Property owner Ron Hilton will ask the Holladay City Council to overturn the Planning Commission's denial of his plans to modify and build on the lot containing the historic Casper Cottage at 2394 E. Murray Holladay Road when the council meets Thursday, July 16.
Hilton wants to alter the facade of the 938-square-foot brick cottage and construct a new single-family home on the rear of the 12,000-square-foot lot. The Planning Commission voted unanimously to deny both requests on Tuesday, April 21, after finding the application lacked a site plan, landscaping plan, parking analysis, and architectural drawings showing historical materials.
The cottage, built in 1898 as the home of LDS pioneer Duncan Spears Casper, was added to Holladay's Historic Site Designation list following a public hearing on Thursday, February 5. Hilton lives directly across the street at 2397 E. Murray Holladay Road and has served as a volunteer on the Holladay Historical Commission.
What's being appealed
A staff report addendum prepared by Community and Economic Development Director Jonathan Teerlink for the July 16 meeting clarified that Hilton is appealing two of the three denials: the site modifications and the additional dwelling unit. He is not appealing the denial of his proposed antique shop.
The dwelling unit faces a significant legal hurdle. Lot 2A, where the cottage sits, is designated as the common area for the Hulton Park PUD subdivision. Building a new home there would require a plat amendment, and the Planning Commission found Hilton provided no conceptual schematics showing how a new unit would fit within the PUD's approval parameters.
Why the commission denied it
At the April 21 hearing, city staff recommended continuing the item to give Hilton time to submit more detail. Planning Commission Chair Dennis Roach offered Hilton the opportunity to withdraw his application. Hilton refused. The commission then denied it unanimously.
Neighbors pushed back too. Kim Duffy of 2195 Walker Lane, chair of the Holladay Historical Commission, read a statement from University of Utah emeritus architecture professor Martha Bradley Evans arguing the proposed addition "does not meet nationally accepted definitions of a compatible addition" because it was not subordinate to the original structure and was larger in scale.
Neighbor Alicia Reese of 4685 Grosvenor Court told commissioners she was "uncertain about the intention to maintain and preserve the property" given the applicant's multiple proposals for the site.
What happens next
The council meeting begins at 6 p.m. at Holladay Council Chambers, 3330 S. 1300 E. The appeal carries a "No Public Comment" designation, meaning residents cannot speak on it. The council's decision must be based on the existing record: the staff report, Planning Commission minutes, public comments from April 21, and Hilton's original application materials.
In a separate matter at the same address, the Planning Commission voted 7-0 in January 2025 to deny Hilton's application for a text amendment to narrow Murray Holladay Road from 55 feet to approximately 42 feet.
The next scheduled council meetings are Thursday, August 6, and Thursday, August 20.
