Far West council approves Slater rezone and development agreement for Marion Estates project

Far West — The Far West City Council on July 16 approved a rezone of several Slater family parcels near 1300 North and 2400 West and adopted a development agreement that modifies the project to address community concerns.

Mayor (name used as mayor in the meeting) told the council the project has been substantially revised through months of negotiation: the original concept with more than 525 residential units has been reduced to 385 units, all townhomes were removed, and the developer agreed to provide two public parks, trail connections along the creek, an emergency secondary access, and a voluntary contribution of $4,000 per residential lot to a restricted city fund to support future parks, trails and community facilities.

Developer representative Chris Williams of EleVantage Consulting said the team worked with the sewer district and the city to include multiple buyer protections and disclosures. "Every final map phase has to mention on its phase that there's the sewer and it produces smell and noise," Williams said, and he added that the development agreement requires individual title notices and a signed acknowledgement from each buyer.

Residents at the hearing voiced concerns about odors from the adjacent Central Weber Sewer Improvement District drying beds, dust from nearby construction, and the potential loss of wildlife habitat. Kim Olsen, a Meadowlark Estates resident, asked the council to consider measures to preserve a known local firefly habitat. Williams said the developer intends to preserve roughly an acre of wetland near the creek and to work with the Army Corps if wetlands are jurisdictional.

Council discussion focused on lot tiers, accessory‑structure setbacks (a planning commission amendment limits a 3‑foot setback to the smallest lot tier only), traffic and trail connections, phasing and the mechanism for the $4,000 per‑lot contribution. Council member Dave moved to approve the rezone; the motion was seconded by Katie and carried unanimously on roll call.

The council also approved the developer's development agreement with the edits discussed on accessory structures and coding clarifications; the agreement requires phased per‑lot payments and includes commitments to dedicate parks and trails to the city.

Next steps: The developer will proceed with final maps and phased platting; the city will receive per‑phase contributions to the restricted fund and continue coordination on trails, wetlands, and traffic mitigation.