one, and I think
[16:26] in this case we just wanted to make sure
[16:27] there was ample parking for those
[16:29] situations. And then my other question
[16:31] is with parking as well. So,
[16:34] yeah, let me pull it up real fast. So,
[16:36] it's one customer parking space per 400
[16:39] sq ft of gross floor area in the
[16:41] automobile sales area or five parking
[16:44] spaces, whichever is greater. So, if you
[16:46] had like a 2,000 sq ft gross floor area. I don't
[16:51] know how big like a dealership is.
[16:53] I'm assuming that it's
[16:55] significantly bigger than 400 sq ft.
[16:58] >> Oh, yeah. So, they're going to have to
[17:00] have like 12 to 15 parking spots.
[17:02] >> Correct.
[17:04] Okay.
[17:04] >> Yeah, it's all related to the size of
[17:05] the of the floor area where they are
[17:07] displaying and selling merchandise.
[17:10] Okay.
[17:11] I think it seems a little excessive if
[17:13] as I think through it. I think it's more parking than they'll ever use
[17:17] is what my mind's thinking, but maybe
[17:20] I'm off on that. I think for the sales
[17:22] part, you're probably right. For the
[17:24] auto repair part, I think the parking
[17:27] is, but I think the lube places maybe
[17:30] should have an exception that's
[17:32] different because you're right. They
[17:33] don't Most people don't stay there for a
[17:35] long time. They do Some do get dropped
[17:37] off. I think Jiffy Lube has close to
[17:39] that in the back part, but still Yeah.
[17:41] They got to have their something for
[17:43] their employees, so maybe
[17:45] they do need that much because
[17:46] >> the consideration is the employees. They
[17:48] do bring their cars to work. One example
[17:51] that I can think of is I used to take my
[17:52] car to the Jiffy Lube down by Walmart.
[17:54] And I drop the car off and I go do my
[17:56] shopping.
[17:57] Well, they'd bring the car out and then
[17:58] they'd park it. And it'd be sitting
[18:00] there waiting for me until I come back.
[18:02] Right. And so that's
[18:05] I mean, there is a need for some
[18:07] vehicle parking for those situations.
[18:10] Whether whether it's excessive with
[18:12] having nine if you have three bay three
[18:13] bays,
[18:16] I don't know.
[18:17] So, years ago at a it was a Utah League
[18:20] of Cities and Town conference, they had
[18:22] a speaker from out of state come and he
[18:24] talked about how much land we waste on
[18:26] parking lots.
[18:28] And it's really made me think about the
[18:31] requirements that we have.
[18:33] The funny part is is I would rather have
[18:34] more parking spot requirements in
[18:37] residential areas cuz that's where your
[18:38] car is most of the time rather than a
[18:40] commercial area where
[18:43] you're coming and going and then at
[18:44] night it just sits there and it's it's
[18:46] land that
[18:47] we kind of waste for parking. So, it
[18:49] just made me think a little differently
[18:51] about do we really need as much parking
[18:53] as
[18:54] we require sometimes. And and that is
[18:57] That that has merit what you're
[18:59] suggesting. And and when I go to
[19:00] planning conferences,
[19:02] they are always railing on too much
[19:04] parking, having seas of parking lot
[19:06] instead of using that area for other
[19:08] amenities.
[19:09] And [snorts] it is often discussed that
[19:11] we overpark ourselves.
[19:14] Um
[19:15] I frequently visit auto parts stores. I
[19:17] have a classic car that I work on and
[19:19] maintain
[19:20] and they're never full.
[19:23] I never have problem finding parking at
[19:24] an auto parts store.
[19:27] So I see the purpose behind it. I I
[19:29] think it's needed. We need something in
[19:31] the code. I just wonder
[19:33] if there's a way to not have it so
[19:35] excessive or And you're right, the auto
[19:37] parts stores do not have a parking
[19:39] problem. It's the auto repair shops
[19:41] >> do. that have the parking problem. It
[19:43] really is that. So is that where we
[19:45] should focus though is on an auto repair
[19:48] More than
[19:49] >> But then does that get into some
[19:51] Bert Brothers for example, they do oil changes but then they do
[19:56] auto repairs as well. They It seems like
[19:57] they have sufficient parking. They have
[19:59] sufficient parking. In fact, they are
[20:00] overparked.
