Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Lehi Planning Commission duped by the Planning Division; email to Marilyn Banasky; LDS Church using its leverage on its members to approve a building project, they must approve!

I have finally received a few of my GRAMA request back today, unfortunately, they are incomplete, invalid or missing a complete set of the required attachments.  In this blog post I will take a look at three applications that were submitted to the city by either VCBO or TRIO, both architects for the LDS Church.  I sent a email letter to Marilyn Banasky and cc'd Kim Struthers, Ryan Wood and Todd Munger. 
There are numerous issues regarding the three applications I received, I outlined a few of the problems in the email letter I sent to Marilyn.  
From: William Conley <billhytek@hotmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, May 24, 2016 1:15 PM
To: Marilyn Banasky; tjmunger@lehi-ut.gov; kstruthers@lehi-ut.gov; Ryan Wood
Subject: Re: GRAMA requests #48-59
Marilyn

Thank you for sending me a few of the GRAMA request responses.

I just thought I would give you a little feedback from what you sent me.

The Application for Site Plan Approval, Application for Conditional Use Permit Approval and Application for Grading Permit are using outdated Lehi City Forms. It is clear from the code that when an applicant submits a application to the City they are required to use the most current forms available.  All these applications are invalid. All of the applications have no stamped receipt date by the city along with numerous other problems.

The Application for Conditional Use Permit approval is not dated and has not been received by the city. There was no fee submitted with the application, no receipt number, no project name and none of the boxes have been checked in the Application Requirements.   This is an invalid application.  Anyone can create an application, however, it must be submitted on a current application form along with an application fee and ALL the application requirements boxes checked with the required submittals. This has not been done. This Application is invalid. This application has not been received by the city as evidenced by the fact that the For Office Use Only boxes are left blank.  There is also no city receipt dated stamped on the application.

Question:  Why is DRC reviewing a Conditional Use application that obviously has not been submitted to the city? Why was this allowed to be presented to the planning commission for approval on April 28th when it is obvious the applicant had not even filed it with the city? Even if it was filed with the city (which it clearly was not), it is not even filled in, why would the planning division staff at the city allow this to proceed without all the required submittals and recommend the planning commission approve to the conditional use application permit as submitted by Trio?


Notice The LDS Church through their architect TRIO filled out the application and signed it, that is it. This is an incomplete application at best, certainly not ready to be reviewed by the reviewing departments and approved by the planning commission.



Comment:  Can you believe that the Planning Division staff recommended granting final approval on this Conditional use permit submitted by TRIO (I am almost positive they did not submit this prior to the planning commission meeting.  Who is running that Division, they should be fired! There is no way this application should have been submitted to the planning commission for approval, truly unbelievable.
In my GRAMA request, this is the ONLY submittal given to me by the city which discusses parking.
This is the process provided the applicant with the application.  As you can see, you must first submit a complete application before the reviewing departments review your application and most definitely before the planning commission votes on approving your conditional use application.  The LDS Church failed to provide the city with a complete application, therefore, until they do, this should never have seen the light of day before the planning commission. A clear violation of the process of approving a conditional use permit.
My guess, TRIO did not even submit this application prior to the Planning Commission meeting.
The Application for Site Plan Approval is for the Thanksgiving Village Stake Center ONLY, an Application for the Commercial Office Plan Site Plan Approval has yet to be provided to me.  There are so many errors with this application (25+), let me focus on just a couple:  First of all there is no project name, no proof that a fee has been paid to the city and no date in which the fee was paid.  There is no receipt date stamped on the application.  There are numerous boxes that required to be checked showing the applicant has in compliance with the submittal which have not been checked. This application is invalid.

Question: Why wasn't the fee if paid recorded?  Why is there no stamp date as to when the application was received by the city? Why would the planning division staff recommend approving an application which had not been properly received and properly recorded at the city? Why would the staff allow an incomplete application to proceed?  I will have numerous other revelations at my appeal of this project.
Notice the application submittal requirements is left blank! They didn't appear to pay the fee.
Thank you for providing me a copy of a grading permit submitted June 25, 2015 well before the Family Search Plat was even created.  This grading permit is invalid for a number of different reasons, I will mention only a few.  There is no file number, no project name, no record of a date when the supposed $100 in cash was paid to the city.  The grading permit is for 2 x 125,000 square foot office buildings and not a 123,000 square foot office building and a LDS Stake Center.  The grading permit application requirements are not complete.  This application is also invalid and very interesting.  The timing of this application and other documents you provided me from VCBO were well in advance of the Family Search Plat being recorded at Utah County (July 9, 2015).

