Logan council denies 100-townhome rezone near 1200 West 200 South, 3-1
October 6, 2026, 5:30 p.m. · Council Chambers, 290 North 100 West
The Logan Municipal Council voted 3-1 to deny a rezone of 5.08 acres from Commercial to Mixed Residential 20 for up to 100 for-sale townhomes, with Councilmember Melissa Dahle opposed. The council also approved the wastewater master plan update, budget adjustments and a solid waste fee correction, each 4-0. Katie Lee-Koven was excused.
From the approved minutes. Updated October 21, 2026.
Decisions at a glance
Agenda, item by item
Item Mayor · Appointment
Board appointments ratified
Approved · 4-0
The council ratified the reappointments of Rachel Behm, Val Christensen and Alyson Ward to the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board and Bill Peterson to the Civil Service Commission, and the appointment of Robert D. Payne to the Civil Service Commission. Police Chief Jeff Simmons explained the commission's role.
Item Mayor · Presentation
Logan City School District update
Discussed
Superintendent Frank Schofield reported about 5,000 students, 407 of them attending from outside district boundaries, a graduation rate above 92% and facility work including playgrounds, preschool remodels and new turf and a scoreboard at the football field.
Item 1 · Roads and utilities
Wastewater master plan update, Resolution 26-34 (public hearing)
Approved · 4-0
Water/Wastewater Manager Joe Hawkes presented the update, which evaluates future collection and transport needs, projects high-level costs for rate and impact fee studies, and assesses inflow and infiltration across Logan and six surrounding communities. No one spoke at the hearing.
Item 2 · Zoning
DSD Elevate West rezone from Commercial to Mixed Residential 20, about 1200 West 200 South, Ordinance 26-17 (public hearing)
Denied · 3-1
Daniel Berger, agent and owner for DSD Elevate West, asked to rezone 5.08 acres from Commercial to Mixed Residential 20 for up to 100 for-sale townhomes. Planner Aaron Smith recommended denial because the Future Land Use Plan designates the site for commercial use; the Planning Commission had recommended approval 4-2. Jaxon Didericksen spoke in favor, preferring residential neighbors. Danny MacFarlane, for the ownership group, called the request a voluntary reduction from 30 to 20 units per acre and cited 304 parking spaces and 25% usable open space. Councilmembers raised the loss of scarce west-side commercial land for uses such as grocery stores and restaurants and housing next to an active commercial business. Simmonds noted a letter from the adjacent business owner that the Planning Commission had not reviewed. City Attorney Craig Carlston advised the council could not approve part of the parcel and deny the rest. Johnson said he wanted to see the outcome of the citywide housing code revisions before approving a rezone of this scale.
- Applicant: Daniel Berger, DSD Elevate West
- Acres: 5.08
- Current zone → proposed: Commercial → Mixed Residential 20 (MR-20)
- Planning Commission: recommended approval, 4-2; staff recommended denial
Item 3 · Budget
Budget adjustments, Resolution 26-35 (public hearing)
Approved · 4-0
The council appropriated grant money: $85,000 from a State Drug Task Force grant for drug use prevention and $6,541 from a State Inter-Library Loan grant for the Logan Library. No one spoke.
- Grant$85,000
- Grant$6,541
Item 4 · Taxes and fees
Solid waste collection and disposal fees, Resolution 26-33 (public hearing)
Approved · 4-0
Environmental Director Tyler Richards said the change corrects rounding in commercial front-load garbage container rates to match a utility billing software update. Rates move by 1 to 4 cents per container and no other rates change.
Item W1 · City code
Workshop: Wildland-Urban Interface code and map, Ordinance 26-18
Discussed
Fire Chief Nate Thompson presented adoption of the 2024 International Wildland-Urban Interface Code and an updated map, required by 2026 state House Bill 41, to keep the city's coverage under the Utah Cooperative Wildfire System. He recommended keeping the current risk threshold of 7, which covers mostly undeveloped eastern land and a few structures; lowering it to 5 would reach many more homes, but only for new construction or major remodels with permits. The item was set for action Oct. 20.
Item W2 · Taxes and fees
Workshop: Light and Power electric vehicle charging rates, Resolution 26-36
Discussed
Light and Power Director Mark Montgomery said new chargers cannot support the old fee schedule ($1 connection fee, first hour free, then $1 per hour). The proposal drops the connection fee and charges $1 per hour for hours one through four and $3 per hour beyond four hours to discourage overnight parking.
Item W3 · Budget
Workshop: budget adjustments, Resolution 26-37
Discussed
Finance Director Richard Anderson outlined three items: $50,000 in donated funds from Cache Valley Electric for Laub Plaza programming; a carry-forward of up to $10 million so the Electric Fund can buy the current Public Works building, with a valuation under way and the amount reduced if the appraisal is lower; and a carry-forward for solar infrastructure at the new Public Works campus. The minutes give the solar amount as $7,000 in the narrative while the agenda lists $750,000, and do not resolve the difference. The Oct. 20 draft resolution lists the solar carry-forward as $750,000; the minutes narrative's $7,000 has not been corrected in the record.
- Grant$50,000 to Cache Valley Electric
- Land deal$10.0 million
What residents said
Part-time wagesLoss of commercial land on the west sideWater conservation
Matthew Fatuesi raised low part-time wages and cost-of-living adjustments, describing his own $10-an-hour job and contrasting it with council pay raises. Linda Johnson praised department presentations, asked about Light and Power planning, supported water conservation incentives and water-wise landscaping programs, commented on proposed park strip watering legislation and asked the city to survey residents about long-term geothermal energy.