Red Mountain Ranch zone-change put on hold; no sensitive-lands application active

The Ivins Sensitive Lands Committee heard an update on a proposed development called Red Mountain Ranch at approximately 800 West Old Highway 91 and concluded there is no active sensitive-lands application at this time.

Committee members said the applicant has paused the zone-change process and withdrew a portion of the submission. "No. Terry withdrew his application, and that's the last we've seen," said Committee member (Speaker 2) during the meeting.

Committee members reviewed a plan showing roughly 11 lots split between upper bluff lots (lots 1–7) and lower bluff lots (lots 8–11). Members noted steep slopes on parts of the site, with the meeting presenter describing areas exceeding a 30% slope shown in dark red on the plan and 25%–30% slopes in lighter red. One presenter summarized the mapping: "There's about 11 lots there, and they're kind of divided between, lower lots and upper lots. The 1 through 7 are up on top of the bluff, and then 8, 9, 10, and 11 are down below at the bottom of the bluff." (Speaker 5)

Discussion focused on how the sensitive-lands standards would apply if and when the applicant re-submits. Members noted that allowable disturbance thresholds depend on the zoning density sought by the developer; medium-density and high-density proposals have different disturbance allowances than low-density residential. One member said that, because of slope and ridgeline concerns, the committee might recommend limiting any sensitive-lands-area rezone to low-density residential, and that the City Council might consider referring the zone-change back to the committee for comment.

Technical code points discussed included ridgeline setback standards and the committee's ordinance Section 16.080.215. A member described the ridgeline standard referenced in the code as involving a setback (noted in the meeting as 75 feet in one chart) and an angled building-height limitation: "that's a 12% angle that starts 6 feet above wherever you define the ridge line to be." (Speaker 7)

Members also flagged that some mapped steep areas might not meet the ordinance's slope criteria because qualifying slope protections require specific height and length thresholds. The smallest proposed lot noted on the plan was described as about 7,400 square feet; members said that size would likely require a medium-density designation if placed on the top bluff, but that ridgeline setbacks and view-angle limitations could substantially reduce developable area.

No formal sensitive-lands application was on file for the committee to act on at the meeting. Committee members said they will request a full inventory and supporting materials if an application is filed and plan a site visit when they next review the parcel. "So that's really just an update. And then when we get an application, we'll bring you back and plan a site visit at the same time," said one speaker. (Speaker 6)

Ending

Committee members agreed there was no action to take at the meeting beyond gathering the information already provided. They said they would request a formal sensitive-lands inventory and additional materials if the applicant resubmits and would revisit the parcel then.