Question: If VCBO knew they needed a grading permit last June, why didn't they apply for one prior to grading the property in May of this year? Why didn't VCBO apply for a grading application as required by Chapter 9 of the Lehi City Code?  Even if this application were valid (which it is not and not even applicable for the current development), the Letter submitted by Jared K. Ford is no longer valid wholly inaccurate.

Oops.  Wrong project!  Proves however VCBO knew they needed to submit a application for grading permit!!!!
Comment:  Can you believe they sent me a application for a grading permit dated June 25th, 2015, nearly three weeks before the Family Search Plat was even created.  At this point the LDS Church did not own the property.  Notice, it too, is not filled out on the front, they paid in cash (now what company does that), but there was no date that they paid the $100 dollars, they just said they did.  This grading permit was for 2 x 120,000 square foot office buildings, not a single commercial office building and an LDS Stake Center. I am so glad they sent this to me.  It PROVES that VCBO knew they needed to apply for a grading permit. Now who applies for grading permit on a piece of property they don't own, UNLESS, they know that the city will grease the skids to push through this project without having to follow Lehi City Code.

It is apparent from the few documents you have provided me that the City of Lehi has greased the skids for this project to be pushed along and approved while breaking numerous Lehi City Codes. Most egregious of all is the creation of the Family Search Plat in the dead of night by Todd Munger and Gary Smith (I suggest you read one of my latest blog post  on this subject).

I am very excited to see the completed Preliminary and Final Application for Plat Approvals.  Please make sure you provide me with the actual submissions from the applicant with stamped dates of receipt by the city.

If you know of GRAMA request that you are unable to provide me because the applicant has failed to provide the city the required documents, applications or submittals, please identify those GRAMA request.  If I don't know you don't have the information, I may resubmit GRAMA request that I am waiting to get back from you and that would be a waste of time on your part and mine. So please let me know which GRAMA request you will not be able to answer.

Thanks

Bill Conley

END OF EMAIL

Comment:  I will be able to prove the Family Search Plat was created illegally and the proposed building project on the Thanksgiving Point Driving Range should never have seen the light of day. I don't care how far I have to go in order to stop this project (all the way to the supreme court if necessary). The LDS Church and the City of Lehi are in cahoots with one another and I know I will be able to prove it.  The truth about this case just keep pouring in.  I can't wait until the Web.com event in July, I will be prepared to give the reporters plenty to talk about.

I have requested meetings with the Presiding Bishopric of the LDS Church, the mayor of Lehi - Bert Wilson, Todd Munger - Public Works, city of Lehi, Ryan Woods - Lehi City Attorney, Brent Roberts and Nathan Hale (had one meeting, now they don't want to meet), Wade Alred - Streets at the city of Lehi.  No one will meet with me or call me back. I filed a report with the Lehi Police department regarding the grading and the police officer who took the report refuses to call me back.   It appears that the city or the LDS Church is not interested in meeting with me even though I could provide them a solution to their HUGE problem which I believe they would be interested in hearing.


Monday, May 23, 2016

LDS Church violating Lehi City Development Code 28.070, Section (c) Access and Traffic. Garden Drive is not defined as a Collector Street. LDS Church MUST stop construction IMMEDIATELY!



