Gravel pit development begins with AJ Rock site plan

By Cassie Goff | [email protected]

Over the summer months, AJ Rock LLC has been working with the Cottonwood Heights Planning Staff, Architectural Review Board, and Planning Commission to get a development plan along Wasatch Boulevard approved. This development plan will be part of the overall Gravel Pit development within Cottonwood Heights. 

The 21.5-acre area AJ Rock LLC would like to develop is located within the southwest corner of the gravel pit area on 6695 S. Wasatch Blvd. (along with 0.13 acres in Holladay on 3402 E. Gun Club Road). This development area has been commonly referred to as the AJ Rock Gravel Pit. 

The preliminary development plan for this area includes apartments, condos, retail space and a hotel. Specifically, an apartment building of seven stories with 285 units and 486 parking stalls; 99 condominiums units of 12 stories with 133 parking stalls; 17,680 square feet of retail space; and a hotel with 140 rooms. 

The proposed development is to be used as single-family residential with a pool house, which the current mixed use land policy and planned development district zone (PDD) allows for. 

The PDD zoning designation was adopted in 2015. AJ Rock LLC is currently requesting to amend the current zoning designation to replace with a newly-drafted PDD-2 zone titled the Wasatch Rock Redevelopment Planned Development District. This would not take place of the PDD but it would be an addition to the current code and zoning plans. 

On July 1, the Planning Commission held a public hearing for Project PDD-19-00—changing the zoning designation from F-1-21 to PDD-2. Former Senior Planner Matt Taylor noted on that date, “the PDD-2 is a zoning designation prepared specifically for the subject property by the applicant, within the guidelines of Chapter 4 19.51 of the City’s Zoning Ordinance.”

The potential land uses and businesses for such an area might include hotels, restaurants, clubs, coffee shops, art galleries, bookstores, and other retail businesses similar to that of Park City’s Main Street.

The Architectural Review Commission (ARC) granted a Certificate of Design Compliance after several modifications were made in late April and have since recommended supplemental design guidelines that will enhance the current guidelines.

In July, however, the Planning Commission, City Planners, and the Public Works Department illustrated many concerns with the plan. One of the recommendations was to have additional coordination with the City of Holladay, UDOT (the Utah Department of Transportation), the Metropolitan Water District of Salt Lake and Sandy City. 

City planners recommended several alterations to the proposed development plans, including those to address concerns over sensitive lands, angled parking within the right-of-way, snow removal, cross-access and cross-parking. In addition, the proposal did not meet global standards for PDD zones within the city related to affordable housing. The current plan identified 35 affordable housing units, when the size of the development should have allowed for at least 42. 

Concerns of the Public Works Department are preliminary grading, geologic, and storm drainage studies. Public Works requested more information from the applicant regarding the scope of the disturbed areas, drainage impact to native vegetation, slope stabilization methods and compaction requirements, erosion control methods and revegetation plans. 

In addition, on July 29, UDOT representatives heard from the developers. As the area serves as a primary fire access point, UDOT was not ready to approve an indication because the applicants had not addressed the emergency access utilization. 

On Aug. 5, Community and Economic Development Director Mike Johnson reported that they had reached a point in the process where a lot of outstanding items were being addressed.