South Salt Lake planning staff and consultants on Wednesday presented a joint station-area plan for the Mill Creek and Meadowbrook FrontRunner stations, a planning requirement tied to state law.

Spencer Cali, South Salt Lake planning staff, and consultants from Design Workshop and Farr | Piers described the plan as a consolidated response to HB 462, which "requires all cities with fixed rail stations to prepare station-area plans for a half-mile radius around the station," according to consultant remarks. The plan covers overlapping half-mile radii for the two stations and identifies catalytic redevelopment sites, streetscape changes and policy adjustments to encourage transit-oriented development (TOD).

The plan’s priorities include increasing walkability and transit connections, encouraging mixed-income and mixed-generational housing, creating public spaces, improving safety and traffic calming near major arterials and integrating open space and trail connections to the Jordan River Trail. Consultants reported outreach that reached about 370 people across roughly a dozen events and 264 survey responses; common themes were better bike/pedestrian routes, more nearby retail and grocery access, more green space, and attention to safety around stations.

On land use, presenters recommended refining existing TOD code provisions rather than wholesale rezoning. Specific changes proposed to encourage feasible retail and redevelopment included re-evaluating the requirement for a minimum retail floor area in every TOD project (a cited example is a 4,000-square-foot retail minimum) and reconsidering minimum lot-size thresholds that can make small-lot redevelopment difficult.

Presenters identified catalytic sites on both sides of 3300 South and along 3900 South, including former industrial parcels and the Salt Lake Community College property adjacent to Meadowbrook Station. Design concepts included mixed-use and higher-density residential buildings near stations, paired with linear open space and improved street sections (wider sidewalks, planting strips and medians) to increase pedestrian comfort.

The consultants described a potential path to state transit-related financing if certain density and affordability thresholds are met: "HTRZ ... could pay for things like a pedestrian bridge over the tracks at the station" if projects reach the thresholds tied to the program. Staff also explained that, after local adoption, the plan will go through regional certification; Matt Ryan of Design Workshop said the city will apply for certification through the Wasatch Front Regional Council and that UTA’s concurrence is part of the required process.

Councilmembers asked about the certification process, safety with increased density, freight-train impacts, and continuity of bike lanes. Consultants said the recommendations align with regional plans and that project-specific design standards and further coordination with UTA, UDOT and WFRC will be part of implementation.

The plan was presented for council review; consultants and staff characterized the item as a policy- and implementation-ready document that will require subsequent actions and interagency coordination. No final council action was taken during the work meeting; presenters and staff described next steps as formal adoption and regional certification processes.

Evidence for this summary comes from the station-area plan presentation and Q&A during the Oct. 29 work meeting.