May 4, 2016

2:50 pm

I just had a 30 minute conversation with Lorin Powell, the Lehi City engineer.
Here are the notes from that conversation that I wrote while we were talking.
Lorin indicated he defined Garden Drive as a collector in 2004. At least in his head, he defined Garden Drive as a collector, he didn’t tell anybody about it until it showed up in the conditional use application put forth by Trio Design.  Prior to that, nobody knew Garden Drive was a collector. Garden Drive is not a collector!!!!!!!!!
He indicated that there are NO documents, no maps, nothing that would reveal that Garden Drive is a collector.
He said the city took over the road from Thanksgiving Point in 2004 when a few developments (subdivisions) were going to be built.
He said Garden Drive has very limited parking.  One of the conditions for TPARC to approve the Family Search plat is the requirement that Garden Drive curb be painted red, no parking.
He mentioned that the city has not taken an inventory of streets since sometime in the 90,s.  So there is nothing that would show that Garden Drive was every labeled a collector.
The first time Garden Drive was labeled a collector is in the application from Trio Design when it said, “engineering believes Garden Drive to be a collector.” 
The master plan does not inventory roads.  It shows how roads should look going forward.
When I mentioned that I had several maps showing the collector street layout in Lehi and that Garden Drive was not labeled a collector, he could not respond to that.
I told him I had a Master Transportation Map from May 2015 that did not show Garden Drive as a collector. Also the Master Transportation Map in 2010 does not show Garden Drive as a collector.
He indicated the collector and arterial on the master plan were for roads to be built in the future.
There is no inventory of roads that show or differentiate collectors, arterial and roads.
I commented that Garden Drive could not even meet the classification of a road in today’s terms, that it is only 33’ wide and a street is defined as 34’ wide. 
He indicated that 2350 W was classified as a collector in May of 2004.
He indicated the whole area was built out in a 4 year period.
He thought the bridge was built by Thanksgiving Pt and did not know if it was deeded to the city at the time Garden Drive was deeded to the city. The bridge was also deeded over to the city.
It was a private bridge at one time.
I indicated that Club House Drive, Executive Parkway and Ashton Blvd are labeled as collectors and asked him why Garden Drive was not labeled as a collector. He did not know.
The Master Transportation plan defines what roads will look like in the future. He indicated that since they have not taken an inventory of roads, that the roads that are already built are not labeled or inventoried.
I asked him if that was the case, why was Club House Drive and Executive Parkway labeled as a collector and not Garden Drive, he could not respond.
He said there is a deed transferring Garden Drive to the City and that I could see it and the abstract of the deed on a plat map at Utah County.
The plat map entry number is 91925. The deed transfer was on August 10, 2004. The deed was transferred by Thanksgiving Point Development Company, LC and signed by Ralph Rasmussen, Beesmark Investment Manager. No signature needed for the city.
I know I mentioned this, he said the maps produced by the city are not an inventory of the streets in Lehi.
Bottom line, there is nothing that shows Garden Drive labeled as a collector. There are maps that show Garden Drive is NOT a collector.
Just because Lorin Powell says it is a collector, does not make it a collector. Garden Drive has never been labeled a collector except in the mind of Loren Powell. That does not make it a collector. It does not even qualify to be a road, less lone a collector.
Club House Drive was taken over by the city at the same time as Garden Drive it is labeled as a collector, so is Executive Parkway.
Garden Drive when it was deeded over to the city, included the narrow bridge and ended there, at the end of the bridge.
Lorin Powell had 11 years to update Lehi City maps to indicate that Garden Drive was a collector.  He did not do so, because he never thought Garden Drive was a collector. About the same time, the city took over Club House Drive and Executive Parkway and he labeled them collector streets on the Lehi City maps and Master plan.  He did not label Garden Drive a collector because it never was a collector.
Lorin when asked if there was any plans in the next 5+ years for additional or roads in the Thanksgiving Point area and he indicated, there were NO plans for additional streets or roads.
There will be thousands of new employees working in the Thanksgiving Point area in the next years and several thousand more in the coming years with NO new infrastructure.
I asked him if he has met with UDOT and he indicated he has not met with UDOT or spoken with UDOT.  I asked him if he knew if Ross has met with UDOT or spoken with UDOT and he indicated he did not know. So if Ross has met with UDOT regarding this development and stoplights at 2150 and 2300, wouldn’t you think he may have had a conversation with his boss? The answer is NO. So has Ross met with UDOT or spoken with UDOT?  I sent Ross and email and placed a phone call with him on May 4th, I am awaiting his response.  If I don’t hear back from him, I will call UDOT and ask them if they have heard of Ross Dinsdale, have they met with him or spoken with him regarding a traffic light at 2150 W and 2300 W in Lehi? (Ross has not spoken with UDOT and was not at the singular meeting with UDOT on March 21).

I have sent numerous emails to the city and have posted several different articles relating to how the Family Search Project MUST be stopped due  to the FACT that Garden Drive is not a collector street.
Below are portions of those emails and/or blog post articles.

