The Herriman City Council has voted to approve an ordinance amending Herriman City code concerning a sports and entertainment mixed-use overlay. Helpful when different uses are anticipated in an area covering multiple zones, an overlay zone adds additional regulations or provisions to those of the existing zone. A mixed-use overlay allows for a variety of commercial, office, entertainment, residential and personal service facilities.

“This change allows greater flexibility for smaller sports and entertainment developments in Herriman,” the city wrote on its website. 

Created for the Real Salt Lake Training Academy, the original overlay zone was written in 2017. “The original purpose was to facilitate the development of a master-planned area for international sports training and associated commercial, education and mixed uses,” Herriman Community Director Blake Thomas said. 

The existing overlay allowed only a single regional sports facility for viewing or training, accommodating no fewer than 5,000 people over at least 100 acres. 

One of the purposes of the new overlay is to act on the city council’s desire to invite more sports-focused developments into Herriman, enable expanded and corresponding land uses and support the development of facilities and venues that will encourage tourists to visit.

“There [has been] interest in… areas of the city being used for sports entertainment, so we started looking at options,” Thomas said. The city seeks to attract people to spend time in Herriman, spend money at businesses here and enjoy the community.

The amendment identifies allowable land uses, provides height requirements for structures and outlines development standards, such as lighting, access, parking, building materials, walkability and architecture. 

“The new development standards account for larger buildings, parking needs and specialized materials, ensuring that future projects meet the city's goals,” the city wrote on its website.

In addition to expanding permitted land uses, another goal of the alteration was to make the requirements more practical by reducing the necessary acreage—the requirement has been changed from 100 acres to five. 

With the exception of a motion to allow personal care services, such as hair salons, within sports facilities, the planning commission unanimously recommended the amendment be approved. There were no comments at a public hearing on Sept. 18.

“This provides another tool for the city to encourage commercial development and support economic development efforts,” Thomas said. “It helps us achieve the goals in our general plan.” The amendment was unanimously passed by the city council on Oct. 9. 

Directly following this vote, the council voted unanimously again to also amend the city zoning map by applying the brand-new overlay zone to 16.98 acres between Miller Crossing Drive, Midas Creek, Herriman Main Street and Mountain View Corridor. Some of this land is owned by the city, while some is privately owned. One property owner, MLM Holdings, was represented at the city council meeting by company founder Michael Maze.

The city chose this location because other areas would require expensive brick and stone materials to be used without creating as much revenue as retail areas. The public hearing for applying the overlay also took place on Sept. 18. without comment. Likewise, before the Oct. 9 meeting, the planning commission unanimously recommended the zoning map be amended by applying the overlay.

“The [sports and entertainment mix-use] overlay zone amendment and its placement on the north of the Miller Crossing area [will] help move the sports-related facility concept toward reality,” Herriman Communications Manager Jon LaFollette said.

Property owners expressed support in favor of rezoning the land to create a sports facility. The prior zoning for this area, which only allowed for the anticipated auto mall, still applies. 

“A developer has been in discussion with the city about a sports-related concept in that area,” LaFollette said. “The city hasn’t received a formal application for a sports facility yet, and it hasn’t moved through the typical public process… But we’re anticipating an application at some point—probably in the next several months.”

South of the Anthem commercial development and north of Mountain View Plaza, the complex would be centrally located with access from Main Street, Miller Crossing Drive and Mountain View Corridor. It will also have trail access through Midas Creek Trail. 

The concept map for the complex includes an indoor and outdoor baseball facility, a basketball facility, a hotel, restaurants and entertainment venues. “This will help energize businesses [in Herriman],” Thomas said. 

“These changes align with Herriman’s long-term plan to foster mixed-use developments that respond to shifting community needs,” the city explained. 

“If you build it, they will come,” Maze said.