Recent requests to rezone east Erda property to one-acre lots for development have been met with strong citizen opposition, but a new proposal has yet to face similar conflict.
The Tooele County Planning Commission voted to send a positive recommendation to the County Commission for an application to rezone property in east Erda that will allow one-acre lots on three parcels totaling 32.75 acres.
The planning commission’s approval was given during its meeting Wednesday night at the Tooele County Building.
Rick Palmer, an Erda resident who lives on the property, applied for the rezone from rural residential with a minimum lot size of five acres to rural residential with a one-acre minimum lot size. The property is located on state Route 36 east of the intersection of SR-36 and Church Road.
Currently, there are two homes on one 7.96-acre parcel within the area being rezoned. Palmer desires to subdivide the property so the two homes will be on separate parcels.
“I have no plans to change the way the property is being used,” Palmer said.
Tooele County planning staff reported that they received one phone call from a member of the public concerned about the rezone request.
“They were concerned about potential residential development in the area, considering recent rezone and development applications in the area that have been subject to various referendums,” said Jeff Miller, Tooele County planning staff.
“We explained that the applicant has informed planning staff that the main reason for the proposed rezone request is to allow the property owner to separate the two existing homes onto separate properties,” Miller said. “ … Also, the applicant has informed planning staff that there are no immediate plans for additional residential development on these properties within the foreseeable future. It appeared that this response satisfied any concern that they had regarding this proposed rezone.”
Palmer operates a sod farm on the property. Other landowners in the rezone area use property for irrigated farm land and pasture, Miller said.
The future land use map in the county’s updated general plan for Tooele Valley shows the property with a density of between one and 20 residences per acre, according to Miller.
There is one adjacent area north of the property that is zoned RR-1 and much of the property on the west side of SR-36 is RR-1. The balance of the adjacent property is zoned RR-5.
Miller pointed out that any additional residential development on the property would be subject to the minor subdivision approval process
The planning commission opened a public hearing on the rezone request, but no one came forward to speak.
Only four planning commission members were present for the meeting. The vote to send Palmer’s rezone request to the County Commission for approval was unanimous.