Violation:  Access and Traffic.
Lehi City code states: Direct access from an arterial or collector street to the office and professional services uses MUST be provide.  The access from the proposed development is Garden Drive which in ALL city maps, websites and master plan is defined as a road and not a collector street or arterial.
In the application, engineering considers Garden Drive to be a collector street.  Engineering may consider it for the purpose of this development to be a collector street that does not make it a collector street.  Just saying it is a collector street does not make it a collector street, it needs to be defined as a collector street by Lehi City Code and shown as a collector street on ALL city maps and Master Transportation Plan.
A collector street as defined in Chapter 2 of the Lehi City Code section 2.02 states the following:
A.    ALL streets in an adjacent to the subdivision MUST CONFORM to the major street master plan of the city.
Lehi City Master Transportation Plan, adopted by the Lehi City Council on May 12, 2015 (less than a year ago) shows Garden Drive as a street (road).
Lehi City Street map, produced by Lehi City GIS, Jason Dewill, GIS Coordinator, August 26, 2016 shows Garden Drive as a Road.
      D.  Street width is to be measure from lot line to lot lines. The minimum width of streets according to the Lehi City Master Transportation Plan, unless otherwise expressly permitted by the CITY COUNCIL (not the city engineer), shall be measured as follows:
Street Type                                           Asphalt Width
Local Streets                                             34’
Minor collector streets                           38-44’
Major collector streets                            48’
Utah Handbook on the Powers and Duties of Appeal Authorities defines a collector street as follows:
A street which collects traffic from local street and connects with minor and major traffic arteries.
Kelly Ash in the planning commission meeting that decided whether or not the city should approve the commercial office site, said the following (note: he voted NO when asking whether or not to approve the commercial office site)
Kelly Ash has a problem with the traffic, “not convinced, one that this will work at least the things that have been suggested, signal on 2150, that road goes through a neighborhood, not shown as a major transportation corridor on our master plan” (bingo)
I spoke with Ryan Hale of Hale engineering on May 10, 2016.  Mr. Hale indicted in our conversation that Garden Drive was a street not a collector.  Lehi has commissioned Mr. Hale and his company to advise them of traffic related solutions in the Thanksgiving Point area.
I asked Lorin Powell if had ever met with UDOT and he indicated he has not met with UDOT or spoken with UDOT.  I asked him if he knew if Ross Dinsdale has met with UDOT or spoken with UDOT and he indicated he did not know.
 Lorin Powell does not know who met with UDOT and doesn’t know the content of any conversations with UDOT.
In the application submitted to the Lehi Planning Commission by VCBO for Site Plan Approval of the Thanksgiving Point Family Search project, nowhere did it mention that Garden Drive was a collector street.  Only in the Application for Conditional Use permit approval presented to the Planning Commission by TRIO did it mention that engineering believed that Garden Drive was a collector street.  Believing that Garden Drive is a collector street and Garden Drive actually being a collector street as defined by Lehi Code are two completely different issues. One is a belief, the other actual. You may believe Garden Drive is a collector street when actually it is not. Not by any definition, not by any map, not by any Lehi city code.  Plainly put, Garden Drive is not a collector street.
In this case even if Garden Drive was divinely defined by Lorin Powell as a collector, (1) he has not defined it as a minor or major collector anywhere (2) a collector as defined above connects with minor or major arteries.  Garden Drive on the one end connects with Club House drive which by city maps is defined as a collector (not minor or major), not an arterial street.  Garden Drive as you move south changes to 2350 W which is defined as a road on all Lehi City maps and which itself is less than 33’ making it unacceptable to even be defined as a city street (34’).  Even so, if you continue on it intersects with 2150 N, a city street and not an arterial street.  Even 2300 W is defined on City maps as a collector street, not an arterial.  Any way you look at from a number of different perspectives, Garden Drive is and always has been nothing more than a private road and then a city street, never a collector.
Garden drive at its maximum point is 33’, 5’ short of the minimum requirement.  It does not even qualify as a street by code definition. To be a street it MUST be a minimum of 34’, Garden Drive at its maximum point is 33’. It certainly is disqualified from being a collector street for several different reasons.
The Lehi Master Transportation plan shows pictures of proposed typical street sections which it adopted on May 12, 2015.  A Lehi Master Transportation plan in 2010 showed Garden Drive as a street and not a collector.
Garden Drive does not resemble any of the proposed typical streets.
Other problems with attempting to consider Garden Drive a collector street.
Garden drive has a single dividing line, 1’ in width. 
Garden drive has no parking (red) for a large portion of the street.
Garden drive beyond Crooked Stick (Thanksgiving Village) speed limit is reduced from 35 to 25 until it hits 2150 N.
Garden drive at Crooked Stick begins entering a residential neighborhood.
The curb on Garden Drive must be painted Red as it will be designated a no parking zone. Thanksgiving Point made this a requirement.  Note:  They said Garden Drive, not a portion of Garden Drive, but the entire length of Garden Drive.
There is NO white line delineation for parking or a bike lane as show in the Lehi Master Transportation Plan. White line delineation for parking or for a bike path or both MUST show on a collector street.
Garden Drive does not appear on any city map as a collector street. In the application put forth by VCBO for the commercial office building, Garden Drive was not defined as a collector street.
Mr. Powell for the purposes of this development can’t redefine Garden Drive as a collector. Garden Drive could never be a collector, it does not meet Lehi Master Transportation standards, it is not identified as a collector street anywhere on a Lehi City map or city code or city website.
Kim Struthers said the following in the planning commission meeting,
“big difference between the words should and shall,  I am sure you are all familiar with code language, should is a discretionary, it is a recommendation,  shall means you have to”
In this case the code uses the word MUST which is even more definitive than the word shall which Kim Struthers defines as meaning you have to.
Kim also stated the following in a planning commission meeting,
“As far as garden drive being a collector road that issue only pertains to the commercial office bldg.”
If that is true, why mention it at the Conditional Use planning commission meeting? Why  would the engineering staff make a reference to Garden Drive being a collector street in the Conditional Use application by Trio if it was not an issue?  Why wouldn’t the staff address that issue in the Family Search Commercial Office Building application submitted by VCBO?


