[{"_1":2,"_105":-5,"_106":-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",[32,75,85,95],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":-5,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6454741,"mediaKeyId","5859854-8d90b257c310631ea42618831d108d16","parentId",5859854,"title","Council hears update on secondary-water impact-fee study, irrigation ponds and NRCS funding","audioSeconds",280,"startMs",3339000,"endMs",3619000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5859854-8d90b257c310631ea42618831d108d16&start=3339&end=3619","thumbnailUrl","https://d352y6ypj4mjo3.cloudfront.net/AudioPlaceholder.png","articleUrl","/articles/6454741/Utah/Council-hears-update-on-secondary-water-impact-fee-study-irrigation-ponds-and-NRCS-funding","mediaUrl","author","Hurricane City Council","date","2025-09-29T15:00:00Z","article","City staff told the work meeting the Alpha Engineering impact-fee study for secondary (pressurized) irrigation is near completion and will be ready for council review in October, with an action item possible in November.

Alpha Engineering is finalizing the analysis and city staff said they expect Zions Bank to provide updated financing input for the model. The study will break the city into three service areas: (1) the historical canal area (existing canal-served neighborhoods), (2) the Gateway/Sand Hollow/Dixie Springs area (planned service area with separate supply and costs) and (3) “everywhere else,” where the city does not plan to acquire secondary water and developments would pay the full water district impact fee. Because the city will purchase water in some areas and fair‑market appraisals are being used, staff told the council the secondary-water impact fee is expected to increase from current levels.

Staff said they will present the plan for council discussion at the second council meeting in October and hoped to bring an adoption action item in November. “There’s a public notice requirement to adopt an impact fee,” a staff member said; updated appraisals from lenders are still pending and will affect final numbers.

Separately, public-works staff reported progress on the large irrigation infrastructure project: contractors will begin pouring concrete for two settling ponds (each described as multi-million-gallon capacity) in the next two weeks and are coordinating with NRCS (U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service) on on‑farm funding. Staff said NRCS funds are available to cover up to 50 percent of on‑farm conversion costs for early-phase applicants and urged property owners in the first phase to apply within the next 45 days to qualify for NRCS assistance; however NRCS payment timing could be delayed until May 1 of the following year.

Why it matters: the impact-fee study determines how much new development will pay to connect to pressurized secondary water in different parts of the city and whether the city will acquire secondary supplies. The NRCS support and the settling ponds are key pieces for delivering secondary irrigation to farms and subdivisions; council members emphasized timing and interagency coordination before fees are finalized.

Provenance: discussion began with an update to council about consultant progress and ended with staff scheduling the October presentation and summarizing NRCS application deadlines.","mediaType","Audio","parentTitle","Hurricane City Council - 2025-09-29-CCR.1","oneSentenceSummary","City staff told the Hurricane City Council that Alpha Engineering’s secondary-water impact-fee study is nearly complete and will be presented for discussion in October, with adoption possible in November; the study separates the city into three service areas and expects higher fees tied to fair‑market water costs.","taxTitle","Hurricane, Washington County, Utah","taxId",80031,"location","Utah","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":50,"_51":82,"_53":-5,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":83,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":84,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},6454745,"Hurricane council debates incentives and ‘site-ready’ overlays for three commercial corridors",1677,839000,2516000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5859854-8d90b257c310631ea42618831d108d16&start=839&end=2516","/articles/6454745/Utah/Hurricane-council-debates-incentives-and-site-ready-overlays-for-three-commercial-corridors","Councilmembers used a developer presentation as a launch point for a broader work-session discussion about how Hurricane should recruit and evaluate large retail and industrial projects that the city currently lacks.

The council identified three priority areas for targeting: the SR‑7/SR‑9 intersection (north of 3000 South), the commercial corridor between SR‑7/SR‑9 and Sand Hollow Road (corridor near Santa Clara Road), and the freeway area around Exit 16. Council members said those areas could be candidates for “site-ready” overlays that specify permitted uses, workforce expectations and fast-track approvals so developers know in advance what will be allowed and how quickly an application can proceed.

“Instead of saying yes or no to a person, we’re saying yes or no to an idea,” the mayor said, describing the intent to give developers certainty through pre-defined overlays. Several council members said they prefer fast-track permitting and clearly defined prerequisites (infrastructure in place, number of jobs, minimum wages, or capital investment thresholds) over broad up-front financial grants. One council member said, “I don’t like the idea of giving financial incentives to businesses coming in,” while others favored targeted tools in limited cases (for example, to recruit a large destination retail or a home-improvement anchor the city lacks).

Council discussion included potential incentive mechanisms: property-tax TIF (tax-increment financing), sales-tax sharing agreements that rebate a portion of sales tax to the developer if contractual milestones are met, and use of existing financing mechanisms such as PIDs/other commercial financing tools. Several council members stressed the importance of written performance metrics and enforcement: reimbursements or tax shares would occur only after the city verified job creation, wages and completed construction.

Staff recommendations: councilmembers asked staff to (1) draft overlay parameters for the three corridors (what uses are preferred, employment/wage expectations, and approval timeframes), (2) research financing options used by nearby jurisdictions (Washington City, St. George) and (3) prepare a packet of “ready-to-go” financing and permitting materials so the city can respond rapidly when a serious lead arrives. Council members discussed hiring a consultant to evaluate large destination proposals on a case-by-case basis (for example, destination recreation retail that draws regional tourism), but several members suggested staff can assemble initial criteria and learn from neighboring jurisdictions before engaging consultants.

