The future of Ivins may be determined by a letter coming in the mail

In a file photo, residents speak during an Ivins City Council public hearing, Ivins, Utah, Sept. 1, 2022 | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — Ivins residents are receiving a letter in their mailbox that may shape their city’s future. 

Envelope received by Ivins residents with a survey on the city’s future general plan, November 2022 | Photo courtesy of Ivins City, St. George News

A survey inside an envelope with the words “Let’s Plan Ivins Future Together” started arriving in residents’ mailboxes Monday. While it’s not another mailing from Publishers Clearing House, it isn’t junk mail.

“The city has gone to considerable expense to get input from as wide a cross-section of our residents as possible. The survey is crucial to that effort,” Ivins Mayor Chris Hart told St. George News. “The questions were designed to be simple to answer and it came with a postage pre-paid return envelope so it would only require 10 to 15 minutes of a resident’s time to complete and drop in the outgoing mail.”

The four-page survey allows residents to rank between one and five – with five being most in favor and one being least – such questions as how residents feel about public safety and traffic; to whether residents need more – or less – parks, bike lanes or roundabouts; to which kinds of developments and businesses should the city attract. 

“There are many important questions having to do with future development both residential and commercial that I’m eager to see our residents’ responses,” Hart said. 

Image from cameras inside Ivins City Halls’ council chambers showing Ivins Mayor Chris Hart in front of a whiteboard at one of six town hall meetings held concerning the city’s General Plan, Ivins, Utah, Oct. 27, 2022 | Photo courtesy of Ivins City, St. George News

The results of the survey will be combined with input from six City Hall meetings held around town in the last month and shape a revised general plan for the city. Those town halls saw rooms nearly filled to capacity and whiteboards filled with ideas. 

Hart said between the surveys and the whiteboards, data will be fed into a spreadsheet and analyzed, then provided to the city’s Planning Commission and council to guide the final portion of ongoing discussions to revise the city’s general plan. Those discussions, the first revision of zoning and the general plan in Ivins since August 2015, have been ongoing since January

“I assure you that the survey and information gleaned in our six town hall meetings will be a critical part of those ongoing discussions,” Hart said. 

A sample of questions in a survey received by Ivins residents on the city’s future general plan, November 2022 | Photo courtesy of Ivins City, St. George News

Zoning and the general plan seemingly come up in every Ivins City Council Meeting, including recent debates on resort zoning, short-term rentals and water use. Potentially, residents’ responses could determine if Ivins continues its current plan to mainly draw revenue from tourism, as well as whether to retain building heights and standards and the possible addition of more pickleball courts. 

The responses will be anonymous, as there will be nothing on the survey or the return envelope to determine which residents filled it out or where they live – only that they are an Ivins resident. The return envelope will have a code that will only indicate the area of the city it came from. Also, the survey can only be returned in the envelope provided and there is only one envelope being provided for each address. 

The envelope can also be returned directly to Ivins City Hall at 85 N. Main Street. 

Determining the city’s future does have a deadline. It must be returned by Nov. 20.

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

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