Violation:  Access and Traffic.
Lehi City code states: Direct access from an arterial or collector street to the office and professional services uses MUST be provide.  The access from the proposed development is Garden Drive which in ALL city maps, websites and master plan is defined as a road and not a collector street or arterial.
In the application, engineering considers Garden Drive to be a collector street.  Engineering may consider it for the purpose of this development to be a collector street that does not make it a collector street.  Just saying it is a collector street does not make it a collector street, it needs to be defined as a collector street by Lehi City Code and shown as a collector street on ALL city maps and Master Transportation Plan.
A collector street as defined in Chapter 2 of the Lehi City Code section 2.02 states the following:
A.    ALL streets in an adjacent to the subdivision MUST CONFORM to the major street master plan of the city.
Lehi City Master Transportation Plan, adopted by the Lehi City Council on May 12, 2015 (less than a year ago) shows Garden Drive as a street (road).
Lehi City Street map, produced by Lehi City GIS, Jason Dewill, GIS Coordinator, August 26, 2016 shows Garden Drive as a Road.
      D.  Street width is to be measured from lot line to lot lines. The minimum width of streets according to the Lehi City Master Transportation Plan, unless otherwise expressly permitted by the CITY COUNCIL (not the city engineer), shall be measured as follows:
Street Type                                           Asphalt Width
Local Streets                                             34’
Minor collector streets                           38-44’
Major collector streets                            48’
Garden drive at its maximum point is 33’, 5’ short of the minimum requirement.  It does not even qualify as a street by code definition. To be a street it MUST be a minimum of 34’, Garden Drive at its maximum point is 33’. It certainly is disqualified from being a collector street for several different reasons.
The Lehi Master Transportation plan shows pictures of proposed typical street sections which it adopted on May 12, 2015.
Garden Drive does not resemble any of the proposed typical streets.
Other problems with attempting to consider Garden Drive a collector street.
Garden drive has a single dividing line, 1’ in width. 
Garden drive has no parking (red) for a large portion of the street.
Garden drive beyond Crooked Stick (Thanksgiving Village) speed limit is reduced from 35 to 25 until it hits 2150 N.
Garden drive at Crooked Stick begins entering a residential neighborhood.
There is NO white line delineation for parking or a bike lane as show in the Lehi Master Transportation Plan. White line delineation for parking or for a bike path or both MUST show on a collector street.
Garden Drive does not appear on any city map as a collector street. In the application put forth by VCBO for the commercial office building, Garden Drive was not defined as a collector street.
Mr. Powell for the purposes of this development can’t redefine Garden Drive as a collector. Garden Drive could never be a collector, it does not meet Lehi Master Transportation standards, it is not identified as a collector streets anywhere on a Lehi City map or city code or city website.



