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Spring City council schedules new public hearing after council unveils 'protected historic zone' proposal
Summary
Spring City City Council released a revised zoning draft that would create a 'protected historic zone' keeping 1.06‑acre minimum lot size inside the zone and barring multifamily zoning there; a public hearing was set for Sept. 23 after weeks of public comment and a pending lawsuit over district boundaries.
Spring City — The Spring City City Council on Thursday released a second draft of a zoning ordinance change and set a public hearing for 6:30 p.m. Sept. 23 as part of a proposed compromise intended to protect much of the city’s historic core.
The revised draft, filed as Ordinance 2025‑05, would add a “protected historic zone” that keeps the current minimum buildable lot size at 1.06 acres inside the zone and would prohibit new R‑3 or RMF (multifamily) zoning there. The council said the change does not alter the city’s established National Historic District or its legal boundaries.
Council leaders and staff said the new zone is intended to preserve the number of “contributing historic structures” inside the core so those structures do not fall below a 50% threshold that has been cited in public debate. At the meeting, Councilmember Randy Strait described using the count of contributing buildings to shape the map, and said he adjusted the proposed western boundary to 150 West to protect a nearby landowner’s ability to split property.
The revision follows weeks of public comment and a lawsuit by property owners challenging prior proposals that would reduce the minimum lot size in many parts of town. Several speakers during the meeting urged the council to reconsider boundary lines and preserve more of the historic district. Scott Newman, represented during public comment, said the plaintiffs remain willing to negotiate and warned that proposed shifts “would place 61 contributing historic structures, roughly 24% of the entire National Historic District, outside the protected zone.”
The new draft also raises the maximum size for accessory guest houses from 625 square feet to 1,200 square feet, and revises multifamily controls by lowering a previously proposed cap on multifamily-to-single‑family conversions from 5% to 4%.
Mayor Anderson and staff said the city will hold a public hearing on the 2025‑05 draft at a planning‑and‑zoning meeting on Sept. 23 and that planning and zoning will conduct the hearing and collect public testimony. The council emphasized that because the new draft contains significant changes, an additional public hearing was appropriate before any final vote.
The council did not vote on final adoption Thursday; staff said the planning and zoning commission will lead the required public notice and hearing steps.
The matter remains subject to litigation; councilmembers said the new draft is intended to form the basis of a possible compromise with plaintiffs.
