New Three Story Townhomes in Daybreak

Kennecott Land is set to unveil the first commercial component of Daybreak called SoDa Row. SoDa Row, short for Southern Daybreak, was referred to in earlier blog posts as the village center. While many residents are excited for the shops to open their doors this year, many do not know of the full plans that accompany this new portion of Daybreak.

The residential parts of the village center will exhibit higher densities than the surrounding areas which is appropriate to support the commercial activity and adhere to the transect style of planning. This is not a new idea, but there has always been the question of exactly how Kennecott Land would accomplish this. Kennecott Land has recently confirmed that one housing style to accomplish this density will be three story townhomes.

I am not quite sure who the builder will be or exactly what style they will use, but if the past is of any indication the townhomes will most likely be modern in design. However, the builder and or Kennecott could use a variety of styles in the required sustainable manner. In the last post discussing the South Station Lofts, I criticized the architecture of what will be the highest density residential development of Daybreak to date. I am not an architecture critic and have not participated in any formal training on the subject. However, I do have preferences for more traditional architecture. That said, there were many comments on the post with a few that praised the style of architecture citing the aesthetic appeal of a variety of styles. These comments made me wonder how many residents or soon-to-be residents agree with the blend of modern and traditional architecture being implemented in Daybreak.

Looking to these new three story townhomes, I wonder in what style of architecture the readers of this blog prefer the homes to be constructed. Below is a list of architectural examples in which three story townhomes have been constructed in the past 10 years. They are labeled with a letter. Select the one that you find the most appealing and enter it into the poll located in the right side bar of this blog. After a month, I will post the most appealing style.

South Station Lofts at Daybreak

The South Jordan Planning Commission approved the South Station Lofts that will be located on the corner of Daybreak Parkway and Lake Run Rd. Apparently there was a 3 to 1 vote with one member of the commission citing safety concerns of residents backing out of their driveways into the alley. I also heard that there were concerns about the architecture of the 4 story, 38 unit structure. While it is prudent to postpone final judgment until the end product is constructed, the renderings of the building are not aesthetically appealing to me at all. Sure the project is environmentally friendly, but this modern architecture approach in a residential application does not fit in with the surrounding residential environment. However, I do think that there is merit in architectural diversity. Not every building should look the same.

Gold Medallion Homes will be the builder and will be marketing the units here in Daybreak. There will be a total of 4 studio units, 6 one-bedroom units, 25 two-bedroom units and 3 three-bedroom units. The design will most likely be replicated across the street to the West as well.

While I do not live on Topcrest (the road on which single-family homes are poised to have South Station Lofts right in their backyard) I have found that most residents on the street do not want this development. There were meetings with Kennecott Land, but minimal interest was demonstrated at these meetings with only 8 residents showing up. Apparently, there were no citizen comments or citizens for that matter at the planning commission meeting as well. While one outspoken home owner continues to communicate with Kennecott, the lack of interest by most of the affected homeowners has given Kennecott the belief that the plan status quo will do.

Density is of course the goal with this project and it is needed to justify the TRAX station located nearby, but this density could definitely be achieved in a more aesthetically pleasing manner. More concessions could have also been made to address traffic and safety concerns for residents of Topcrest. Backing out into an alley that will at peak periods have nearly 50 cars per hour without being able to see the traffic until you are actually in it is an accident waiting to happen.

For Kennecott's defense: a thorough traffic study was conducted, a lengthening of resident driveways, widening of the alley itself, and measures are being taken to obstruct line of sight between the homes and the condos. The 4 story section of the building is also the furthest it can possibly be from the Topcrest homes given the lot dimensions. Additionally, no residential windows will directly overlook Topcrest backyards. These measures are definitely welcome, but more extensive measures and design input would have been enacted if resident participation were higher.