Draper City has proposed changing its Town Center zoning code to let property owners build at least one residential unit on smaller lots in the historic downtown area, a step toward implementing the city's adopted plan for new housing near the TRAX Blue Line station.
The city posted a public hearing notice on Wednesday, July 16, announcing that the Planning Commission will take up the proposal on Thursday, July 30, at 6:30 p.m. at Draper City Hall, 1020 E. Pioneer Road. Residents can attend and comment in person.
The amendment would rewrite portions of Chapter 9-11 of the Draper City Municipal Code. The city itself is the applicant, not a private developer.
Why it matters
Under the current Town Center zone rules, standalone single-family homes are not permitted. Community Development Director Jennifer Jastremsky told the Planning Commission at its July 11, 2024, meeting, when the body last discussed Town Center zoning constraints, that existing homes in the zone "predate the zoning and are, therefore, legal non-conforming." The code allows commercial, office, and mixed-use development, with residential densities ranging from six to 25 dwelling units per acre under Chapter 9-11.
The proposed change would guarantee at least one residential unit on smaller properties. The city has not yet published the full draft ordinance or defined what "smaller properties" means by lot size.
Connection to the Station Area Plan
The amendment follows directly from Draper's Town Center Station Area Plan, which the City Council adopted on Tuesday, March 4, 2025. That plan envisions 30 to 40 multifamily units, 20 to 30 townhomes or duplexes, and 30,000 square feet of commercial space on the city-owned Fitzgerald site, plus 450 to 500 multifamily units on the adjacent UTA-owned parcel near the TRAX station.
The SAP's implementation checklist lists modifying the TC zone as an initial city policy action. City Planner III Todd Taylor prepared the city's 2025 Moderate Income Housing Report, which references the SAP framework.
When the City Council adopted the SAP in March 2025, Mayor Troy Walker acknowledged the density requirements were driven by state law. "I want you to know this is not your city council doing it to you because we want to. It's because we have to," Walker said at the March 4, 2025, meeting, according to the Draper Journal.
Council member Bryn Johnson echoed that view at the same meeting: "This was forced upon us."
What's next
The Planning Commission hearing on July 30 is a legislative item. The commission will forward a recommendation to the City Council, which holds final authority to adopt or reject the amendment.
The full staff report and draft ordinance language have not been released. Residents who want more information or a copy of the public notice can contact Todd Taylor at (801) 576-6510 or [email protected].
