FARMINGTON -- Hours of extra effort spent by city committees and area residents proved their worth in Farmington Tuesday night, paving the way for swift approval of a new zone designation and office building project. By unanimous vote, members of the Farmington City Council created a Professional Office or PO zone in the city. The new zone is intended to be less intrusive than other zones, such as Business Park, and to serve as a transition zone between commercial or neighborhood mixed use zones and residential areas. The minimum size of a PO zone will be five acres. The zone text is very specific in uses permitted -- medical, health therapy and dental offices, administrative and executive offices; professional space for lawyers, engineers and architects; financial planning, investment, planning, real estate, insurance and other general business offices, and marriage and family counseling services.

Conditional uses are limited -- financial institutions, including those with drive-up windows; public and private utility service, administration offices and any development which includes multiple buildings or is proposed on a parcel which is more than one acre is size.

The ordinance also includes height standards, limiting buildings or structures to 30 feet. No flat roofs are permitted. Considering how hotly debated the issue had been in prior go-rounds, Tuesday night's public hearing was surprisingly brisk.

Four people spoke in relation to the ordinance or the subsequent approval of an ordinance amending the city's General Plan.



by designating the area in the vicinity of north Main Street, the intersection of Northridge and Mountain Roads and the Pilcher property (1798 North Main) to Professional Office.

Though opposed to the new zoning and the proposed medical office building it would permit, Sharon Treu, Patricia Anderson and Matt Poulsen actually expressed appreciation to Farmington Mayor Scott Harbertson and members of the city council for taking time to listen to their concerns. They also thanked them for trying to make sure the new development fit in the surrounding neighborhood.

Anne Martinez, another commenting resident, however, was unflinching in her continued opposition to the zone designation and the medical office proposal.



bmickelson@davisclipper.com