Planning commission backs zone change for Shangri La property, approves related lot‑line adjustment with conditions

The Toquerville Planning Commission voted to recommend approval of a zone change for 1816 South Shangri La (Tax ID TD-168-G) from MU-20 to A-1 and approved a concurrent lot-line adjustment, with both actions conditioned on required conveyance and council review.

Planning staff member Emily told the commission the two items are “step 1 and 2” to bring the Vance properties into compliance with the city’s minimum-lot-size rules. She said MU-20 as applied to these parcels requires a 20-acre minimum lot size under the city’s coding as presented and that changing the parcel to A-1 (agricultural) would create compliance because the A-1 district has a 1-acre minimum lot size per the plan the applicants submitted.

The commission opened a public hearing on the zone change; no members of the public spoke. Commissioner (mover) moved to recommend approval of the zone change application submitted by Raymond and Kathy Vance for 1816 South Shangri La, contingent on the zone change applying to the parcel as it will exist after the lot-line adjustment; another commissioner seconded. The motion carried with aye votes from commissioners present.

On the lot-line adjustment, planning staff said state code requires that a conveyance document be recorded to effect the boundary change and that the commission may make approval contingent on submission of that conveyance. The commission approved the lot-line adjustment application for the parcels identified as T-163-C-1A and T-168-G, contingent on (1) city council approval of the associated zone change and (2) submission of the required conveyance document, to be reviewed and approved by city staff and the planning commission chair before recording. The motion passed unanimously among commissioners present.

The staff presentation said the record-of-survey submitted by the applicants will not create a new dwelling and does not change which existing homes sit on which parcel; it instead adjusts parcel boundaries so both resulting parcels meet the stated minimum-lot-size requirement. Staff also said the lot-line adjustment will consolidate on‑site improvements — including solar panels and a radio tower — into the principal parcel and move the tower farther from the new lot line. Further permits remain required: staff noted the applicants will later need a conditional-use permit or variance for the radio tower and that the zone-change recommendation must be considered by city council.

The actions leave implementation steps before the change becomes effective: city council review of the zone change, staff approval of the conveyance document, and recordation of that document with Washington County (staff indicated the city will verify and file the document once approved). Staff and commissioners also discussed that the parcel changes were a condition of prior approvals related to a nightly-rental (B&B) application for the Vances’ property.

No date for recording the conveyance document was set; commissioners noted the statute requires approval of the conveyance at the time the boundary adjustment is approved but contains no fixed deadline, so the commission made submission of the conveyance a condition of their approval.

The commission’s recommendation and the conditional lot-line approval will be forwarded to city council as the next step in the land-use process.