4 days ago
Layton leaders OK development plan around FrontRunner station, hope for ‘vibrant area'
The areas around the Clearfield, Ogden and Roy FrontRunner stations in northern Utah may have more long-term development potential than in Layton due to availability of open land.
In fact, the proposed Layton Station Area Plan — approved by the Layton City Council last month, but still subject to certification by the Utah Transit Authority — spells out some of the limitations.
'While minimal vacant land exists for larger-scale development, opportunities exist for smaller-scale new development that will benefit the station area and the goals of the Layton Station Area Plan,' reads the planning document.
At any rate, Layton leaders — like officials in other locales with FrontRunner stations — are obliged by state law to craft a plan, and even if future development options are limited, officials see potential.
'We want this to be a vibrant area,' said Weston Applonie, who heads the Layton Community and Economic Development Department.
The Layton FrontRunner station is located at 150 S. Main in the city's historic downtown area. In contrast to the Clearfield, Ogden and Roy stations, with 56, 30 and 80 acres of adjacent land proposed for redevelopment, respectively, and ambitious long-term development aspirations, much of the area around the Layton station is already occupied by 'stable development.' That, the plan says, includes residential neighborhoods and commercial and business areas.
At the same time, UTA owns just four acres of property around the Layton station, which is used for parking. 'As for development, UTA is working with the city to potentially expand FrontRunner park and ride capacity,' said UTA spokesman Gavin Gustafson.
UTA owns about 18 acres around the Roy FrontRunner Station and 17 acres around the Ogden FrontRunner station, which is factored in the long-term mixed-use development proposals in each locale.
Broadly, station area plans are meant to serve as blueprints for long-term growth around FrontRunner stops that align with UTA hopes of promoting transit-oriented development at the locations. Central in transit-oriented development is higher-density housing, theoretically creating a pool of FrontRunner users and thereby bolstering use of the light-rail system as the population along the Wasatch Front surges and helping alleviate congestion on the state's road network.
In Layton, even if there are land limitations, the station area plan — building on earlier planning documents for the area crafted by city leaders — notes medium-density and mixed-use redevelopment opportunities in some pockets. Indeed, east of the FrontRunner station across Main Street, a six-story 253-unit apartment building and two smaller commercial buildings are taking shape on land that used to be part of Cedarwood Mobile Home Park.
City leaders' hopes, according to the plan, are to create a 'vibrant, urban center.' More specifically, the document — which will face scrutiny from both the Wasatch Front Regional Council, a planning body, and UTA officials — calls for 'a mixture of uses and amenities to attract both daytime and nighttime populations.'
Even more specifically, development priorities in the coming five years include installation of a pedestrian bridge near the FrontRunner station connecting Kay's Creek Trail on the east side of Main Street to the west side of the rail line. The plan calls for continued support for the development of future phases of the development on the east side of Main Street, called Layton Station, and efforts to promote 'multi-story moderate- to high-density housing' in the zone.
The Layton Station mixed-use project, not to be confused with the Layton Station Area Plan, eventually calls for removal of the portion of Cedarwood that remains so the land can be redeveloped, though Applonie said city leaders haven't yet received a plan proposal.
The area around the FrontRunner station isn't meant to replace the bustling commercial area around Layton Hills Mall, said Applonie, but rather to be 'developed in its own vibrant way.'