Violation #5

Violation:  C. Access and Traffic

Code states: Adequate vehicular and pedestrian access MUST be provided.  DIRECT access from an arterial or collector street to the office and professional service uses MUST be provided.

Violation:  Concept design of the proposed commercial office building and LDS Stake Center shows the access points (3) exiting and entering off Garden Drive which is a local street and NOT an arterial or collector street. There is NO DIRECT ACCESS to the commercial office building or LDS Stake Center. There is NO WAY this project could have direct access to a collector or arterial connection.

Violation: Lehi Master Transportation Plan adopted May 12th, 2015 showing and defining collector streets and arterial streets.  According to the Master Transportation plan, Garden Drive is not defined as either an arterial or collector street.  Club house drive is defined as a collector street but does not meet the code specification. (E.g. there is a small bridge at the beginning of Club house drive which is only 24 feet wide.  This does not qualify as even a local street, yet the city has it erroneously defined Club House Drive as a collector street.  Executive Parkway is also designated as a collector street; however, according to the diagrams of what defines a collector street, it does not meet any of the criteria as set forth in the Lehi Master Transportation plan.

Continued:

Code States: A traffic impact study shall be required as part of the AREA PLAN, to project auto and truck traffic generated by the uses proposed.

Violation: A traffic impact study has not been provided as part of the AREA PLAN (a clear violation of the code). An incomplete traffic study was commissioned by the LDS Church which does not even take into account traffic going to or coming from the proposed Family Search and Discovery Center.  The proposed traffic study (traffic count on a single day in August for 4 hours) does not accurately represent current and future traffic flow and conditions and WAS NOT provided as part of the AREA PLAN.  There is no account for RV, Bus or large vehicle parking which MUST be addressed as part of the Family Search and Discovery Center. Final traffic study was presented to the City on April 13th, 2016, after my GRAMMA request.  The traffic study I received DOES NOT include any of the appendixes.

Bottom line of the traffic study.  Traffic is horrible, it will remain horrible and they suggest building two new stop lights which will only exacerbate the traffic problem.

What the traffic study fails to mention or review:

Intersection of I15 north/south with Club House Drive, major bottleneck and the cause of much of the traffic congestion.
School hours and traffic from a local elementary school.
4000 new employees will start employment in this upcoming year.
Traffic study was conducted on a bright, sunny, Wednesday afternoon in late August (26th) for 4 hours.  No other times were looked at, E.g. impact of snow, rain, snow storms, traffic on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Holidays, Concerts, Tulip Festival or any other Thanksgiving Point events which happen throughout the year.
No mention of over 450,000 additional square footage of building construction that will be completed in the next year.
No mention of over 1 million additional square feet of building East of I15 on SR92.
No mention of Family Search and Discovery traffic, RV, Bus, Large Vehicle traffic from the Family Search Center.
Traffic from all the businesses East of I15 which significantly impacts those getting onto I15 north and southbound.  The Harmon’s complex due to open this summer will have an additional 2000 employees. 
Traffic from events held west of the RR tracks. E.g. Concerts, tulip festival, curiosity center, etc.
Growth rate calculation grossly in error.  Growth rate of vehicle trips has increased over 100% in the past few years.
Collector streets labeled as collector DO NOT meet the criteria as put forth by the Lehi Master Transportation Plan.
Stop sign at Club House Drive and Garden Drive is a huge problem. Three way stop; hundreds of cars will descend upon the intersection causing major traffic jams.
Residential neighborhoods, 25MPH.
The study reveals the Church indicating nearly 25% of their employees will be using TRAX.  Problem is, many of these employees have not

Read 28.070 (c) Access and Traffic:  Adequate vehicular and pedestrian access must be provided. Direct access from an arterial or collector street to the office and professional service uses MUST be provided.  A traffic study shall be REQUIRED as part of the AREA PLAN, to project auto and truck traffic generated by the uses proposed.