[20:01] >> Yeah. When when this
[20:05] when the planning commission wanted to
[20:06] move this ordinance forward
[20:08] I was surprised when they put auto parts
[20:11] retail in there because
[20:14] in my mind our ordinance already
[20:16] addresses that just under retail sales.
[20:18] I mean, there's really no difference
[20:20] between selling lumber and selling auto
[20:22] parts. It's all retail. So if the
[20:25] council wanted to just remove that auto
[20:27] parts retail from it and we just
[20:29] continue with our standard I have no
[20:31] problem with that. The the the big issue
[20:34] was
[20:35] really the dealerships and the the
[20:38] automobile repair and having sufficient
[20:40] parking for the customers and making
[20:42] sure that automobile storage areas are
[20:45] appropriately screened and so forth. So
[20:48] I'd be I think it wouldn't harm us at
[20:49] all if we removed that language and and
[20:51] just focused on the other if the council
[20:53] wanted me to proceed that way.
[20:55] So would you just remove the automobile
[20:56] parts or the supply stores as well? Is
[20:59] that part of it? Yep, just take that out
[21:01] of there.
[21:02] I favor that and I I do think that we
[21:04] have you know, we're kind of talking
[21:06] about more more um
[21:08] larger repair shops, but we do have like
[21:11] neighborhood people that have been in
[21:13] our community for years, and we want to
[21:15] be able to accommodate those cuz they've
[21:16] got repeat customers, and some of them
[21:19] have limited areas. And then they do
[21:21] park on this the streets, and maybe that
[21:23] impacts a neighbor, and you know, so I
[21:26] think that we do need to be um
[21:29] be careful of reducing
[21:32] parking. I think that parking is
[21:34] unnecessary thing, especially in this
[21:36] type of industry. It's a repeat industry
[21:38] over and over and over. Right. And I was
[21:41] getting ready to say pretty much the
[21:42] same thing that you you just said.
[21:45] Um it just
[21:47] it it kind of appears that
[21:49] the little guy
[21:50] um
[21:51] that want to open up a shop
[21:54] this ordinance is basically saying uh
[21:56] you got to get a big building, you got
[21:58] to have all this parking
[22:00] just to start. You know what I mean? And
[22:04] I'm not saying this is not a good thing
[22:06] cuz it is.
[22:08] But I think we're we are doing
[22:12] not attacking, but we're base putting
[22:14] limits on
[22:16] what a newly up
[22:19] I can't get the word out, but someone
[22:20] that wants to start a new business.
[22:23] Case in point, the one that we just
[22:25] approved on 400.
[22:27] Um that spot is not big enough that for
[22:30] what we're just talking about.
[22:32] >> Talking about, yeah. The one
[22:34] we just did a couple of weeks ago that
[22:35] just opened up on 400 and Main.
[22:38] That little spot, he would not be able
[22:40] to do that because he didn't have that
[22:42] room, especially when it comes to
[22:45] um a tow truck coming in to drop a car
[22:48] off. He didn't have that much room
[22:50] there.
[22:51] Um
[22:53] I'm just saying it. I'm not saying I'm
[22:55] against this at all. I'm just saying
[22:57] that
[22:58] it it is So, are we limiting what they
[23:00] can take in for their livelihood by not
[23:03] allowing you to park cars
[23:06] at their their establishment, you know,
[23:08] I mean that
[23:09] I don't know. That's Did that business
[23:11] need a conditional use permit? It's the
[23:13] one uh
[23:14] I think you're talking like
[23:15] >> The old Technaglass building?
[23:16] >> Yes. Yeah, it needs The conditional use
[23:19] permit that I had previous to that had
[23:21] long since expired, so they had to do it
[23:23] again.
