Eagle Mountain Planning Commission, 13 October 2026

In short: The Planning Commission sent three items to the City Council with favorable recommendations. One was a drive-up credit union branch on Pony Express Parkway, approved with narrower lanes than code calls for. Another was a cleanup of zoning in Oak Hollow and Parkway Crossroads. The third was the city's first rules for artificial turf. Before the votes, commissioners gave Ivory Homes feedback on a 93-lot neighborhood planned north of SR 73.

Present: Rod Hess (chair), Bryan Free, Chad DeCoursey, Brent Strong, Laura Jensen (alternate, voting in Allen's place). Jason Allen was excused because his child was born that morning.

Staff: David Stroud (Senior Planner), Mickie Mills (Planner), Stephen (staff, gave the status report in place of Brandon, who was ill; surname not stated), Marcus Draper (City Attorney), Ben (Ivory Homes, applicant's representative for Deer Run; surname not stated), Abe Dietz (UCCU, applicant's representative).

Decisions

#	Agenda ref	Motion	Moved / Seconded	Vote	Result
1	5.A	Approve the minutes of the September 22, 2026 meeting	Free / Strong	5-0	Passed
2	7.A	Positive recommendation to City Council on the UCCU Express site plan with 8.5-foot drive-up lanes. Conditions: Class 2 street trees in the park strip between the trail and Pony Express Parkway, plus signs sending larger vehicles to the outside lane	Hess / Jensen	5-0	Passed
3	7.B	Positive recommendation to City Council on the zoning map and future land use map changes for Oak Hollow and Parkway Crossroads, as presented	Strong / Free	5-0	Passed
4	7.C	Positive recommendation to City Council on the artificial turf and rear-yard landscaping code changes. The tree-clearance rule to be reworded so turf may not be installed within 2.5 feet of a tree trunk	DeCoursey / Strong	5-0	Passed
5	11	Adjourn	Jensen / none recorded	Voice vote	Passed

Settled without a vote:

• The commission took no action on the Deer Run concept plan. Commissioners asked the city to require an access easement along the wash, to keep fences out of it, and to consider joining two dead-end streets across it.
• David Stroud said staff would check whether the current wash setback already bars fences. If it does not, he wants that rule written into the Deer Run development agreement.
• The next meeting was set for October 27. Commissioner DeCoursey expects to be away at a conference that week.

Meeting map

Agenda ref	Topic	~Start (elapsed)	One-line note
1.A	Deer Run concept plan (Ivory Homes)	0:01	93 lots on about 61 acres; wash setback, city parcels, road layout
1.B	Agenda review	0:26	Brief preview of 7.A to 7.C; work session ends at 6:00 PM
2–3	Call to order, Pledge of Allegiance	0:31	Policy session opens at 6:30 PM
4	Conflicts of interest	0:32	None declared; Jensen named a voting member
5.A	September 22 minutes	0:33	Approved 5-0
6	Status report	0:35	Stephen reports on recent City Council actions
7.A	UCCU Express site plan	0:38	8.5-foot drive-up lanes and street tree size debated
7.B	Oak Hollow and Parkway Crossroads rezoning	1:04	Zoning cleanup; no public comment
7.C	Artificial turf and rear-yard landscaping code	1:09	New turf standards; 50% living-plant rule debated
10	Next scheduled meeting	1:37	October 27
11	Adjournment	1:39	7:38 PM

Discussed but NOT on the agenda: the city's street tree guide and whether it lists the right trees; enforcement and resident education on landscaping rules.

On agenda but little/no discussion: 8 (no discussion items), 9 (agenda review, already done in the work session).

What was discussed

1.A — Deer Run concept plan

Ivory Homes plans a neighborhood on about 61 acres north of SR 73, along the Airport Road extension that Ivory built. The commission saw an earlier version a few months ago. David Stroud brought it back after City Council review. The land is zoned Foothill Residential, with quarter-acre minimum lots and a half-acre average, and the plan shows 93 lots, a wildlife corridor, open space and detention. One block ran "about 30 feet over" the length limit, so staff required a mid-block walkway. Stroud called the overage "kind of ticky-tack."

