Oakwood Ranch rep outlines plans for about 1,400 acres; commission presses for road, lot‑size and Pony Express safeguards

Chase Andresi, a representative for Oakwood Ranch, updated the Fairfield Planning Commission on a proposed development covering "about 1,400 acres," saying the developer has prepared a draft development agreement and expects to send it to the town for review "within the next few weeks".

The presentation described a mix of uses: an industrial district, a commercial district and large‑lot residential ranchettes. Andresi said Oakwood anticipates residential lot sizes "from 1 to 3 to 5 acres," and would include design standards, exhibits and cross sections in the development agreement that detail setbacks, landscaping, building heights and other controls.

Why it matters: Commissioners emphasized that land use changes of this scale will reshape traffic, utilities and the town’s edge with Eagle Mountain. Several commissioners said they need precise road alignments and easements before any rezones or land swaps proceed, and they asked Oakwood to preserve the historical Pony Express route and the annual Pony Express event routing if possible.

Commissioners raised multiple specific concerns during the roughly two‑hour exchange. Chair (speaker 2) warned that prior presentations had gone to the town council but not to the planning commission, saying, "The planning commission has seen nothing." Commissioners asked Oakwood to provide a clear exhibit showing the Fairfield boundary, existing homes, key parcel owners and where future roads would connect to Highway 73.

On road access and traffic mitigation, commissioners and the developer discussed a northern arterial intended to route data‑center and industrial traffic around, rather than through, Fairfield’s Main Street. Commissioners repeatedly urged the developer to dedicate right‑of‑way or easements up front so the town would not need to purchase critical corridors later. One commissioner noted the town’s general plan already identifies a future road alignment and asked that the proposed development respect that plan.

On enforceable standards, Andresi said the development agreement would incorporate both the town’s existing code and any project‑specific standards (and that private CC&Rs could supplement but not replace municipal zoning). "Once that gets adopted, once we've all agreed to those standards, those are what the standards are," he told commissioners.

Timing and next steps: Andresi said Oakwood is compiling exhibits and standards and expects to provide the planning commission and town staff a more digestible packet — including a draft development agreement and staff‑oriented executive summaries — in a matter of weeks so the commission can provide detailed feedback and schedule follow‑up meetings and public hearings.

What remains unresolved: Commissioners did not vote on any rezones or agreements tonight. They asked Oakwood to return with: parcel‑level maps that show property owner names and the Fairfield boundary, clear road alignment options that avoid the Pony Express route where feasible, a plan for dedicating right‑of‑way for future arterial connections to Highway 73, and precise design standards for the 1, 3 and 5‑acre ranchettes and for the industrial/commercial zones. The presentation closed with Oakwood agreeing to produce the requested exhibits and a draft development agreement for subsequent review.

The planning commission set no dates for hearings tonight; Oakwood and town staff discussed scheduling one or more special work sessions to go through the draft in detail before formal public hearings.