Oakley residents spoke out against local businessman Steve Smith’s proposal to develop the city center last month, decrying the scope of the project and their desire to retain the area’s small-town feel.
Smith took his designs back to the drawing board and returned before the Oakley Planning Commission this week to present an entirely new vision of what he hopes will be Oakley’s future.
Smith’s previous master plan included a convenience store, car wash and gas station with 16 pumps on the west side of S.R. 32, as well as a diner, grocery store, post office, town hall, food bank and retail spaces on the opposite side. The blueprints additionally outlined apartment buildings and a series of parking lots with more than 400 total spaces.
Planning commissioners and residents alike voiced concerns regarding the proposal in August. They emphasized the lack of green space, walkability and the sheer increase of commercial properties in the historically rural town.
Smith, who was born and raised in the Kamas Valley, immediately revised the proposal, not only revamping his plans in general, but also scheduling a private open house with Oakley residents to discuss what they do — and do not — want to see included in the project.
He then presented those redesigned blueprints to the Planning Commission on Wednesday, requesting further feedback from commissioners before the proposal goes for a vote in October.
The new version of the city center includes a gas station with only eight pumps on Weber Canyon Road adjacent to The Oakley Diner, with space for a retail store sandwiched between the two parking lots. Along S.R. 32, there’s another building set aside for retail, as well as an updated post office, food pantry and space for Amazon delivery lockers.
The town hall would be on Center Street next to the food pantry and lockers, with a hardware store and Ken’s Kash slightly to the northeast.
Below Center Street is a mix of apartment complexes and retail stores west of Oakley City Park and Cattlemen’s Hall. There would be open space south of the apartments and retail locations, with Brooklawn Creamery as the last business on the block.
Smith also told planning commissioners he’d significantly reduced the number of parking spaces, although the plans presented do not indicate how many spaces total are included in the new version.
He further explained the location of the gas station is designed to pull traffic away from S.R. 32 and the more walkable areas of the development in an effort to reduce interactions between cars and pedestrians. Smith said he’d positioned the apartment complexes on the inner side of S.R. 32 for a similar reason after receiving feedback from residents concerned about the loss of open space and increased issues with traffic flow.
The Planning Commission was generally agreeable to the amended plans, offering bits of advice on relocating certain buildings to help with traffic and floating the idea of a few one-way streets. However, the biggest issue they voiced was the safety of the intersection between Weber Canyon Road and S.R. 32, where The Oakley Diner sits.
The restaurant has already led to a growth in traffic on that corner, which doesn’t have a great line of sight over the hill, planning commissioners said. They worried that more traffic trying to get to and from the gas station, especially without a stoplight or other mitigating efforts, would make the area too dangerous.
They also asked Smith if it would be possible to place the proposed buildings on the edge of the street with the parking lots tucked behind them to preserve the charm of the town and avoid creating what looks like one large parking space.
Oakley City planner Stephanie Woolstenhulme additionally suggested exploring underground parking, and planning commissioners were in favor of including water and electrical hookups in the parking lots for food trucks and farmers markets.
Smith said he would take the feedback into account and revise his plans again, in addition to creating a tentative outline of construction phases before the next meeting in October.