[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6458822,"mediaKeyId","5809466-6861a60a221584342b5c818ae64514d2","parentId",5809466,"title","Toquerville council: approvals for Firelight adjustments, development addendum, committees and change orders; employee manual tabled","audioSeconds",482,"startMs",5910000,"endMs",6392000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5809466-6861a60a221584342b5c818ae64514d2&start=5910&end=6392","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5809466-6861a60a221584342b5c818ae64514d2/thumbnail_5910000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6458822/Toquerville/Washington-County/Utah/Toquerville-council-approvals-for-Firelight-adjustments-development-addendum-committees-and-change-orders-employee-manual-tabled","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6458822-358852f05078dda1e5245b18f9aa1781/orig.mp4?Expires=1770982609&Signature=BXRyaobJfV7-c6g3862z-hu~QkCCmT~rZ6NA2QVFUxGeuHyVtPXbRWQqoPkF8q9YVUkhSih0RGebTGFM95N-97AhiU0-BewcmLMBZ6Xakhz-MuIErXjS0fUiM25-69GGODRZYxaIvzuzPP3MdisC3A9mC-W~0bzEOa0gvzGxtVnKRyHlxUlUHonXoCCtztILX1i8ADCbL5PHlo7ymd-xsWmKu7c5iuTJbq-CLqzpRuwNtWgAUfxpK0fEkPQY106yCT1xxj3JfYTUMzpsr4pxwVdBkhejKPNhS8bt-i0munDq5krA-YKSLXQmq0IDMnAnXxQDwF7drd~rj5KS5mwwgQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Toquerville","date","2025-09-22T22:14:58.157Z","article","The Toquerville City Council on Sept. 17 took a series of administrative and land-use actions: approving corrections and modifications tied to the Firelight MPDO, adopting an addendum to the Firelight development agreement, creating a Chief Toquerville Reservoir Recreation Committee, approving two Tocco Parkway contract change orders and updating the city’s sign-permit fees. Council tabled the proposed employee policy and procedures manual for additional edits.

Key approvals and votes at a glance

- Firelight: Final site plan corrections for Residential Planning Area 11 (Item E-2) — approved. Staff said an error in open-space bonus calculations had been corrected; the updated plan increases bonus open space available to the developer (the correction changed the bonus open-space tally from 0.6 to 7.71 acres as presented by staff).

- Firelight: MPDO modification for Residential Planning Area 1 (Item E-3) — approved. Staff confirmed the submitted site plan met applicable open-space and development-area requirements and aligned with the development agreement standards for active-adult areas.

- Firelight: Addendum to the Firelight Development Agreement allowing conditional approvals (Item E-4) — approved. The addendum clarifies lapse periods and recordation language to match other ordinances and permits certain conditional approvals within specified lapse periods.

- Recreation committee: Creation of a Chief Toquerville Reservoir Recreation Committee (Item E-5) — approved. The council approved a seven-member committee composition: one representative from Ash Creek Special Service District, one from Washington County Water Conservancy District, three Toquerville registered-voter community members, the mayor and a city staff member (city staff is a voting member). The committee will meet quarterly.

- Employee manual (Item E-6) — tabled for two weeks. Staff requested time to incorporate additional council feedback and proposed edits; council voted to postpone final adoption to allow further review.

- Regional water conservation plan (Item E-7) — discussion only. Staff and councilors discussed the Washington County Water Conservancy District’s regional conservation plan and the trade-offs between adopting a regional plan and maintaining Toquerville’s locally adopted plan. Staff noted Toquerville’s five-year conservation target is a 14% per-capita reduction and that the regional plan proposes a different target (staff identified a 7.7% regional target for pre-2023 development in the Conservancy District’s draft). No formal action was taken.

- Tocco Parkway change order #20, JP Excavation — $111,188.64 (Item E‑8/Ea) — approved. Council authorized payment for shouldering and temporary pavement tabs under the change order; members asked that outstanding punch-list items and workmanship be verified by the city’s project representative.

- Tocco Parkway change order #24, JP Excavation — $9,150 (structural riprap) (Item E‑9) — approved. Council approved the contractor’s change order to complete riprap work the city’s project manager determined was required.

- Ordinance amendment (Item E-10) — Toquerville City Code Title 10 Chapter 5 (land-use penalties) — approved. The council clarified the enforcement penalty to a Class B misdemeanor to give the prosecutor clearer authority in current litigation.

- Fee schedule: Sign permit application fees (Item E‑11) — approved. Council adopted a revised fee structure: $150 flat for up to five signs per application, plus $50 per additional sign thereafter; the motion included standard caveat language that additional professional or legal fees may be assessed separately if required.

- Sign-code enforcement delegation (Item E‑12) — denied. Council considered a resolution to move sign-code enforcement authority from planning commission to staff and instead voted to leave enforcement authority in its current form while work continues on an updated sign ordinance.

Why it matters: The meeting advanced several approvals that affect the Firelight project’s near-term site plan and administration and clarified the city’s fee and enforcement posture for signs. The committee creation and accepted change orders move forward city-managed recreation and infrastructure work; tabling of the employee manual means personnel-policy changes will return for reconsideration.

Speakers and presenters: City planner Emily presented most planning items; the Firelight landowner/representative and engineer participated in discussion of site-plan corrections; Paul Morris (chair, Grapevine Wash Local District) spoke on related property and access. Contractors and the city’s project representative participated in Tocco Parkway change-order discussions.

