Crowd packs public hearing on proposal to allow smaller lots on 17 acres in Manti

MANTI—The Manti Planning and Zoning Commission held a packed public hearing to consider a proposal that would rezone 17 acres on the city’s east side from R1 to R3.

Acting in place of P&Z Chair David Tibbs, who was absent due to illness, Alan Christensen reminded the crowd that the commission’s role at this stage was to gather public input and eventually offer a recommendation to the Manti City Council, which will make the final decision following an additional hearing.

The rezoning request came from Addam Brouillette of True North Home Development, who presented plans to build smaller-lot, single-family houses aimed at first-time buyers and retirees.

Brouillette explained that while Phases One and Two of the firm’s development had proceeded under R1 zoning with quarter-acre lots, the request for R3 would reduce the minimum lot size to around 0.145 acres, which translates to about seven units per acre.

He described the proposed homes as having a main floor of 1,248-square-feet, as well as full basements, and said the goal is to keep sale prices in the mid-$300,000-to-$400,000 range.

“Our vision for the next phase of our development is to build affordable single-family homes for first-time home buyers and people looking to downsize in retirement,” Brouillette said. “In general, just for people who may not want to spend $500-$800 grand on a house.”

Brouillette showed slides indicating how the development would continue established road grids and maintain city standards such as paved roads, sidewalks, streetlights and underground utilities.

He said front-yard landscaping would be included and driveways in the proposed design would accommodate at least four on-site parking spaces for each lot, helping to reduce congestion on neighborhood streets.

He said current market conditions favor a more compact lot size, since increasing lots to a quarter acre substantially raises land costs, which, in turn, affect home prices.

But residents near the proposed site expressed significant concerns. Several had purchased lots under the assumption that everything in that corridor would remain R1. Some said they would not have made the same decisions had they known smaller lots would be allowed in future phases.

Attendees voiced worries about property values, traffic, street widths, neighborhood character and the overall identity of Manti.

More than one individual described Manti as a place of open spaces and larger lots, adding that dense housing belongs in nearby Ephraim or other cities with a different tradition of growth.

Longtime area resident and real estate broker Linda Nielsen said that the land in question has always been zoned R1. She noted that adjacent neighborhoods on the east bench include million-dollar properties and described how potential homebuyers often choose that side of Manti precisely for its expansive views, spacious yards and established character.

She warned that fitting more than 40 houses into an area currently designated for about half that number could unsettle the balance of the neighborhood, since some existing homeowners purchased land under the premise that the setting would remain similar to what they observed when they moved in.

Nearby property owner Tyler Ashton, who claimed to be representing a group of five people at the meeting, said, “The way I view this is this is nothing more than a transfer of wealth. You’re taking people who have an R1 property who have invested their money and time and savings to buy these homes, which will now be devalued because you’re putting high density properties right next to it.”

Ashton questioned why an R2 classification, which might allow slightly smaller lots without potentially enabling the same range of multifamily housing permitted under R3, was not part of the discussion.

Julie Hobart, who moved to Manti from the Wasatch Front, spoke out against high density development, saying, “I would recommend that your whole planning commission take a field trip up to Saratoga Springs, Eagle Mountain area. Because it is completely out of control there.”

Homeowners in the existing phases praised True North Home Development’s construction quality, with several describing the firm’s workmanship, landscaping and responsiveness to concerns as excellent.

Despite this, many said quality alone does not allay fears over what smaller lots could mean for future traffic, water resources, and the dense clustering of new residents in a historically low-density part of the city.

Whitney Albee, who purchased one of Brouillette’s homes in an earlier development phase, said, “If I would have known that it was going to turn into a zone three, I would not have bought our property up there.”

Brouillette stressed that the smaller lot sizes were central to achieving more affordable price points. He said the immediate plan involves a limited number of new homes to gauge the market and see if buyers truly want smaller-lot options. He added that the entire 17-acre request technically covers multiple phases, including areas not yet drawn out, and that R3 zoning would simply make it possible to cluster additional homes on smaller parcels.

Critics of the plan repeatedly raised the issue of “spot zoning,” suggesting that approving an R3 designation on one large parcel within a primarily R1 district could draw legal challenges from homeowners who feel their property has been devalued.

They argued that citywide planning, rather than a single request, should guide where smaller lots and potential multifamily dwellings belong.

Interim P&Z Chairman Christensen thanked the attendees for their statements and confirmed that the next step would be for the Planning and Zoning Commission to deliberate in a later meeting, possibly when more commissioners are present, before making a recommendation to the city council .