[23:24] They do have a a back parking in there
[23:26] that maybe could covers it, but they
[23:28] don't have a lot of front Is that a Is a
[23:30] good example of Yeah, but it's very, limited.
[23:33] >> Limited parking.
[23:36] I know cuz my brake line broke and I had
[23:37] to It was the closest auto parts
[23:40] garage and I had to pull in there and
[23:43] cruise to a stop because I had no
[23:45] brakes.
[23:46] And I basically blocked his blocked his
[23:49] the back of his shop.
[23:52] Because I couldn't move it, you know,
[23:53] the truck wouldn't you know, it would
[23:55] move, but it wouldn't stop.
[23:57] >> [laughter]
[23:58] >> So, but yeah.
[24:00] He wouldn't have had that much
[24:03] No one could get When I was in there, no
[24:05] one could get in.
[24:06] You know, going back to the Jiffy Lube
[24:08] deal, with the Jiffy Lube we were
[24:10] talking about it needing nine parking
[24:11] spaces, but the way I read it, you'd
[24:13] need 12 because it's plus another three
[24:17] spots for retail the Oh, 1,000 square
[24:20] showroom part. So, you Now they've got
[24:21] 12 spots.
[24:24] That does seem like quite a bit. Yeah.
[24:27] How many bays does that old Technaglass
[24:30] have? Two. He has two bays. So, now
[24:32] you're saying they need to have six
[24:35] plus another three. So, they counting
[24:37] that as bays or or as work areas? Huh?
[24:40] Because bays you're talking counting
[24:42] that as just the two doors cuz
[24:44] Technaglass has like five working spots.
[24:46] Yeah, it's just the Well, that's a good
[24:48] question. It does. Um it doesn't it
[24:50] doesn't designate work spaces, it just
[24:52] says bays. So, I would be looking at
[24:54] that from a respect a perspective of
[24:56] doors. Yeah.
[24:58] So, in Techniglass' case, it'd be we
[25:00] would consider that two bays.
[25:02] So, that would be nine by the time you
[25:04] figure the retail space, right? Mhm.
[25:06] That's right. That little place has two
[25:08] doors that place 400. And then two in
[25:10] the back.
[25:12] Do we have another code somewhere? So,
[25:13] now we're talking about parking space,
[25:16] but then is there another code that's
[25:18] going to say their parking space has to
[25:20] be this much area and you have to have
[25:23] Once you get to so many stalls, you have
[25:25] to have an island or something that
[25:27] separates it and Yeah, we already have
[25:29] that code established. That's that's
[25:31] 7-4-7.
[25:34] And it specifies parking stall width and
[25:36] length, specifies landscape end caps.
[25:39] If you have certain number of parking
[25:41] stalls, you may have to have an island,
[25:43] which can detract from the number of
[25:45] parking spaces.
[25:47] I think I'm I'm worried about this. I
[25:50] really am. I think it's opening up a a
[25:52] bigger issue than
[25:55] I think we need to look into it more,
[25:56] right? About
[25:58] the unintended
[26:00] consequences that it's going to have.
[26:03] The other option, and maybe this is why
[26:04] it was established this way in the first
[26:06] place,
[26:07] is leave it alone and leave it up to the
[26:09] community development director to take
[26:10] it on a case-by-case basis.
[26:13] Um it has worked well.
[26:16] I can't say that it hasn't worked well.
[26:17] It's
[26:18] it works. It's it's functioned up to
[26:21] this point and maybe that's the best way
[26:22] to deal with these situations.
[26:25] So, I can think of a few locations where
[26:27] I think it would be appropriate to have
[26:29] a minimum requirement, but
[26:32] as they do go through that process, the
[26:34] conditional use permitting process where
[26:37] the purpose of that is to resolve these
[26:39] issues, so
[26:40] >> Yeah, and and the planning commission is
[26:41] very good at that. They look at it all the potential
[26:44] impacts that are generated by the
[26:46] business and they try to attach
[26:47] conditions.