They CANNOT build this project UNLESS they designate Garden Drive as a collector street.  Currently Garden Drive is a road. Garden Drive is ONLY 33’ in width.  Garden drive is 17’ wide heading north and 15’ wide heading south with a 1’ center strip.  Garden Drive heads south from Club House Drive and turns into 2350 (a pure residential street with town homes and single family residences).  It would be IMPOSSIBLE to label Garden Drive a collector. Garden Drive does not any of the cities criteria for a collector street and currently it is not defined as a collector street.

Truth is, this project CANNOT go forward without classifying Garden Drive as a collector street.  Problem is, IT IS NOT!

This entire project needs to be put on hold until the applicant(s) apply with Lehi City Code, section 28.070 (c) which clearly states, DIRECT ACCESS FROM AN ARTERIAL OR COLLECTOR STREET TO THE OFFICE AND PROFESSIONAL SERVICE MUST BE PROVIDED.




Violation:  Access and Traffic.
Lehi City code states: Direct access from an arterial or collector street to the office and professional services uses MUST be provide.  The access from the proposed development is Garden Drive which in ALL city maps, websites and master plan is defined as a road and not a collector street or arterial.
In the application, engineering considers Garden Drive to be a collector street.  Engineering may consider it for the purpose of this development to be a collector street that does not make it a collector street.  Just saying it is a collector street does not make it a collector street, it needs to be defined as a collector street by Lehi City Code and shown as a collector street on ALL city maps and Master Transportation Plan.
A collector street as defined in Chapter 2 of the Lehi City Code section 2.02 states the following:
B.   ALL streets in an adjacent to the subdivision MUST CONFORM to the major street master plan of the city.
Lehi City Master Transportation Plan, adopted by the Lehi City Council on May 12, 2015 (less than a year ago) shows Garden Drive as a street (road).
Lehi City Street map, produced by Lehi City GIS, Jason Dewill, GIS Coordinator, August 26, 2016 shows Garden Drive as a Road.
      D.  Street width is to be measure from lot line to lot lines. The minimum width of streets according to the Lehi City Master Transportation Plan, unless otherwise expressly permitted by the CITY COUNCIL (not the city engineer), shall be measured as follows:
Street Type                                           Asphalt Width
Local Streets                                             34’
Minor collector streets                           38-44’
Major collector streets                            48’
Garden drive at its maximum point is 33’, 5’ short of the minimum requirement.  It does not even qualify as a street by code definition. To be a street it MUST be a minimum of 34’, Garden Drive at its maximum point is 33’. It certainly is disqualified from being a collector street for several different reasons.
The Lehi Master Transportation plan shows pictures of proposed typical street sections which it adopted on May 12, 2015.
Garden Drive does not resemble any of the proposed typical streets.
Other problems with attempting to consider Garden Drive a collector street.
Garden drive has a single dividing line, 1’ in width. 
Garden drive has no parking (red) for a large portion of the street.
Garden drive beyond Crooked Stick (Thanksgiving Village) speed limit is reduced from 35 to 25 until it hits 2150 N.
Garden drive at Crooked Stick begins entering a residential neighborhood.
There is NO white line delineation for parking or a bike lane as show in the Lehi Master Transportation Plan. White line delineation for parking or for a bike path or both MUST show on a collector street.
Garden Drive does not appear on any city map as a collector street. In the application put forth by VCBO for the commercial office building, Garden Drive was not defined as a collector street.
Mr. Powell for the purposes of this development can’t redefine Garden Drive as a collector. Garden Drive could never be a collector, it does not meet Lehi Master Transportation standards, it is not identified as a collector street anywhere on a Lehi City map or city code or city website.
Read 28.070 (c) Access and Traffic:  Adequate vehicular and pedestrian access must be provided. Direct access from an arterial or collector street to the office and professional service uses MUST be provided.  A traffic study shall be REQUIRED as part of the AREA PLAN, to project auto and truck traffic generated by the uses proposed.

They CANNOT build this project UNLESS they designate Garden Drive as a collector street.  Currently Garden Drive is a road. Garden Drive is ONLY 33’ in width.  Garden drive is 17’ wide heading north and 15’ wide heading south with a 1’ center strip.  Garden Drive heads south from Club House Drive and turns into 2350 (a pure residential street with townhomes and single family residences).  It would be IMPOSSIBLE to label Garden Drive a collector. Garden Drive does not any of the cities criterial for a collector street and currently it is not defined as a collector street.

