Provo planning commission recommends denial of narrow owner-occupant code edit, urges broader rewrite

The Provo City Planning Commission on Sept. 24 voted 7–1 to recommend denial of a Provo City Council request to amend Provo City Code 14.06.020 to clarify the owner-occupant definition, and asked the council for a broader rewrite of the section.

Commissioner Matt Wheelwright moved the recommendation for denial; Chair Jonathan Hill seconded. The motion passed by a 7–1 vote.

Commissioners and staff said the item before them is a narrow cleanup of conflicting language in the owner-occupant definition but that the broader section needs clarification to avoid unintended effects on accessory dwelling unit (ADU) eligibility and to address family arrangements and enforcement.

David Bile, policy analyst for the city, told the commission the proposed change “is pretty straightforward” and that legal staff advised removing a particular clause “as the cleanest way to,…