[26:48] Uh with the Techniglass, they were very
[26:50] sensitive to the fact that um
[26:54] being on that corner,
[26:55] it's a very busy corner, and uh there
[26:57] are very limited parking in the front,
[26:59] so they attached conditions that the
[27:00] parking in the front of the building has
[27:02] to be reserved for customer parking.
[27:05] And so,
[27:06] you know, there are advantages to having
[27:08] some flexibility to looking at things at
[27:10] a case-by-case basis, which is what the
[27:12] way the ordinance is currently
[27:14] structured.
[27:16] So.
[27:17] is this ordinance just for
[27:20] the commercial buildings, or is this for
[27:23] the home-based as well? So, it would
[27:25] just be for commercial businesses.
[27:27] Currently, the ordinance prohibits auto
[27:30] repair as a home-based business. You
[27:32] can't do it.
[27:33] So, if there are other If there are
[27:35] existing businesses, they of course
[27:37] would be grandfathered, but this would
[27:39] not apply to those residential uses
[27:41] because you technically they're
[27:42] prohibited by the ordinance.
[27:49] Any more discussion, or how do we want
[27:51] to move forward is the next question. Do
[27:53] we want to see a revised plan? Do we
[27:55] want to just
[27:58] Well, do we do we I mean, Andrew's got a
[28:01] point that
[28:02] him doing that, but do we need to have
[28:04] any kind of guidelines for you, or are
[28:05] you good with what you have? No, we
[28:07] handle it well. I mean, we we usually
[28:09] get the information from the applicant,
[28:11] and then the planning commission deals
[28:13] with it well during the conditional use
[28:14] permit hearing.
[28:15] Um I'm good with it just staying like
[28:17] that. I mean, I really am. We've just
[28:19] been looking at a lot of these, and they they were questioning whether or
[28:22] not we should have some established
[28:23] standards to
[28:25] make it a little more concrete, but like
[28:26] I said,
[28:28] every new ordinance opens up a can of
[28:29] worms one way or another. So, it seems
[28:31] like it. I've learned that. unintended
[28:33] things sometimes.
[28:34] >> unintended un- unintended consequences.
[28:37] Yeah.
[28:38] Me, personally,
[28:40] I I'm I'm okay either way, but but I
[28:42] would
[28:43] like for them to um
[28:46] review it again with the that we just
[28:49] raised.
[28:49] >> Okay.
[28:50] I was planning on putting it on the next
[28:52] agenda for planning commission.
[28:54] Just uh
[28:55] it was going to do the public hearing,
[28:56] but we're not we're not ready for that
[28:57] at this point. I'd be happy to put it on
[28:59] there and discuss it further with them,
[29:01] get their feedback, and
[29:03] uh we're not in a we're not in a hurry
[29:04] to get this done, so we can take our
[29:06] time on it and decide if we want to do
[29:07] it or not.
[29:08] Cuz I think that would
[29:10] let that would help us more input, and
[29:13] maybe they can ask some more questions.
[29:16] >> They have They have lots of good ideas
[29:17] over there, so Yeah, they do. They
[29:18] really do.
[29:19] Yeah, we appreciate them suggesting
[29:21] ideas, so Mhm. Okay. Excellent
[29:24] discussion. Appreciate that.
[29:26] Okay.
[29:27] We'll move on to our next discussion, uh
[29:29] discussion on a proposed city code text
[29:31] amendment to Tooele City code 7-14-11,
[29:35] landscaping and water conservation with
[29:37] new development regarding the use of sod
[29:39] in residential landscaping, and the use
[29:41] of irrigation systems associated with
[29:43] residential landscaping.
[29:44] >> [clears throat]
[29:44] >> by Andrew Aagard, the community
[29:46] development director. Thank you,
[29:48] council.
[29:50] So, if you recall a couple of years ago,
[29:51] we we went through a pretty significant
[29:53] ordinance amendment where we changed the
[29:55] ordinance requirements for landscaping
[29:58] in residential, commercial, and
[29:59] industrial zones.
