Thursday night, the Planning Commission unanimously recommended denial of ordinances to rezone 67 acres at Kaysville's center from single-family residential to historical residential. Such a designation would have brought with it several guidelines governing the look and feel of structures in the area.

"We still want to preserve historic sites and homes but this is not the vehicle to do that," said Commission Chairman John Lingard.

"What I think I'm hearing is there's potential support for a historic preservation committee, but there's also support to change its scope so that it's not focused on one area but rather on historic structures throughout the city."

Bounded by Interstate 15, Main Street, 100 South and 200 North, these neighborhoods are now hemmed in by strip malls, restaurants, gas stations and shops. But there are still some gems that give it a particularly small-town feel.

About 70 people gathered to hear the board's deliberations Thursday. A week ago, the same issue had packed City Hall as residents got the chance to sound off on how the proposed zone would affect them for good or for bad.

Following Thursday's recommendation to nix the new zone, Sharon Seegmiller, who lives on 400 West next to I-15, said she had mixed feelings.

"We're very vulnerable because of the future of the freeway, the Legacy Highway and all the commercial development coming in," Seegmiller said. "With the new zone, we would have had more protection."

Jana Whittaker's home, just five years old, lies within the bounds of the area in question.

Whitaker expressed relief with the commission's Thursday.

"My home has siding on it, it's beautiful and I didn't ask anyone's advice on how to build it," Whitaker said, noting that of the area's 150 homes, perhaps 10 could meet the state's historic standards.

Commissioner Clark Richardson favored the city pursuing site-specific historic designations rather than a central historic zone, noting that older structures are scattered throughout Kaysville, not just in the one area being considered.

He also suggested the commission hear from state experts who could explain the criteria required to qualify for the national historic register, and the restrictions and benefits related to that designation.

Homeowner Carol Major opposed the restrictive "guidelines" tied to the historical preservation zone, such as limits on how much stucco a home could have or minimum lot size.

"It has no effect until you want to remodel," Major said. "Then it becomes a whole new bag of worms."

Genene Hill's home near 100 South and 300 West dates back to 1896 - many know it as "Governor Blood's old home" and it already appears on the national register, she said.

While Hill opposed a district that would have the same criteria used by the state's preservation board - an idea suggested by one commissioner - she approved of the looser guidelines set forth for the proposed zone.

"My feeling was to have it on the suggestion level, with no flag lots and no twin homes," Hill said.

On April 17, the City Council will consider the same ordinances, and could accept or reject the Planning Commission's recommendation.

cmckitrick@sltrib.com

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* KRISTEN MOULTON contributed to this report.