Two city-owned parcels next to Airport Road have dropped out of the plan. Stroud said staff believed the council wanted them kept in. The problem is access, because individual lots cannot have driveways onto those roads. He suggested a short cul-de-sac for one parcel and a shared private drive for the other.

The wash crossing the site would sit inside private lots, not city land. City code sets the setback at 75 feet from the wash's centerline or 50 feet from its top edge, whichever is greater. Ivory wants 20 feet from the top edge, written into a development agreement that has not been drafted. Stroud said he had told Ivory this "may be a hard sell."

Chair Hess asked whether anyone had considered putting businesses next to the future highway, which he described as a six-lane freeway with frontage roads. Ben of Ivory said moving straight from commercial to large foothill lots is hard, and that Ivory is looking at commercial sites on the other side of the highway. Stroud had heard no city discussion of the idea. Hess also urged the city to join the two westernmost streets across the wash instead of ending them in cul-de-sacs, for emergency access and easier travel. Ben said the wash narrows at that point and the crossing would cost lots 92 and 93.

Commissioner DeCoursey asked whether the city usually owns its washes. Stroud said some, such as Tickville, are city-owned, and that Ivory wants to keep this one private. Commissioner Strong said he has seen this wash flow over the road several times in his lifetime and warned against assuming it stays dry. Ben replied, "we would never propose houses in where the flood could go." Ben said lot 59 shows a real Ivory house footprint that still fits under the largest setback.

Strong passed on an email from someone with a wildlife group, who asked which standard sets the corridor's location. Staff said the corridor follows an older city map drawn by Todd Black. Stephen said Public Works and Engineering will want an easement along the wash, since a 20-foot strip could not be fenced and crews need open access. Stroud added that he does not want fences down in the wash.

6 — Status report

Stephen reported for Brandon, who was ill. The City Council tabled the Corrigan rezone so the applicant has more time, and it returns as a council discussion item. The council approved the archery code. It tabled the barbed-wire fencing change so the wording can be reworked. It approved a rule treating lots under 4,500 square feet as legal lots in the residential cottage zone. It tabled the change separating ordinary site plans from master site plans pending more information on timing.

7.A — UCCU Express site plan

Mickie Mills presented a drive-up credit union branch at 4314 N Pony Express Parkway, near the Trailhead area. The lot is zoned community commercial, which matches the general plan. The landscaping uses water-wise plants, and the site has more parking than required. UCCU asked for a minor variation: two drive-up lanes 8.5 feet wide instead of the 10 feet code requires, with a 10-foot escape lane on the outside. Mills noted that a Hummer is about 7.5 feet wide and a dually F-350 about 8 feet. She still recommended approval, and said the 8.5 feet is measured curb face to curb face, leaving more room for mirrors above.

Abe Dietz of UCCU said wider lanes lead drivers to stop too far from the machine and open their doors, a safety problem for older members. Bollards protect the machines, and both lanes would stay open. Commissioner DeCoursey said his vehicle would have about 3 inches on each side and asked whether 9 feet would work. Commissioner Strong, who drives a dually with wide mirrors, called the door-opening argument "not a good excuse." Commissioner Free proposed a sign directing larger vehicles to the outside lane, and Dietz agreed. Commissioner Jensen noted that drivers with trailers can park and walk in.

Chair Hess raised the street trees. The plan uses Japanese tree lilac, which the city's street tree guide lists as Class 1, meant for park strips 5 feet wide or less. Mills measured the park strip at about 10 feet, so Hess argued for larger Class 2 trees. Stephen said he knew of no code language on classes. Hess read the code section requiring trees from the city-approved list, and Marcus confirmed that the guide on the Parks and Recreation web page is that list. Hess's motion carried both conditions.

7.B — Oak Hollow and Parkway Crossroads zoning cleanup

This item continues the city's work to move older zoning onto current zones. Mickie Mills said five residential properties in Oak Hollow qualified for the R-3 zone but will be zoned residential cottage so the zoning stays continuous. Roads get agriculture zoning, parks get improved open space, and the Pony Express frontage gets community commercial as a buffer. Parkway Crossroads leaves the old Village Core commercial zone, which Mills called restrictive. Oak Hollow homes move from Residential 1 to Residential 2 on the future land use map. She said no property gains or loses rights.

