Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee backs broad land-use rewrite aimed at streamlining development approvals
Summary
The committee adopted the first substitute to House Bill 368, a technical and substantive rewrite of land-use code (including annexation and "identical plans" rules) intended to clarify definitions, codify best practices and speed approvals for starter homes and other developments.
House Bill 368, a comprehensive land-use amendments bill described by sponsors as a "meat-and-potatoes" package, was adopted as a first substitute and recommended favorably by the House Political Subdivisions Committee after testimony from municipal and industry stakeholders.
Representative White and supporters said the bill clarifies longstanding ambiguities in annexation and development code, harmonizes definitions (for example, one uniform definition of "identical plans"), and codifies local best practices to reduce regulatory delays that can raise development costs. "This clean up...does not create any new policies, but brings clarification to land use development code for cities, and land use development code for counties," Representative White said in his presentation. Cameron Dill (League of Cities and Towns) and industry representatives described months of task force work and stakeholder negotiation to reach consensus on technical fixes.
Advocates said procedural changes for approved 'identical plans' could shorten review time for repeated starter-home plans, getting those units to market faster while allowing cities to retain health and safety regulation. Municipal leaders and Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District counsel spoke in support while asking for clearer homeowner outreach on landscaping standards and other details.
Committee action: The committee adopted the first substitute (with a second cleanup sub planned for the floor) and recommended HB 368 favorably. Sponsors said a second substitute addressing remaining clarifications would be filed before the bill goes to the House floor.
