If you work in north Utah County, two more jobs belong on your radar. The Lehi City Council's Oct. 13 agenda listed D.R. Horton's preliminary plat for 405 townhomes in Inverness. It also listed a 71-lot subdivision down by Utah Lake from a different developer, Windy City Development.
One thing up front: we haven't confirmed the outcome of either item from city records. When we checked, the city's project pages still said both items were headed to the council on Oct. 13. Here's what Lehi's own staff reports and project pages say.
Keep in mind that neither one would be a building permit. Lehi's code says a preliminary plat doesn't authorize development by itself. The final plat comes after that.
The Inverness townhomes
Inverness Preliminary Plat E sits near Center Street and Traverse Terrace Drive, inside the Skye Area Plan. According to the city's Engage Lehi project page, the 405 units fit under the 517 equivalent residential units the plan allows in its Mixed Use 1 area. The staff report adds that the cap also covers the commercial approved along Timpanogos Highway, and that the area is "getting close." D.R. Horton also had a related Skye Area Plan amendment on the same agenda. The agenda describes it as updating the unit count in Mixed Use 1 without increasing the overall units in Inverness.
The sticking point was amenities. For a project of 401 to 500 units, Lehi's code calls for 14 picnic areas, two sports courts, six playgrounds or dog parks, a clubhouse of at least 1,500 square feet, and two pools, tennis courts or splash pads. D.R. Horton asked to swap in a community pool, a pool house, tot lots and playgrounds, and two pickleball courts, plus access to amenities elsewhere in Inverness. The company also gave the city a cost comparison showing it had spent more on amenities than the code requires.
That didn't sell the Planning Commission. On Sept. 24 it voted 3-2 to recommend denial, finding the plat didn't meet the city's subdivision requirements. Staff summarized nine negative comments posted online. Several residents wrote on the city's page that they had been promised more pools and parks than they got.
Otherwise, staff found the density, layout, parking, trails and elevations met code and the Skye plan. Each townhome gets a two-car garage. There's one extra off-street stall for every three units, and those stalls have to be within 250 feet of the homes they serve. D.R. Horton's Scott Bishop told the Planning Commission the plan has 269 extra stalls against the 135 required. At least 40% of the townhomes have to be rear-loaded. The plan also includes EV charging at a rate of one for every 60 units, bike parking in the garages, a trail with traffic-calming crossings, and a detention basin. The buildings will look like the ones D.R. Horton has already built in Inverness.
Spring Meadow Villas
The second item is a much smaller job. Spring Meadow Villas is Windy City Development's 71-lot planned residential development at about 610 East 1630 South, near the Utah Lake shoreline. The plat covers about 51.5 acres. According to the city, lots run from 9,036 to 22,181 square feet, with the bigger ones toward the south end. The council approved the concept plan in May.
The council also previously granted a 9-lot density bonus instead of paying the developer back for right-of-way dedication, for about 10 acres of extra open space, and for building a 10-foot shared-use path in the power line corridor. The lakeside ground zoned A-5 stays open for the shoreline, a future trail and the planned Pony Express Parkway.
The Planning Commission recommended it 5-0 on Sept. 24. Neighbors who farm next door raised fencing, drainage and traffic concerns. The developer's representative said they'd work with the family and that basements aren't planned unless a land drain is provided. The city wants sod and irrigation on the open space, with at least 25% water-wise landscaping.
Why it matters for Contractors
Between the two, that's 476 homes on one council agenda, and they aren't the same kind of work. The Inverness townhomes would need framing, roofing and finish crews who can keep pace with a national builder. Since amenities were the fight, watch whether that scope changes, because pool, playground and site-concrete work could grow. The Spring Meadow lots are big, on lake-adjacent ground where drainage came up and basements depend on a land drain. Excavators, utility contractors and foundation subs should watch for final plats. Landscapers should note the water-wise rule.