Dimple Dell nixed in final vote

The Sandy City Council rejected the ordinance that would have created the Dimple Dell Overlay Zone for properties that fall in Dimple Dell Park at the June 21 council meeting. 

In the June 7 meeting, the council heard public comment on two overlay options. One would allow for higher density, cluster housing on the rim of the park on the condition that a certain percentage of land adjacent to the park be dedicated open space or given to the city. The other was for traditional subdivisions with a minimum of half-acre lots, increased set back than normally zoned and other conditions for all new development. 

The council voted to choose the latter option. However, the actual ordinance language that would create the official change was rejected on a motion to do so from Councilman Scott Cowdell, District 1, and a second by Councilman Chris McCandless, District 4. 

The overlay ordinance fell in a 4-3 vote. 

Dimple Dell Overlay Zone: Council adopts amended proposal for traditional subdivisions - Jun 09, 2016 08:19AM

The Sandy City Council voted to adopt a traditional layout housing option with higher than normal setbacks for Dimple Dell Overlay Zone proposal. Read More » 

Council selects new chairman

Stephen Smith, councilman-at-large, was elected to the chairmanship under a new selection policy created by the council in Nov. 2015. His year-long term will begin on July 1. 

Councilwoman Kris Coleman-Nicholl, District 3, was the last chairman selected by rotation based on descending seniority. Formerly, ever six months the chairmanship would rotate to the next most junior councilperson and then the councilperson junior to the char became the vice chair and de facto liaison to the Planning Commission. 

Under the former policy, Councilwoman Maren Barker, who is the most junior member of the council would have been the chair with with Cowdell being the vice chair, an obligation he repulsed because of missionary service obligations to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. 

Cowdell asked to have two proposals for changes to the selection policy be placed on the agenda, but asked to have them pulled before and after the vote was taken. 

The council discussed the issue after discussion to keep the issue on the agenda spilled into a direct conversation on the selection policy. Debate became escalated in intensity until Chairwoman Kris Coleman-Nicholl, District 3, pulled the matter from the agenda and the meeting was adjourned. 

Smith and Cowdell got into a brief verbal alternation after the meeting. 

Tension in city council spills into quarrel after meeting - Jun 24, 2016 09:12AM

Councilmen Scott Cowdell and Stephen Smith got into a brief verbal altercation immediately following the June 21 Sandy City Council Meeting Read More » 

Boulder Ventures Development rezone application approved, miss adopting ordinance

Jeff Vitek of Boulder Ventures Development opened the public comment on his company's application to rezone the land north of the Latter-Day Saint chapel at 300 East and 10600 South, saying his company had reduced the density and increased the number of parking stalls for the development. 

Vitek said the for-sale, town home project would require the parcel be rezoned to PUD (8). He also said the initial application had been reduced from asking for a PUD (10.5) to PUD (8) in response to public comment, claiming it was a 27 percent reduction in housing units. 

The parcel is currently owned by the Utah Transit Authority and is valued at $3.94 million according the transit authority website. 

The council agreed that the surrounding high density housing units and natural buffer of the train tracks makes the Boulder Ventures project a reasonable fit. 

Public comment held the common tenor of other public comment sessions with residents concerned about traffic, the supposed undesirability of the high density housing and parking. 

The council approved the rezone application 4-3, but didn't take official action on an ordinance because it was not before the council due to a clerical error. 

Century Link franchise agreement approved 

The council approved a franchise agreement with Century Link. The agreement will allow Century Link to operate in public and city right-of-ways to install and maintain equipment and infrastructures. 

The non-exclusive agreement, presented by Public Utilities Director Shane Pace, allows Century Link to trim trees, restore roads and install antennas under the direction of the city administration. 

Century Link is also required to offer local channels in the television product and provide Sandy City with an educational/government channel and capital equipment and assistance to set up the channel. The channel can be combined with other cities if Sandy can't provide enough programing.