I Moved To East Canyons. You Moved Too

July 8, 2021

I used to live in Ivins. Last Thursday I moved to “East Canyons.” Maybe you moved to East Canyons too. If not, then you either moved to “West Cliffs” or “Central Mountain.” That’s right, at the last City Council meeting they approved carving up the city into three zones with different street lighting standards in each zone. But now that we have zones, will they be used only as intended, for streetlight requirements?

The Council adopted multiple zones to try and accommodate two “wants” that citizens have called for, safety and protecting the night sky. By carving the city into zones the Council is effectively saying that these two “wants” are incompatible. They aren’t. And not only are they not incompatible, I believe almost everyone in the city actually values both “wants.” With some effort and thoughtful planning, I believe one zone can satisfy both “wants.”

Creating zones was just the easy way out. I do not think it will end up feeling fair to everyone, no matter which of the two “wants” they prefer. The two “wants” are not incompatible. They really aren’t. So, it seems wrong to divide us as a community into zones.

But it’s a done deal. The Council approved the zones. It made more sense to me to do more research and seek more input to find a way to satisfy both “wants.” Yes, that would have meant more work up front, but I believe it would have resulted in a more cohesive and harmonious community. In my view, that result totally justified any extra work.

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