[30:01] Essentially limiting the use of sod.
[30:03] Basically in in commercial and
[30:05] industrial, you can't use sod.
[30:07] Um
[30:08] in
[30:09] residential, we limited it to 50% of the
[30:12] front yard, and in multi-family residential, you can
[30:16] only use sod in areas with active
[30:17] recreation.
[30:19] And then the ordinance prohibited sod in
[30:21] the park strip, period.
[30:24] And the ordinance that we have on the
[30:26] books, Mayor Manzione pointed out some
[30:27] language in here that's a little
[30:29] confusing,
[30:30] and uh we wanted to go through the
[30:32] process of cleaning up this little code,
[30:35] and
[30:36] we're not really changing anything with
[30:38] these ordinance amendments. We're just
[30:39] trying to to the code a little easier to
[30:41] understand and eliminate some of the
[30:43] ambiguities. I hope you can see what's
[30:44] underneath that red area.
[30:47] But, I've highlighted the areas that are
[30:49] problematic.
[30:50] In uh section number one,
[30:53] the area says, "And areas on the lot
[30:55] less than 8 ft in width."
[30:58] This creates problems with section
[30:59] number two, saying that you can use sod
[31:02] 50% of your side yards and your front
[31:04] yard.
[31:06] The R17 zone is our most uh
[31:10] pre-predominant zoning district, and you
[31:13] can have 6-ft side yards in that zone.
[31:15] And if we go with this,
[31:18] it's stating you can't put sod in your
[31:19] side yard.
[31:21] And so, I want to eliminate that. So,
[31:23] somebody wants to use sod in their side
[31:24] yard, they can, as long as they don't
[31:26] exceed the 50%. And you we can eliminate
[31:28] that ambiguity.
[31:30] In section two, it says, "Which has at
[31:32] least 250 sq ft of total landscaped
[31:34] area." I'm not entirely sure why that's
[31:37] in there. The smallest lot that the city
[31:40] has
[31:41] for single-family residential is 7,000
[31:43] sq ft.
[31:45] You're going to have a lot more than 250
[31:46] sq ft of landscaping.
[31:48] And so, I just wanted to remove that,
[31:50] stating that all lots
[31:52] uh that have received preliminary plan approval after April
[31:56] 1st, 2023,
[31:58] uh can have no more than 50% of the
[32:00] front and side yards landscaped
[32:02] as natural grass.
[32:04] And then, the last sentence, where it
[32:05] says, "Where irrigation is needed for
[32:07] plantings outside of lawn areas shall be
[32:09] of a drip style irrigation system."
[32:11] That's just worded a little strangely.
[32:14] So, these are the amendments that we're
[32:15] proposing.
[32:17] Number one, to add to remove the areas
[32:19] on lot less than 8 ft in width.
[32:22] To strike the 250 sq ft
[32:25] uh language, and then just to reword
[32:28] some of the things. You will note that
[32:31] we did put a change in there regarding
[32:33] artificial turf.
[32:35] Now, the planning commission
[32:36] questioned staff on this and and staff
[32:38] was not prepared at that time to address
[32:41] our concerns the way I wanted to.
[32:43] Uh the reason why we are recommending
[32:45] that we
[32:47] limit the use of artificial turf in a in
[32:49] a landscaped area
[32:52] is there are some
[32:55] >> [snorts]
[32:55] >> ripple effects that come with using
[32:57] artificial turf. Number one,
[32:59] they're they haven't perfected
[33:01] artificial turf to be cool.
[33:04] I mean, you can run water pipe like
[33:05] sports fields, they run water pipes
[33:07] underneath it and it'll keep it cool.
[33:09] But, it absorbs heat and it gets very
[33:11] hot. So, if somebody's entire yard is
[33:14] turf,
[33:15] it could serve to increase the heat
[33:18] island effect. I mean, it gets very hot
[33:20] under direct sunlight.
