I witnessed the most amazing public hearing I have ever seen two weeks ago. A dozen residents spoke on behalf of hundreds of residents, presenting detailed information in opposition to Rize Capital’s plan to build up to 500 short-term rentals on 113 acres owned by SITLA. (For more information about this project, see Why I’m Against Short-Term-Rentals and Why The SITLA Site’s Plan Is Wrong.)
Public hearing can get heated and sometimes public comments are just expressions of anger and frustration. That wasn’t the case at this meeting. All of the presenters were calm, even though they were very concerned about the proposed development. Their comments were thoughtful and factual. They clearly put a lot of time into researching the issue carefully.
Based on all the information they presented I expected the City Council would vote to deny the developer’s rezone request. I was wrong. The vote was 3-2 in favor of the developer. Only Dennis Mehr and I voted against it.
I hear from residents that they don’t think they are heard by the City Council. I can understand how everyone who opposed this rezone might feel that way too. But residents are heard, and emails and public testimony are valuable. Yes, I am an optimist. But I believe the public comments about short-term-rentals at that meeting will have a positive impact on how the City views and deals with short-term-rentals in the future.
I hope all of the residents who put in so much effort on this issue stay engaged. There are a lot of important issues facing Ivins, so we need all the input we can get. And the more knowledgeable everyone is about how things are supposed to work, the more effective we’ll be as a community. So, hopefully you got through your summer reading list, because here are two important books I recommend you study:
- Ground Rules: Handbook to Utah Land Use Regulation, 2021, by the Utah Land Use Institute
- Powers & Duties: The Handbook for Utah Municipal Officials, 2022, by The Utah League of Cities & Towns