The State Legislature keeps chipping away at our ability to decide for ourselves what type of construction design and materials are appropriate in single-family neighborhoods. For years Ivins, like other cities, has had design guidelines for building colors and materials to ensure new construction is harmonious with its neighbors and our environment.
That has given Ivins its unique identity and it’s the reason so many have moved here. They like the way the city looks and feels.
The State took away our ability to require these design guidelines on new single-family and two-family homes a couple of years ago. However, we could still require new homes in a subdivision to follow our design guidelines by requiring a development agreement. Now the state is limiting our ability to do even that.
So, here’s a photo of a new “structure” in an Ivins single-family neighborhood. It’s completely legal. The homeowner had every right to build it because of the state’s changes. But I wonder if the state’s intent was to encourage this type of construction all over the place? Especially in residential neighborhoods? I doubt it. I believe this is a real-world example of the law of unintended consequences.
That law, often cited but rarely defined, is that actions of people, and especially of governments, always have effects that are unanticipated or unintended. Economists and other social scientists have heeded its power for centuries; for just as long, politicians have largely ignored it. The State Legislature is ignoring it, to our detriment.
