Nibley council approves Apple Creek amendment to expand protected open space, transfer trail right-of-way to city

The Nibley City Council voted to approve a first amendment to the Apple Creek Subdivision development agreement, accepting new conservation boundaries and transferring a trail right-of-way to the city while declining a separate $37,000 payment that had been discussed during negotiations.

The amendment shifts the delineation of conservation land within the Apple Creek Phase 1 parcel and adds what the developer and city staff described as an identifiable, contiguous conservation area and a city-owned trail corridor. Proponents said the change would create a clearer, enforceable conservation boundary and increase the city’s permanently protected open space.

City planner Levi Robert explained the amendment’s purpose and the material that the developer added to the council packet. The developer’s representatives showed a map that, they said, more clearly separates buildable lots from conserved land and identifies a uniform trail corridor that would be transferred to the city.

Developer representatives said the change increases the conservation area by roughly two-thirds of an acre. "This is a clear delineation of where that conservation is, and it's in addition to what there was previously dedicated as a conservation," said Clay Shacker of Solutions Group, who presented the plan to the council.

Proponent Sean Dessen described the public-benefit trade-offs he is offering. Dessen said the amendment would transfer an identifiable trail right-of-way to the city and reduce…