Provenance and next steps: Several actions requested follow-up: staff to process the MPDO applications and updated plans (Firelight), the planning department to coordinate sign-code revisions, the mayor and staff to convene the reservoir recreation committee, and the public works/project manager to verify completion of punch-list items on Tocco Parkway prior to final closeout.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","09.17.2025 City Council Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","At the Sept. 17 Toquerville City Council meeting, members approved several Firelight site-plan corrections and a development addendum, created a reservoir recreation committee, approved two Tocco Parkway change orders and updated a sign-permit fee schedule; the employee policy manual was tabled for further revision.","taxTitle","Toquerville, Washington County, Utah","taxId",7485,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6458827,"Toquerville council approves rezone for Devil’s Hole area over resident objections, 3-2",5362,947000,6309000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5809466-6861a60a221584342b5c818ae64514d2&start=947&end=6309","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5809466-6861a60a221584342b5c818ae64514d2/thumbnail_947000.jpg","/articles/6458827/Toquerville/Washington-County/Utah/Toquerville-council-approves-rezone-for-Devils-Hole-area-over-resident-objections-3-2","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6458827-a5ae1a2be62230d66046e67aff13c702/orig.mp4?Expires=1770982609&Signature=ZA4xk2W6cxFfToYF4Fj5HB53nREBXXESZ74InKBlHhzaWZnB5IE~cHiGuLk9xIqqu2EuyTiRjCEC~2pf08NPhuq6S5kYXE0qFegRR1q8swSWQ6f8CXdnBdrE7yNL514nqd21Gb4Ecc9BGhSkqZqMNezxuwbzYT7ao716hStWG0R8njvaLYU0KARh7c7fc2jQpTPdSEs6OQm6kP2psfaAjo8rVGnQObpa9hkgY-sn32Y7aBW4Gnml10ItLXruyRbHIP6m5IMlELtcFmonBj85OwdgGRQDMa13Tj2~aVr1gllYzMlJWF0pl~CgWIz7EB~mTJ03EK0dIHCy3RI~cU1Dug__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Toquerville City Council on Sept. 17 voted 3-2 to approve a zone change application submitted by American Consulting and Engineering on behalf of property owners that would reclassify parcels including the area known as Devil’s Hole from MU-20 mixed use to R1-20 single-family residential.

The measure, which council staff said is intended to establish an underlying base density ahead of a separate MPDO (Master Planned Development Overlay) application, drew lengthy public comment and repeated requests from at least one council member to postpone the decision until the developer produced a binding plan to protect Devil’s Hole.

City planner Emily (staff) told the council that the application is “consistent with the future land use map in the general plan” and explained the process: “The rezone is, in this case, the first step to establishing the base density for an MPDO, which would give them 2 units per acre. That density is then applied in that MPDO if it's submitted and approved.”

Several residents, including longtime users of the site, urged council members to delay approval until the developer presented clearer guarantees for preservation and public access. “I want to see a little more, maybe something more to really tell us what's really gonna happen … I don't wanna give a zone change without a little more information,” resident Wayne said during public comment.

Paul Morris, who identified himself as a landowner and the chair of the Grapevine Wash Local District, told council members the district already holds title or restrictions to the central portion that contains Devil’s Hole and said the landowner and district intend to preserve the feature and provide public access. “Devil’s Hole is not owned privately right now. It's owned by the Grapevine Wash Local District,” Morris said. He added the applicant intends to submit an MPDO and that “we are gonna keep that public. And the public's gonna have access to it, period.”

An agent for American Consulting and Engineering, who identified himself as an engineer working on the application, said the firm is following city staff advice to obtain the underlying zoning first and then submit the MPDO: “This was the recommendation from city staff to do the zone change first, then do the MPDO second. … We're just trying to follow the procedure.”

Council members debated whether approving R1-20 would remove leverage to secure preservation commitments. Staff and the applicant said R1-20 alone does not authorize MPDO-level density or clustering; the MPDO review would be a later, separate process that could include enforceable terms protecting sensitive land. Staff emphasized that the site will remain subject to Toquerville’s sensitive lands and hillside overlay rules, which limit development on slopes over roughly 10 percent.

After public comment and council discussion, a motion to approve the zone change passed on a roll call vote, 3 to 2. Council members present asked the applicant to submit the MPDO application promptly; several council members said they expect the MPDO process to be the point at which binding conservation commitments would be documented.

Why it matters: The rezone covers roughly the planning area adjacent to existing development and sets the underlying zoning that will be used to calculate potential density in a future MPDO application. Residents and at least one council member said they want firm, written protections for Devil’s Hole before approving any change that could be used to justify higher net density through clustering bonuses.

What’s next: The applicant indicated it intends to file an MPDO application addressing clustering, public access and conservation; that application will go through the city’s MPDO review and planning commission process before any density bonuses or clustering are approved.

Votes and formal action: Motion to approve zone change from MU-20 to R1-20 — passed, 3-2. The council recorded the outcome on the public record and asked the applicant to proceed with an MPDO application.

Provenance: Excerpted remarks and the roll-call outcome appear in the meeting transcript (discussion began at the council’s presentation of Item E-1 and concluded with the roll-call vote).","The Toquerville City Council approved a zone change from MU-20 to R1-20 for parcels that include the feature known as Devil’s Hole, 3-2, after extended public comment and debate over protections and guarantees for the sensitive land feature.","actionData","errors"]

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Toquerville council: approvals for Firelight adjustments, development addendum, committees and change orders; employee manual tabled

Toquerville council approves rezone for Devil’s Hole area over resident objections, 3-2