Sandy City Council has approved an 86-unit townhome project on the site of the Canyons School District’s Technical Education Center, just a month after voting the same proposal down. The council passed three separate ordinances this week covering a general plan amendment, a rezone and a new development agreement for the project known as Canyon Gate, located at 825 E. 9085 South.
The reversal comes after council members rejected a development agreement for up to 86 townhomes at the site in a 4-2 vote, according to Building Salt Lake. That September rejection sent Sandy city officials back to the table to rework the terms of the deal with the project’s developer, The Boyer Company, before the council took it up again this week. The project would convert the district’s Technical Education Center into a mix of two- and three-story townhomes, with the taller units planned along the south side of 9000 South.
What Changed Between September and October
The central sticking point was how long rental restrictions would apply. Under the previous proposal, rental limits only applied while Boyer owned a unit, but the new agreement extends those restrictions through homeowners association covenants, conditions and restrictions for five years after a unit is sold, Sandy City Attorney Lynn Pace said, according to Building Salt Lake, which first reported the approval. Boyer may retain ownership of up to 17 units, or roughly 20% of the total, and the complex overall is limited to no more than 20% rental units for five years after a unit sells. The company intends to sell the townhome units but may sell or rent the ones it owns if they are not moving quickly, per the same account.
Tracy Cowdell, an attorney working with both Sandy City and Boyer on the proposal, acknowledged the revised terms might not fully satisfy every council concern but called it a step in the right direction, the site reported. Cowdell also said he believes the developer has gone as far as it is willing to go, telling the council he was urged to bring back a strong reason for members to revisit the deal, and that Boyer is unlikely to accept further project restrictions.
A Split Council and Dissenting Votes
The three ordinances passed by different margins. The general plan amendment, which shifts the site’s designation from Institutional to Medium Density Neighborhood, passed 6-1, with council member Kris Nicholl voting against while Cyndi Sharkey voted in favor. The rezone ordinance, which moves the property from R-1-8 single-family residential to PUD(12) — a designation allowing up to 12 units per acre — passed 5-2, with both Nicholl and Sharkey opposed. The development agreement ordinance also passed 5-2, with Nicholl and Sharkey again voting no…