Here is information about a number of things happening in Ivins: New proposed water conservation measures, a vacant City Council position, a project to revise the General Plan and Land Use map this year with a lot of citizen input, how Ivins plans to use Dry Wash Reservoir, a new Ivins YouTube channel, acquiring 100 acres for a new regional park, information about construction activity next to Fire Lake Park, the start of a three-phase project over the next 8 to 10 years to bring irrigation water to homes in Ivins, construction of a bike/walking trail along Hwy 91 and the addition of two roundabouts.
Water Conservation
Ivins is getting closer to taking action on water conservation. The Washington County Water Conservancy District just sent all the cities in the county a 13-page draft ordinance that proposes water efficiency standards for new residential and commercial construction.
It includes requirements limiting grass, requiring shade trees to combat heat islands, recirculating hot water, fixtures and appliances, landscaping requirements for slopes, and more. Now it is up to Ivins and the other cities in the county to determine if they will adopt these requirements as proposed or make changes. These apply to new construction, not existing properties.
The draft ordinance is planned to be discussed at the February 3rd City Council meeting, so you can download it from the meeting’s agenda, which will be posted on January 28th at www.ivins.com.
Vacant City Council Position
Sue Gordhammer resigned from the City Council in early January because she is moving out of Utah. The City is accepting applications through January 27th to fill her position. I’m writing this on January 25th, so the names of applicants have not been released yet. You can download information and an application before January 27th at https://www.ivins.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/mid-term-vacancy.pdf
The City Council will interview applicants and appoint one of them to fill Sue’s remaining term (through December 31, 2023) at the Council’s February 3rd meeting. This will not be a public hearing, but the information on each applicant should be posted on the Ivins website shortly after the 27th and you can email Council members your thoughts about applicants.
Revising the General Plan
The City has begun a months-long process to update our General Plan and Land Use map. The Mayor kicked this off with three community meetings. But that’s just the start. Unfortunately, the community meetings were not recorded. Let me know if you want me to email you the slides presented at the meetings.
Does the General Plan matter? It does. It establishes a citywide vision and consistent direction for future development. It reflects community priorities, values, and includes supporting goals, policies, and implementation measures to achieve the community’s vision.
A good update of the Plan requires community input. A good place to start is reading the Plan we have. You can download it from the “Building & Zoning” page on the Ivins City website at https://www.ivins.com/2020-government-2/.
Discussions about Plan and Land Use changes will start at the Planning Commission meetings. Their next meeting is February 1st at 5:30pm. (See below for information about watching it live from the comfort of your home.)
Dry Wash Reservoir
The reservoir, located between Hwy 91 and Kwavasa Drive, is going ahead. The Mayor told everyone at the community meetings earlier this month that Ivins will manage the reservoir, it will not be a recreational park, and it won’t have a large parking lot or amenities like restrooms and beach areas.
There will likely be a small parking area off Hwy 91 across from the Anasazi Trail road and a trail along the reservoir between Kwavasa and Hwy 91. The City is also looking at maintaining some minimum water level to reduce dust pollution and insect problems. The map below shows where the top of the dam is (red outline) and the high-water mark (blue outline). Let me know if you want a larger version of the map.
The reservoir is a done deal. But the management plan isn’t. The devil is in the details, so watch for more information on how the reservoir is planned to be managed and used so you can provide input.
YouTube Channel
Ivins now has a YouTube channel. It live streams videos of Planning Commission and City Council meetings and stores meetings since the beginning of the year. You can sit back in a comfy sofa with popcorn and watch each episode’s drama unfold in real time. Or wait a while and then binge watch older episodes. And there are no commercials.
Here’s the link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfX1N0kbibzQ9M76_k37c1g/featured. Or go to YouTube and search for “Ivins City Council.”
New Regional Park
Ivins is looking to acquire 100 acres for a new regional park. The site is on the south side of Hwy 91 and the northeast corner of the park (top right in the image) is at Main Street. This will be the largest Park in Ivins, eight times the size of Unity Park.
In addition to recreational amenities, it will include a cemetery and the new home of the Public Works Yard. Still, most of the 100 acres will be a park. It’s early in the planning, but it could include a junior mountain biking course, frisbee golf course, and sports courts.
Watch for more information about the park’s design so you can provide input. I have already seen requests to consider pickleball and tennis. (Note: The curved road you see in the image is the approximate location of the future Western Corridor.)
Construction at Fire Lake Park
Wondering about the construction activity next to Fire Lake Park? The Shivwits Band is building a parking lot. They also plan to start a concession operation with a permanent structure or trailer as well as an RV Park with 40-50 RV spaces, a club house, and amenities.
Their plans also allow for future expansion. Approvals for development on the Band’s land are done through the county, not Ivins. See the Band’s website at https://shivwits.org/ for more information.
Using Our Secondary Water
All the water used in homes in Ivins is culinary water. That includes water used outdoors for irrigation. That’s not an effective use of culinary water. Plus, about 90% of the water used indoors ends up going down the drain.
For the past 20 years, Ivins has required new construction to be plumbed for both culinary water for indoor use and irrigation water for outdoor use. Now the City is starting an 8- to 10-year project to build the infrastructure to bring that irrigation water to all those homes. The first phase starts this year and will take a couple of years to complete. Let me know if you want maps showing what parts of Ivins get hooked up in each phase.
Bike/Walking Trail for Hwy 91
Ivins will add a bike/walking trail along Hwy 91 from 200 E to Kwavasa and continue the bike trail to fire Lake Park. Work is expected to begin this year and will also include roundabouts at 400 W and Kwavasa.
Please share your comments and tell me about other Ivins issues I have not addressed in recent posts. CONTACT ME