[33:21] The other issue is it's not permeable
[33:24] for storm water. So, if somebody covers
[33:26] their whole yard in AstroTurf or
[33:28] artificial turf,
[33:30] are we creating flooding issues on the
[33:32] adjacent properties?
[33:34] They come right straight to the city and
[33:35] complain, causes problems.
[33:37] And so, we wanted to limit that to 50%
[33:40] to try and mitigate some of those issues
[33:42] and limit it to
[33:44] being more of a decorative
[33:47] uh aspect for front yard side yard
[33:49] landscaping. The Planning Commission
[33:50] wanted it to be If somebody wants to do
[33:53] their whole yard, that's that's up to
[33:54] the person.
[33:56] And then the last sentence is just
[33:57] changing it so it it's a little easier
[33:59] to understand.
[34:01] Uh this is the ordinance after the edits
[34:04] have been done.
[34:06] I don't know if you want me to read it
[34:06] or not, but
[34:08] that's uh the the last sentence
[34:10] especially is the irrigation needed for
[34:11] plantings outside of lawn areas shall be
[34:13] of the drip style irrigation system.
[34:15] Much easier to understand.
[34:18] Uh just to mention, the Planning
[34:19] Commission did did hear this at the
[34:22] April 22nd meeting.
[34:24] Uh they did recommend it in favor if of
[34:25] a of the ordinance amendment with a
[34:27] couple of changes. I have reflected
[34:29] those changes here, so this is the
[34:31] Planning commission edits.
[34:32] They wanted me to move the approved
[34:34] after April 1st, 2023
[34:38] uh to the chapter heading.
[34:40] >> [snorts]
[34:40] >> And then
[34:42] um also remove the language regarding limitations on
[34:47] the use of turf.
[34:49] Uh so, those are the proposals we're
[34:50] making. Again, not not many there's
[34:52] nothing really substantially changing
[34:54] here other than the turf. It's just more
[34:56] of a
[34:57] let's clean up this ordinance.
[34:59] If you have any questions, I'm happy to
[35:00] answer them for you.
[35:03] This is on your business meeting later
[35:04] tonight as well. So.
[35:06] >> [clears throat]
[35:06] >> I'm glad you explained that
[35:08] turf thing because,
[35:10] you know, I know Ed and I were sitting
[35:11] in there and listening to it and I understood where he was coming from,
[35:16] but I also didn't know the answers as to
[35:18] why.
[35:20] So, it's good to get the
[35:21] >> Yeah, that's That was one of the main
[35:22] concerns is is the heat.
[35:25] I mean, if you've ever stepped on an
[35:26] athletic field that's turf during the
[35:27] summer, it's 150°.
[35:30] And that's going to radiate on under the
[35:32] house and it's going to increase It's
[35:34] just hot.
[35:35] They do have mechanisms to cool it, but
[35:37] you have to run water through the pipes
[35:38] underneath it and it's expensive to do
[35:40] that. I don't think most residential
[35:41] property owners are going to do that.
[35:44] Um
[35:45] you know, it looks okay. We have I have
[35:47] some neighbors that have used it in
[35:49] their front yard. It looks nice.
[35:51] You have to vacuum it. You don't mow it,
[35:53] you vacuum it.
[35:55] Um
[35:57] I don't know, it just says having
[35:59] There's just some issues there that we
[36:00] just want to be aware of if we're going
[36:02] to let them do the whole yard.
[36:04] So, this is for new development,
[36:06] correct?
[36:07] Is there anything that stops someone
[36:10] from putting in sod after the
[36:13] development's completed? Like into a
[36:15] park strip?
[36:19] Code enforcement.
[36:21] I mean, really, that's what it comes
[36:22] down to. And
[36:25] our code enforcement department is
[36:26] pretty busy right now. But we could go
[36:28] into a a development that was built
[36:30] after 2023 and let's say someone put in
[36:33] sod in their park strip and we know it
[36:35] was prohibited at the time. We could go
[36:38] ask them to remove it and say you're
[36:41] in violation of the ordinance.
