Murray planning commission approves Rockworth Block 1 mixed‑use design review

The Murray City Planning Commission on Aug. 21 granted design review approval for Rockworth Companies’ Block 1 mixed‑use development on properties between 4800 South and Fifth Avenue, from State Street on the east to Hanauer on the west, subject to nine conditions from staff and the Architectural Review Committee.

City planner Zach Smallwood presented the staff report and recommended approval, saying the project “is consistent with the goals and objectives of Murray City of the Murray City general plan” and conforms with the city center form‑based code and the downtown strategic plan. After a presentation and questions from commissioners, the commission voted unanimously to approve the design review; Commissioner Jake Pearson moved the motion and Commissioner Peter Kling seconded.

Why it matters: the Block 1 project would add a four‑story multifamily building and three two‑story mixed‑use buildings to the form‑based city center district and is one of the first developments reviewed under Murray’s updated form‑based code. The project is intended to activate the State Street corridor with ground‑floor commercial space and a pedestrian plaza while returning some right‑of‑way and sidewalk area to the city.

Key facts and outcome
- The approved plan calls for approximately 140 residential units in the four‑story building and roughly 45,000 square feet of commercial space distributed across three two‑story mixed‑use buildings. The multifamily building is described at about 51 feet in height.
- Parking provisions include 243 below‑grade structured stalls (about 30–35 of those reserved for city use under the development agreement) and approximately 165 surface stalls; staff and the applicant said underground parking will be split between commercial and residential uses and that Rockworth plans to restrict residential use of certain commercial parking areas.
- The Architectural Review Committee and staff recommended approval with nine conditions; the commission approved the design review subject to those conditions. The motion passed on a roll call vote with all voting members recorded as yes.

What was discussed
- Design and materials: Smallwood and the applicant emphasized materials and massing intended to reflect the historic context along State Street. Smallwood noted the applicant took historic photos of the Mercantile Building and proposed a facade that “pays homage” to the earlier appearance. Elevation materials described in the presentation include stone at the base, brick on midfloors and fiber cement siding on the top floor.
- Open space and frontage: Staff noted form‑based code frontage and open‑space rules and asked the applicant to reduce landscaped frontage that exceeded the code maximum so that public plazas and circulation areas can be meaningfully activated.
- Parking and shared‑use expectations: The applicant said shared parking assumptions under evening and mixed uses will benefit restaurants and theaters. Sarah Namelka of Rockworth Companies told the commission the project provides “over 10 stalls per thousand square feet in the evening,” and that residential users will primarily use dedicated residential parking while surface and certain structured stalls will be managed for commercial patrons.
- Traffic and transit impacts: Smallwood summarized a traffic impact analysis reviewed by the city engineer. He said most studied intersections are expected to operate at acceptable levels during peak hours, but the left‑turn movement from Fifth Avenue onto State Street currently shows and will continue to show high delay (examples in the study indicated delays exceeding 300 seconds). Smallwood said the city is working with the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) on potential pedestrian and turning improvements; because State Street is maintained by UDOT, changes such as prohibiting left turns or other access modifications require coordination and UDOT approval.
- Utilities and permitting: Commissioners asked about wastewater and other utility relocations. Smallwood said Rockworth will need to work with Murray utilities and wastewater to reroute infrastructure where required and meet all department conditions; the staff recommendation includes conditions that require compliance with those utility requirements.

Applicant comments and timeline
Sarah Namelka, representing Rockworth Companies, told the commission the development team has been meeting with city staff and UDOT and will “actively work on” wayfinding and signage. She said the applicant prefers to build apartments under current market and regulatory conditions but is interested in condos if changes to state liability and tax structures make that feasible. Namelka estimated that, if approvals and drawing reviews proceed without delay, construction drawings could start soon and a ground‑breaking could occur in early second quarter 2026, with a 24–28 month construction schedule from groundbreaking to completion.

Public comment and next steps
No members of the public spoke during the meeting’s public comment period on this item. With the planning commission vote, the design review approval advances the project subject to the nine staff‑recommended conditions, UDOT coordination for State Street improvements, and required utility approvals and permits.

Details from the record: the staff report and the Architectural Review Committee recommended approval; staff mailed 75 notices to nearby property owners and received one written comment in favor at the time of the presentation.