Preparing for the future: Ivins officials seek input as they begin revision of city’s land use plan

IVINS — In a rare joint meeting Tuesday night, the Ivins City Council and the Ivins Planning Commission began what will be a monthslong process to completely revise land zoning throughout the city. 

(L-R) Planning Commission Chairman Jeffrey Loris and Mayor Chris Hart during a joint meeting of Ivins’ City Council and Planning Commission, Ivins, Utah, Jan. 18, 2022 | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News

The two bodies began the process of revising the Ivins Land Use Plan and General Plan for the first time since August 2015. 

Much has happened since that time. For one, the city has grown by approximately 3,000 residents. There has also been an ongoing drought, and water usage is definitely an important factor in planning development.

The revision will involve the hundreds of parcels in Ivins that haven’t been developed yet and deciding between such choices as developing more tourism spots like resorts, single-family homes, townhomes or affordable housing or just leaving it wide open.

Mayor Chris Hart, who has been pushing for a revision for the last year, said it is all about the very character of the city and its future. 

Placards show the existing land zoning in Ivins during a joint meeting of Ivins’ City Council and Planning Commission, Ivins, Utah, Jan. 18, 2022 | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News

“It’s the outgrowth of the vision for the city,” Hart told St. George News. “It ultimately translates into what’s the land use, what’s the zoning going to be, to have that happen.”

During the opening of the meeting, Hart, who presided over the last plan revision in 2015, set the tone for the task to come, noting it took “months and months” to get it done last time. He also noted the balancing act between the quality of life sought by residents of the city and the needs of landowners and developers. 

Also mentioned early on in the meeting by council member Mike Scott was the need to change what has been an issue with certain residential zones, specifically low-density zones with 1-acre spaces for each residence.  This designation has caused quandaries for the council when developers have bought the property expecting to be allowed to rezone to smaller parcels, such as what happened with one developer in November

The wholesale revision to zoning in Ivins will involve public hearings, meetings with developers and open houses, with the goal of getting as much public input as possible, Hart said.

Planning Commission members during a joint meeting of Ivins’ City Council and Planning Commission, Ivins, Utah, Jan. 18, 2022 | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News

Jeffrey Loris, chair of the Ivins Planning Commission, said Tuesday’s meeting was “about the future.”

“Tonight is about how to prepare and how to get the community to be able to understand what we are doing for the future,” he said. “As planning commissioners, we’re looking at the general plan, looking at zoning and land use and finding out how best to present the future of Ivins, whether it be water, whether it be land use, whether it be any other use in the area, we’re trying to move forward in a better position than we have in the past.”

Loris said most cities revise their land use plan every five years.

“So we’re actually behind the eight ball here,” he said.

Because of that, the commission chair echoed Hart’s sentiments that he hopes to see a lot of participation by Ivins residents. 

“If we could fill this room and pack this with all of the input from the area, that would get us all we need,” he said.

When asked what the biggest factor will be in this revision to land use in Ivins, Hart used one word: water.

Copies of Ivins’ land use and general plans sit on a table during a joint meeting of Ivins’ City Council and Planning Commission, Ivins, Utah, Jan. 18, 2022 | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News

Hart said there was once a time where a part of getting a development approved was making sure there would be a water supply available for it. He said with the drought and impending moves by the Washington County Water Conservancy District, those times may be returning. 

Hart said the district, of which he is part of the board, uses a unit known as an equivalent residential unit, or ERU. An average home uses one ERU, and currently the conservancy district commits 0.89 acre feet of water to each ERU. 

Hart said with the Virgin River drainage used up, the district may soon change how much water it can commit for each ERU. That would mean less water available for development, which is something Hart says will be dealt with in the revised Ivins plan.

“Water’s a big deal. All the things we’re talking about – zoning and so forth – it’s irrelevant if there’s no water for these parcels to be developed,” he said. “We just need to make sure that we’re being responsible when we approve new projects. The water is either there or it’s not there. And if it’s not there, neither should be the development, in my opinion.”

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.

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