Ivins is working on updating our General Plan and Land Use map. The Planning Commission decided at their March 15th meeting to hold at least a couple community meetings to get input from residents on land use throughout the city. This should happen soon.
Based on recent comments from residents on issues, here are a few things I would like your input on, as well as other issues that matter to you.
Affordable housing
Generally, the denser the housing the more affordable it will be, with lower land cost per unit and less construction cost with common walls between units. Smaller units help too. So that usually gives us townhomes or apartments. There has been resistance from neighbors to both townhomes and apartments. But the State requires us to find a solution to our affordable housing problem. What types of housing can we encourage to add affordability, how do we make them more acceptable to neighbors, and where should they be built?
Commercial development
Sales tax helps fund community improvements and keeps our taxes lower. Do you favor or oppose encouraging commercial growth within the City? What types of commercial uses (retail, dining, office, services, etc.) should be encouraged, and where should we encourage them to be built?
Transportation
With growth comes more traffic. Not only that, but traffic speed seems to be increasing. Share your thoughts about traffic management ideas, bike lanes, our trail system, speed limit changes, road improvements, and other related issues.
Please share your comments and tell me about other Ivins issues I have not addressed in recent posts. CONTACT ME
Recent “Development” posts
- My Take on Growth, Roads, Water, & MorePDF 📄Robert MacFarlane, a realtor who pays a lot of attention to local issues and hosts the 435 Podcast sent a questionnaire to all city council candidates in the county. I wrote detailed responses to all seven questions, but they were too big and blew up his online survey form. So I redid those responses as short…
- Land Use Planning, Not Land Use ReactingPDF 📄Here is why I would vote no on the proposed land use change from Low-Density Residential (LDR) to High-Density Residential (HDR) for the property on Hwy 91 at 800 W (approx.) to be discussed at this Thursday’s City Council meeting. The applicant’s request for R-2-10 zoning may be a reasonable fit for this property…
- Time For A Short-Term Rental Tune Up?PDF 📄The State Legislature gave cities a little more enforcement power this year through House Bill 256, which outlines clear steps cities can take when short-term rentals (STRs) operate in zones where they aren’t allowed. This includes issuing warnings, requesting that online listings be removed, and imposing fines if violations aren’t corrected. The Legislature didn’t…
- Home Businesses: Draw Some Lines?PDF 📄It’s interesting how, even after more than three years on city council, I stumble on things that just don’t make sense. Back in 2017, the Utah Legislature passed a law limiting cities from charging license fees for home-based businesses. So, Ivins had to change its city code regarding these fees. But our City Council…
- How To Think About Rezone ProposalsPDF 📄A proposed zone change is on the City Council’s agenda for the March 6th meeting and there will be a public hearing on this issue (City Hall, 85 N Main Street, meeting starts at 5:30pm). The requested change complies with the Land Use Map. However, the request is for the highest density allowed in…