Smart Cookies Academy General Plan Amendment
The Planning Commission provided a positive recommendation and this will go to City Council on December 13th.
The applicants request review and recommendation of the Smart Cookies General Plan Amendment from Very Low-Density Residential Agriculture (VLDRA) to Neighborhood Commercial (NC) on 2.06-acres located at 1910 West 900 North. Part of the reason for the request is that the A-1 and RA-1 zones do not allow for a commercial daycare. Those zones do allow for a more limited version as a home occupation business, but the number of anticipated children exceeds what would be allowed as part of a home occupation.
The applicant’s narrative states their plan if the General Plan amendment is approved would be to convert the existing building that was previously used as a small private school into a daycare. They feel the change in use from a small private school to a daycare is comparable in terms of the intensity of the use of the property. They feel that the use would comply with the Neighborhood Commercial zone and be compatible with the surrounding residential homes, church, future tennis and pickleball facility, and two nearby schools.
As a legislative item, General Plan Amendments can receive either a positive or negative recommendation from the Planning Commission and approval or denial by the City Council. The Commission should consider if Neighborhood Commercial works on this specific parcel and if it is compatible with the surrounding area.
Public Comments
The Planning Commission provided a positive recommendation and this will go to City Council on December 13th.
We do not need nor want another daycare in this area. You have approved one nearby already and changed the zoning of the property there creating a spot zone of commercial property surrounded by residential homes. Please be considerate of the property owners that already live here and do not subject us to even more disturbance than we already have due to three large schools, and a daycare on every single side of our "block" (Ascent Academy on the north side, River Rock Elementary on the East side, Willowcreek Middle School on the south side, and Kevin Gordon's future daycare on the west side). This is first and foremost a residential/agriculture area, NOT COMMERCIAL! It might seem like a small impact to those of you who don't live here, but the noise pollution, light pollution, traffic pollution, etc. do affect us. Please do not approve this zone change. The building was once a beautiful home and even though it was modified to be a tiny private school for a while, it still looks like a residential home and can once again be one that actually fits with its neighbors and not another spot zone of commercial. Please stop approving all these islands of commercial property in Lehi and specifically this Smart Cookie Daycare on 900 North. Thank you.