New residential units and retail spaces will be the focus of Tuesday’s city council meeting.
The Sand Canyon Plaza mixed-use project is set for public hearing and will go to the city council for the first time since it was submitted in 2014.
Planning commissioners signed off on the project at their June 6 meeting, sending it to council members for final consideration.
If approved, the development would include 580 residential units, 60,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space and an 85,000 square-foot assisted living facility with up to 140 beds.
“It’s an opportunity for new development in the Canyon Country community,” associate planner Patrick Leclair said.
The development would be located on the northeast corner of Sand Canyon Road and Soledad Canyon Road.
The development would require alterations to the ridgeline on the hillside.
“Like any proposed mixed-use development project, we have to weigh the balance of impacts,” Mayor Cameron Smyth said.
With projects of any size, Smyth said he wants to ensure there is “adequate infrastructure” to accommodate the residents in the surrounding area.
He anticipates the main concern from community members will be the impact on traffic because of the added homes and businesses.
“For me, I want to talk about traffic and make sure there are adequate mitigations in place because of the location of the property,” the mayor said. “That’s something I want to be sure of.”
The Sand Canyon Plaza applicant held about 25 community meetings throughout the last three years to garner the public’s feedback about the project, according to the city council agenda.
Also, the applicant met with the Sand Canyon Home Owners Association, the Canyon Country Advisory Committee and nearby residential communities.
From those meetings, the main concerns were possible traffic and noise impacts, the agenda cited, though there were residents who said they liked the idea of the project as well.
“I think our staff, the planning commission and the applicant have worked really hard with the community so they feel the project fits with the neighboring area and answers all questions,” Smyth said.
Ensuring there is a sufficient water supply to accommodate the houses and stores will be discussed as well, according to the mayor.
He also wants to ensure the schools in the surrounding area are on board with the development, which include Sulphur Springs Elementary School, Mitchell Community Elementary School, Pinetree Community Elementary School and College of the Canyons East Campus.
Councilmembers are technically able to approve the project on Tuesday, but Smyth said these projects most often go for a second reading.
The rest of Tuesday’s agenda is light, which Smyth said was purposeful.
“It’s important that this project became the main focus of the agenda so if the council and any residents want to ask questions, they have the time to do that,” he said.
