ST. GEORGE — Housing and property setback ordinances were the top 2022 issues facing the Springdale Planning Commission during their recent work session.
The Commission recommended 99-year deed restrictions on all employee housing to provide long-term housing for town employees. The commission said that deed restrictions should prioritize housing for Springdale municipal workers, town employees and Zion National Park staff.
“Some research has been completed this past year. There are cities in Utah that have created ways to earmark percentages of development that go for affordable and attainable housing,” Tom Dansie, Director of Community Development, said. “They would earmark it for owner-occupied units, as well as for affordable housing units.”
Park City and Moab are working on affordable housing with deed restrictions. Springdale commissioners hope by encouraging affordable housing for local employees; they will contribute to the community.
“We don’t have places for employees of the town, the national park, or the businesses in town to live to rent or buy,” Barbara Bruno, former commissioner and Springdale mayor, said.
The proposed requirement for employee housing consideration for each transient housing unit would include:
- A certain percentage of units be developed as deed restricted employee units.
- Developers could provide suitable land for employee housing.
- Creating an affordable housing capital account that developers could fund in new construction based on the number of transient housing bedrooms.
- Actively engage Utah Housing, Habitat for Humanity, and other non-profits to construct units using goodwill, available tax credits, and other federal incentives.
The Commission will also recommend that the council gain more undeveloped open space throughout the community to maintain the rural feel of the community, especially along state Route 9.
According to the town general plan, these areas may feature single-family residences surrounded by large fields, pastures, and orchards. Another priority commissioners will focus on are setback requirements for different property zones this year. This issue includes the village commercial zone, the river corridor and development along SR9.
Recently at public hearings, residents expressed concern about the setbacks from their property, especially in the village commercial zone.
The commission said that setback ordinances impact individuals and businesses to a high degree in Springdale, and have a significant impact on the character of the town. The consensus of the commissioners was that setbacks are a high-priority issue, as some of those codes are confusing and inconsistent in parts.
To determine which issues the commission focuses on, town staff recommended they use the following criteria:
- How much of the community is impacted by this issue? The more widespread the impact, the more priority the problem is.
- How prevalent has this issue been in the past, and is it anticipated to be in the future?
- If the issue is a response to an isolated incident, perhaps it is not as much of a priority as an issue that will come up frequently.
- What are the consequences of not addressing the issue? If unresolved, will significantly negative impacts arise because of the problem?
- What are the benefits of addressing the issue? Do the benefits to the community justify the amount of me it will take to address the problem?
- Are the benefits of addressing this issue significantly more important than the benefits of addressing other issues?
The general plan that covers the goals of the planning commission is available to the public.
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.