The Planning Commission will hold a public hearing and consider recommending changes to the City’s Subdivision Ordinance at its July 13th meeting. Sounds like an exciting topic, doesn’t it? Of course not! But it is. It contains two particularly important changes. One change addresses the City’s ability to control development. The other change gives the City some flexibility over water concerns.
Wrestling with the State
At a recent Planning Commission meeting City Manager Dale Coulam explained that the State has now eliminated the ability for cities to regulate many building design elements for one- and two-family homes. Ivins can still regulate design elements for townhomes, multifamily and commercial development. And HOAs can regulate design elements, including building color, in their CC&Rs.
Even so, this significantly interferes with cities’ ability to control their own destiny.
But Dale suggested a possible solution. He said the City could change the subdivision ordinance to require development agreements for all new subdivisions. That way the City could still control design requirements. Currently, development agreements are only required when a developer asks for a density bonus.
So, the Planning Commission will hold a public hearing and consider recommending a change to the Subdivision Ordinance at its July 13th meeting. The change Dale proposes would require all subdivision applications enter into a Development Agreement with the City. Among other things, the Development Agreement can require the development to follow current design guidelines.
Thanks to Dale’s creativity, this is a good solution to a bad problem that should never have happened. The State was wrong to take control away from cities. Ivins is not Santa Clara, or Hurricane, or Springdale. Each city has its own unique character. And that is a good thing. This would take control back from the State for most new development. And, significantly, Ivins is doing this quickly. We just lost control at the beginning of July, and we could get it back in a couple of weeks. Let’s hope the State does not try to fight this. Shame on them if they did.
Wrestling with Mother Nature
But wait, there’s more. The second change Dale proposes would include a disclaimer in these Development Agreements for all new subdivisions, saying, “…there may not be sufficient water to serve lots and/or phases in the future and that decision will be made at time of building permit application.”
Here is how I read this sentence. Often, developers come in with a concept plan long before they are ready to submit for their permit. I believe the City takes the position that it is bound to honor that project once the concept plan has been submitted and follow through by issuing a permit as long as the developer is not asking for anything special. But our water situation could change significantly between the initial concept plan and the final permit application. This gives the City flexibility to deal with whatever new information it has.
If the Planning Commission recommends approval of these changes, then hopefully this will be in front of the City Council in a couple of weeks and they will approve the changes. If so, even though this is just one small step on a large water issue, it is a step, so that along with taking back development control deserves a “Bravo Ivins!”
Please share your comments and tell me about other Ivins issues I have not addressed in recent posts. CONTACT ME
Recent “Development” posts
- Is This The Right Vision?Does the City’s vision for Ivins’ future match yours? The City Council has been working on an update to our General Plan since February. The General Plan is the City’s primary guiding document, outlining Ivins’ past, present, and future. It is meant to reflect our collective vision, values, and goals. It’s crucial to get this…
- How To Beat The Incomprehensible Web of BureaucracySometimes people get upset on social media about the wrong things. Yes, believe it or not, that’s true. Like when the City approves a “preliminary plan” or a “final plat” for a development. Comments boil down to something like this, “Why would those idiots approve this when we are already overwhelmed with growth, traffic, water…
- Bigfoot And Affordable HousingBoth are elusive creatures that everyone talks about, but few, if any, have seen. Even so, the State Legislature is putting more pressure on cities to find housing affordability solutions. On top of that, the Governor is calling on cities to create 35,000 “starter” homes for first-time home buyers. In response, Mayor Hart created an…
- Developers With Seeger SyndromeDevelopers in Ivins have the Seeger Syndrome. For Pete’s sake, they’re hammering in the morning! They’re hammering in the evening! They’re hammering all over this city! Ivins issued 100 to 150 residential permits a year between 2015 and 2018. Permit activity almost doubled after 2018, peaking in late 2021 at close to 300 permits for…
- We Should Be Seen… But Not Heard!The expression “children should be seen and not heard” is an old English proverb. It wasn’t just a saying. They meant it. Children could be present but should not speak, particularly when they are around adults because children are naive and ignorant of adult matters. My, how times haven’t changed. It sounds like Governor Cox…
Recent “Water” posts
- Concerns About Contaminants in Dry Wash ReservoirChuck Gillette, the Ivins City Director of Public Works presented an analysis of risks from the potential accumulation and spread of PFAS and other heavy metals in the proposed Dry Wash Reservoir. Here is his presentation (Download PDF). Here’s a video version of the presentation slides. Pause the video for any slides you want to…
- Field of StreamsIt was pointed out at last Thursday’s City Council meeting that dredging Gunlock Reservoir could increase its storage capacity by 3,000 acre-feet. That has been suggested a lot in recent months. Why not do that instead of creating the much smaller Dry Wash Reservoir? It sounded like a good idea. The Reservoir was designed to…
- Goldilocks And The ReservoirThere was a city council work meeting on March 21st to discuss potential problems a proposed Dry Wash reservoir could create. It wasn’t a public hearing, but more than 80 residents attended. Thank you! Your attendance made a difference. Even though it wasn’t a public hearing, the Mayor invited a number of residents to speak…
- What Flushes in Vegas Stays in VegasThe proposed Dry Wash Reservoir in Ivins would store wastewater in the winter to be used for outdoor irrigation somewhere in the county during the summer. To help residents and the City Council better understand and maybe even appreciate wastewater, the Washington County Water Conservancy District (WCWCD) organized a tour of facilities in and around…
- The Latest In LandscapesJoin us for a Talkabout on Wednesday, March 20th at 7pm at Rocky Vista University to learn more about the City’s new relationship with Utah State Univerity’s Center for Water Efficient Landscaping and the resources being developed to support Ivins’ residents in reducing outdoor water use. This conversation with residents will be led by Dr.…