No one spoke at the public hearing. Commissioner Free said "RC" for residential cottage is easy to confuse with regional commercial. Mills explained that the commercial zone is "CR" and only the land use label reads "regional commercial," but agreed it is confusing.

7.C — Artificial turf and rear-yard landscaping code

David Stroud said the mayor asked staff to write turf rules. He adapted a code he had drafted for Saratoga Springs and checked details with a turf supplier. The draft requires a no-fade warranty, a mix of colors, blades at least 1.5 inches long, at least 50 ounces per square yard, and drainage of 19 inches per hour. Turf must stay 2.5 feet from trees, use no rubber infill, and keep stormwater on the lot. Turf does not count as living landscaping, so front yards still need 50% living plant cover, not counting tree canopy. Each install needs staff approval. A second change deletes rear-yard landscaping rules, which state law bars the city from enforcing, along with references to private covenants.

Commissioner DeCoursey asked whether the infill rule might bar sand. Stroud said crushed quartz is typical, and members agreed that "non-natural" materials like rubber are the target. Chair Hess worried that utilities digging in easements would inherit the cost of replacing turf. He also questioned the stormwater rule. Marcus said current law already requires owners to keep stormwater on their lots. Hess and Commissioner Strong both said 50% living cover is a lot. Strong said he would prefer "75% turf" to a yard that turns into "a weed patch."

Commissioner Free said many residents will hear only "I can do turf now." He urged the council to use the city's communications director, postcards, and monthly enforcement themes like the ones the old Ranches homeowners association ran. Stephen noted that the 50% rule applies to building permits issued after February 1, 2024. Marcus said it would apply to anyone installing turf from now on. DeCoursey proposed rewording the tree-clearance rule so it limits the turf, not the tree, and the motion included that change.

Notable moments

• A birth and a vote. Commissioner Allen missed the meeting because his child was born that morning, so alternate Laura Jensen voted on every item.
• The Taco Bell test. Chair Hess asked whether UCCU would staff both lanes, noting a local Taco Bell whose outer lane is always closed. Abe Dietz said both lanes would stay open.
• Street tree guide under scrutiny. Hess said the city does "a huge disservice" by allowing small trees in wide park strips, and saved "another rant" for later. Commissioner Free noted that the guide on the city website is dated August 4, 2020.
• Flowering pears. Commissioner Jensen asked whether the city had banned flowering pears. Hess said "No, but we should," and commissioners found them still on the approved list.
• The wash does flood. Strong, who has lived in the area all his life, said he has seen this wash flow over SR 73. A dry spell, he said, should not set the setback.
• Turf runs hot. Hess pointed to the city's own artificial turf on Eagle Mountain Boulevard: "Be careful what you wish for... it's hot stuff."

About this transcript

The speech-to-text software misspelled several names. "Freeh" and "Fried" mean Bryan Free; "DiCorsi" and "Corsi" mean Chad DeCoursey; "Strom" and "Schall" mean Brent Strong. "UCC Express" and "Expressway" mean UCCU Express, "Oak Hill" means Oak Hollow, and "Nicolaus Sec" is probably "knuckle" or "cul-de-sac." "Syringa mirticulata" is Syringa reticulata, and "Mickey" is Mickie Mills. The spelling of the UCCU representative's name, "Abe Dietz," is uncertain. The wildlife group, given as "Wilderness Alliance" and "GSLLC Wildlife Alliance," could not be made out.

The speaker labels mix people together. One label covers both Mickie Mills and Commissioner Jensen. Several roll-call answers carry another speaker's label, so votes here follow the names the chair called. The transcript gives no surname for Stephen. Marcus is City Attorney Marcus Draper, identified by voice and by his role answering legal questions. Steve Mumford is named as passing on staff comments about Deer Run. Ben of Ivory Homes was not otherwise identified, and "Brad" of Ivory was mentioned but absent.