Commission backs limited zoning change to allow small, ancillary private-school uses in R3

The Draper City Planning Commission on March 12 voted unanimously to forward a positive recommendation to the City Council for a zoning text amendment that would allow conditional private-school uses only in the R3 zone and only in narrowly defined circumstances.

Staff described the request as a text amendment to Table 9-10-090 of the Draper City Municipal Code to add private schools as a conditional use in residential zones. Because the applicant (Skaggs Catholic Center LLC) targeted an R3 property, staff suggested limiting the change to R3 and adding a footnote to prevent new, full-scale private schools across all residential zones. The proposed alternate language would permit private-school expansions only on parcels one acre or smaller and only where the use is ancillary to an existing private school campus.

Applicant Joe Colosimo and students from Saint John the Baptist Middle School described a farm-to-table educational project on a parcel north of 11800 South. Colosimo said the school bought the property four years ago and plans a phased program starting with a small vegetable garden and a 20-by-20 greenhouse. Students described a $7,500 grant already secured for the first phase and told commissioners they would use the site for hands-on lessons and food for the cafeteria.

The commission’s motion adopted the staff-suggested limitations and also asked staff to craft a formal code definition for the term "ancillary" before the matter goes to council. The alternate text includes a cap on site coverage (2,000 square feet) and a 25-foot maximum structure height for permitted accessory school uses.

The commission’s recommendation will go to City Council for a final decision; if the council adopts the change, future conditional-use permits for qualifying private-school expansions in R3 zones will return to the commission for site-specific review of lighting, parking and hours.