Why it matters: city leaders are trying to keep retail and sales tax dollars in Hurricane and accelerate delivery of anchor uses the city lacks. The policy choices (site‑ready overlay vs. ad hoc incentives) will shape what kinds of businesses decide to locate in Hurricane and the timeline for approvals.

Provenance: discussion initiated after the developer presentation and continued through the council’s work-session on corridors and incentive policy.","Councilmembers discussed a proactive framework for retail and industrial recruitment, focusing on three corridors (SR‑7/SR‑9 intersection, SR‑7 to Sand Hollow Road, and Exit 16) and whether to favor fast-track zoning overlays, targeted incentives, or consultant analysis for large destination retail.",{"_33":86,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":87,"_41":88,"_43":89,"_45":90,"_47":91,"_49":50,"_51":92,"_53":-5,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":93,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":94,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},6454751,"Developer outlines $100 million shopping-center plan, offers linear park and seeks TIF analysis",555,104000,659000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5859854-8d90b257c310631ea42618831d108d16&start=104&end=659","/articles/6454751/Utah/Developer-outlines-100-million-shopping-center-plan-offers-linear-park-and-seeks-TIF-analysis","Developer Kevin Hawkins told the Hurricane City Council at a work meeting that Hawkins Development has a shopping-center project under contract at the Walmart intersection between Sand Hollow Road and 3400 West and is seeking the council’s early feedback on public amenities, site layout and financing options.

“I’ve been a shopping center developer for 45 years,” Hawkins said. He described a roughly 40-acre project with anchor interest in home-improvement, entertainment and grocery tenants and “probably gonna be a $100,000,000 project” when complete. The plan shown to council includes a pedestrian corridor, a roundabout water feature that flows into a splash pad, food-truck and shade areas along State Route 9 frontage, a tree nursery/seasonal market area, splash pads, fire pits and pickleball courts.

Hawkins said eight acres along State Route 9 are within a UDOT corridor-preservation area that UDOT plans to buy now and hold for about 10 years. “They said, we’ll lease it back to you for almost nothing. You can do with it what you want,” Hawkins said, and described a temporary activation plan (food trucks, seasonal markets) that would present the site to the highway’s 44,000 cars-per-day traffic.

Hawkins proposed dedicating the pedestrian corridor and some onsite recreation (including pickleball courts) to the city as a linear park, then financing construction via a property-tax increment financing (TIF) mechanism. He asked the council to authorize staff to pursue an analysis with DA Davidson, a municipal-bond advisor, to model whether a TIF or similar bond structure could fund the park and related site improvements. “What I would like to propose… is I would like to dedicate that pedestrian corridor…and I’ve done that before,” Hawkins said. He estimated the park/building improvements to cost several million dollars and said Hawkins Development would put equity into the overall project and personally guarantee loans with partners and lenders.

Council members asked several operational questions about access points, frontage-road connections and whether the public dedication would include an easement. Hawkins said the development team would build the park amenities and dedicate the easement and improvements to the city after bond proceeds were spent. Council and staff raised water-use rules for ornamental features; Hawkins replied the design would recirculate and use minimal makeup water.

Why it matters: the proposal would convert agricultural property currently in an ag assessment into large-scale retail and entertainment development and add a publicly accessible linear park and community amenities paid initially by the developer and reimbursed through a shared tax mechanism if a TIF is approved. The council did not take any formal action during the presentation; Hawkins asked the city to let the developer take a DA Davidson analysis to the next step and return with the project math for council review.

Provenance: The council discussion began with Hawkins’s introduction and presentation (topic intro) and closed after Q&A about TIF mechanics and park dedication (topic finish).","Hawkins Development presented a roughly $100 million mixed-use shopping center for land between Sand Hollow Road and 3400 West, proposing a public linear park and asking the city to pursue a property-tax TIF analysis with DA Davidson to fund on-site public amenities.",{"_33":96,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":97,"_41":98,"_43":99,"_45":100,"_47":101,"_49":50,"_51":102,"_53":-5,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":103,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":104,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},6454736,"Council approves motion to enter closed session; no other formal votes recorded",39,5554000,5593000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5859854-8d90b257c310631ea42618831d108d16&start=5554&end=5593","/articles/6454736/Utah/Council-approves-motion-to-enter-closed-session-no-other-formal-votes-recorded","The council voted to convene a closed meeting after staff reports. Councilman Hershey moved to go into closed session and Councilman Faucet seconded; the motion passed on an affirmative voice vote. City staff indicated the closed session would include discussion of potential water purchase and an update on imminent litigation.

Mayor and staff clarified which staff members would remain for the closed meeting: the water board chairman and public-works and planning staff were listed as necessary attendees. The council resumed public meeting business after a short closed session; no public votes on ordinances, rezones or budget items were taken in open session during the work meeting.

Why it matters: formal entry into a closed meeting is a recorded council action and triggered when council members need to discuss property acquisition and attorney‑client privileged matters out of public session. No formal council decisions related to the closed session were publicly reported at the meeting’s conclusion.","At the work meeting the council voted to go into closed session to discuss potential water purchase and imminent litigation; the motion carried by voice vote and the city identified staff who would remain for the closed discussion.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Council hears update on secondary-water impact-fee study, irrigation ponds and NRCS funding

Hurricane council debates incentives and ‘site-ready’ overlays for three commercial corridors

Developer outlines $100 million shopping-center plan, offers linear park and seeks TIF analysis

Council approves motion to enter closed session; no other formal votes recorded