Skye Second Area Plan Amendment

The applicant proposes a second amendment to the Skye Area Plan. The first amendment was approved in August 2022 and recorded in December 2022. The second area plan amendment concept plan was also approved in August 2022. The second amendment adds an additional 883 acres of land and 300 Equivalent Residential Units (ERUs) to the Area Plan. The land included in the second amendment was previously in Draper City, but a Municipal Boundary Adjustment brought the land into Lehi City in December 2022. At least 500 acres of this additional land will be deeded to Lehi City and put in a conservation easement.

Most of the Area Plan language and material stayed the same. Below we summarize the main changes.

Land Use Map

The land use map basically follows the approved concept plan. It contains mostly low-density residential development with some medium density and high density lower on the hillside. Having lower density in the hillside is in accordance with many important planning principles including reducing the impact on the natural environment, lowering the number of people who might have to evacuate in case of a fire or other natural disaster, and preserving open space. The land use plan also allows flexibility to transfer more density out of the hillside area into the lower areas as long as the overall number of units in the area plan is not exceeded.

Texas Instruments Buffer

The buffer between Texas Instruments and surrounding uses received a lot of discussion during the first area plan amendment approval process. In this amendment, the applicant provides a map that shows a 100-foot setback from Timpanogos Highway and a 300-foot buffer to the future Skye development areas.

City Staff left one comment for the Planning Commission to consider if the 100-foot buffer from Timpanogos Highway is sufficient.

This buffer cannot have any development including solar panels or other outbuildings in it.

Parking Changes

The applicant proposed some changes to the required parking requirements for residential projects in the Mixed-Use areas. The changes include reducing the number of units that require garages or covered parking spaces to 80 percent of the total number. They do state that 60 percent of those shall be in enclosed garages. City Staff left a comment that this will equal about half of the units having an enclosed garage. The Development Code currently requires 100 percent of the units to have an enclosed garage. Having an enclosed garage can provide many benefits to the residents but also can create rows of garages.

The applicant also proposes allowing 10 percent of the parking spaces can be compact spaces. And they propose an electric vehicle charging station requirement of one station per 60 units.

For bicycle parking they state that it shall be provided at a rate of 10 percent the total vehicular parking stalls and that a minimum of 25 percent of the bicycle parking shall be in an interior bike storage area. This matches the existing parking requirement for the 10 percent and exceeds the current indoor parking requirement. However, a Development Code amendment increasing the number of bicycle parking spots required is currently going through the approval process. The DRC left a comment that the applicant, Planning Commission and City Council should consider if the applicant should meet the new bicycle parking requirements instead of their proposal.

Subdivision Approval Changes

The applicant proposed language that would have the DRC, Planning Commission and City Council review Preliminary Subdivisions but not hold a public hearing. Staff left a comment to add a statement “unless required by State Code”. State Code currently does not require preliminary subdivisions to include a public hearing. City Code requires it as a courtesy. Not requiring a public hearing for an area plan might make sense because the public has had the opportunity to make comments on the concept and area plan.

Trail Locations

The second amendment shows additional trails in the second amendment area. Some of the trails were adjusted from the original area plan to better align with the second amendment area. The trails are both natural surface and paved.

Road Cross Sections

The State approved legislation this year prohibiting cities from requiring more than 32-feet of asphalt on local roads. In response to that, the applicant updated their local road cross sections.

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