[36:43] >> Yes, we could. Okay. Yep. Cuz I think I
[36:45] think we do need to get to a point where
[36:47] we don't have sod in really any park
[36:49] strip in the community and
[36:52] the only way to start doing that, right,
[36:53] is to stop it from happening to begin
[36:56] with, but we have to make sure that
[36:58] they're not
[36:59] doing it after the development, so.
[37:01] Yeah, we're trying to send out a a a a
[37:04] postcard
[37:05] uh with every building permit
[37:07] basically explaining this ordinance to
[37:09] new new homes that are coming in
[37:12] and um
[37:13] trying to educate these people or these
[37:15] new homeowners uh with the limitations
[37:18] on sod in their yards.
[37:20] I- I- It is a difficult enforcement
[37:22] issue because we are limited in the
[37:24] number of staff that we have to do this,
[37:26] but um
[37:28] we could enforce it if we wanted to go around and enforce
[37:31] it, we could.
[37:33] Okay.
[37:34] I got a really
[37:36] dumb question.
[37:37] So, back in the day there'd be the
[37:39] rounded up curbs and then the sidewalk
[37:42] went right from there, so there wasn't a
[37:44] park strip.
[37:46] Why did we start doing park strips?
[37:48] hold utilities. Okay.
[37:52] Yep.
[37:52] >> So, that's why the
[37:53] >> of a lot of there's buried utilities.
[37:54] Usually, I believe it's the water line
[37:56] and
[37:57] electrical.
[37:59] Paul, what what utilities we put in park
[38:00] strips typically? Well, we we typically
[38:03] put them behind the sidewalk.
[38:05] The primary purpose for the the park
[38:07] strip started to become a
[38:09] >> [snorts]
[38:13] » In some of the older neighborhoods, they
[38:14] are in the park strip.
[38:17] We try to not put them there anymore
[38:19] because that's where we plant trees.
[38:21] Mhm. And we don't want the tree root
[38:22] conflict with utilities in there.
[38:25] But the park strip is beneficial to the
[38:27] city because one it keeps the pedestrian
[38:29] away from the road.
[38:30] It's safe for that regard and two it
[38:33] gives a place for snow to go when they
[38:35] plow the streets rather than onto the
[38:36] sidewalk.
[38:38] So it it really has a number of
[38:40] different reasons.
[38:42] In new developments we put the utilities
[38:44] then behind the sidewalk but we like
[38:46] that park strip. Remember when we used
[38:48] to get snow? I should say. When we were
[38:50] kids. Yeah.
[38:52] But it but it also protects the
[38:55] public. Keeps them away from the street
[38:56] a little bit.
[39:00] My parents live in a house that doesn't
[39:02] have a park strip and yeah the snow it
[39:04] gets pushed right on the sidewalk and in
[39:06] a big snowstorm it takes you a week to
[39:09] clear it so
[39:10] it's definitely needed. I just don't
[39:12] think we want sod.
[39:14] And then I think we have I thought we
[39:15] passed an ordinance that you can't plant
[39:17] a tree in certain park strips, Kurt.
[39:19] Yeah, if a park strip's narrower than 5
[39:21] ft you can't plant a tree. If it's 5 to
[39:24] 8 ft it has to be a small size tree
[39:27] and if it's a large tree it has to be 8
[39:28] ft or wider.
[39:30] Yeah, that's the street tree selection
[39:32] list.
[39:36] Any more discussion?
[39:39] Okay, I think it's a good change. I
[39:41] think we're moving in the right
[39:42] direction. We're getting there little by
[39:44] little. Thank you, council. Thanks,
[39:46] Andrew.
[39:47] Okay, that concludes our discussion
[39:49] items. There's nothing for closed
[39:51] meeting tonight so
[39:53] our next item is to adjourn at 6:09 p.m.
[39:57] and then we will reconvene at 7:00 p.m.
[39:59] starting with the in RDA meeting.