This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

The South Salt Lake City Planning Commission will consider a new plan Thursday to develop the old Granite High School property, and this time, Wal-Mart shouldn't come up.

The public hearing will feature a new plan from Garbett Homes — the developer with an agreement to acquire the century-old high school property from Granite School District — that skirts around the controversial question of whether big corporations or local businesses should fill the commercial section of the site.

Instead, Garbett Homes is only proposing land-use changes to build 80 new homes on the 13.5-acre southern half of the property at about 3540 South and 500 East.

The developer has applied to prep the southern chunk of the site for residential development by changing its designation to low-density residential, adopting a planned-unit development overlay zone, and getting preliminary subdivision approval.

The homes will mimic the design of the nearby Terra Sol subdivision at 3500 South 300 East and follow Terra Sol's lead with energy efficient features and solar capability.

Garbett Homes has also suggested a one-acre park at the northeast end of the subdivision to act as a barrier between the homes and future commercial development.

To go into effect, the plan has to pass through the City Council. But first, the Planning Commission will pass on its recommendation.

The Commission has said the plan mostly meshes well with the city's General Plan goals and would blend easily into the surrounding community, but it noted a few things to look out for.

According to city code, 20 percent of any new development must be allotted to parks or other open space, and Garbett Homes' proposed park only amounts to 7.4 percent of the development. The developer argues that the backyards it has planned for the homes are more compatible with the neighborhood, which would exempt it from the requirement.

Staff also drafted a recommendation that the park relocate to a more accessible location for the new homeowners and the rest of the community.

Garbett Homes' plan would also mean that 500 East turns into blank-façade street with a long line of backyards bordering the road. The layout would require special approval from the City Council, and the Planning Commission gave specific landscaping requirements — including preserving the old trees — to keep the streetscape beautiful.

In March of this year, Garbett got the City Council's approval for a full development plan that included a Wal-Mart grocery store in the commercial section of the land, but Mayor Cherie Wood vetoed it with vocal support from some community members.

Now, Garbett has set aside — at least temporarily — the controversial commercial development issue to get going on the lower-profile homebuilding.

The hearing is at 7 p.m. on Thursday at South Salt Lake City Hall, 220 E Morris Ave.