Truth is, this project CANNOT go forward without classifying Garden Drive as a collector street.  Problem is, IT IS NOT!

This entire project needs to be put on hold until the applicant(s) apply with Lehi City Code, section 28.070 (c) which clearly states, DIRECT ACCESS FROM AN ARTERIAL OR COLLECTOR STREET TO THE OFFICE AND PROFESSIONAL SERVICE MUST BE PROVIDED.

This project needs to be re-evaluated. The city and the LDS Church have been trying to push forth a development that CANNOT meet city code unless you ignore the code.

Violation:  C. Access and Traffic
Code states: Adequate vehicular and pedestrian access MUST be provided.  DIRECT access from an arterial or collector street to the office and professional service uses MUST be provided.
Violation:  Concept design of the proposed commercial office building and LDS Stake Center shows the access points (3) exiting and entering off Garden Drive which is a local street and NOT an arterial or collector street. There is NO DIRECT ACCESS to the commercial office building or LDS Stake Center. There is NO WAY this project could have direct access to a collector or arterial connection.
Violation: Lehi Master Transportation Plan adopted May 12th, 2015 showing and defining collector streets and arterial streets.  According to the Master Transportation plan, Garden Drive is not defined as either an arterial or collector street.  Club house drive is defined as a collector street but does not meet the code specification. (E.g. there is a small bridge at the beginning of Club house drive which is only 24 feet wide.  This does not qualify as even a local street, yet the city has it erroneously defined Club House Drive as a collector street.  Executive Parkway is also designated as a collector street; however, according to the diagrams of what defines a collector street, it does not meet any of the criteria as set forth in the Lehi Master Transportation plan.
Continued:
Code States: A traffic impact study shall be required as part of the AREA PLAN, to project auto and truck traffic generated by the uses proposed.
Violation: A traffic impact study has not been provided as part of the AREA PLAN. An incomplete traffic study was commissioned by the LDS Church which does not even take into account traffic going to or coming from the proposed Family Search and Discovery Center.  The proposed traffic study (traffic count on a single day in August for 4 hours) does not accurately represent current and future traffic flow and conditions and WAS NOT provided as part of the AREA PLAN.  There is no account for RV, Bus or large vehicle parking which MUST be addressed as part of the Family Search and Discovery Center. Final traffic study was presented to the City on April 13th, 2016, after my GRAMMA request.  The traffic study I received DOES NOT include any of the appendixes.
Bottom line of the traffic study.  Traffic is horrible, it will remain horrible and they suggest building two new stop lights which will only exacerbate the traffic problem.
What the traffic study fails to mention or review:
Intersection of I15 north/south with Club House Drive, major bottleneck and the cause of much of the traffic congestion.
School hours and traffic from a local elementary school.
4000 new employees will start employment in this upcoming year.
Traffic study was conducted on a bright, sunny, Wednesday afternoon in late August (26th) for 4 hours.  No other times were looked at, E.g. impact of snow, rain, snow storms, traffic on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Holidays, Concerts, Tulip Festival or any other Thanksgiving Point events which happen throughout the year.
No mention of over 450,000 additional square footage of building construction that will be completed in the next year.
No mention of over 1 million additional square feet of building East of I15 on SR92.
No mention of Family Search and Discovery traffic, RV, Bus, Large Vehicle traffic from the Family Search Center.
Traffic from all the businesses East of I15 which significantly impacts those getting onto I15 north and southbound.  The Harmon’s complex due to open this summer will have an additional 2000 employees. 
Traffic from events held west of the RR tracks. E.g. Concerts, tulip festival, curiosity center, etc.
Growth rate calculation grossly in error.  Growth rate of vehicle trips has increased over 100% in the past few years.
Collector streets labeled as collector DO NOT meet the criteria as put forth by the Lehi Master Transportation Plan.
Stop sign at Club House Drive and Garden Drive is a huge problem. Three way stop; hundreds of cars will descend upon the intersection causing major traffic jams.
Residential neighborhoods, 25MPH.
The study reveals the Church indicating nearly 25% of their employees will be using TRAX.  Problem is, many of these employees have not