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Toquerville authorizes staff to apply to BLM for SilverCliffs road corridor; developer to bear costs
Summary
Council authorized staff to prepare a Bureau of Land Management right‑of‑way application for a road corridor that will provide secondary/emergency access to the SilverCliffs development; the motion requires the developer to pay application and environmental costs and allows the city to withdraw the application at its discretion.
The Toquerville City Council on July 16 authorized city staff to work with consultants and the SilverCliffs Special Service Development District to submit a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) right‑of‑way application for a 100‑foot corridor to provide a road and utility corridor that will serve as a secondary and emergency access for the SilverCliffs development.
City staff said the proposed route skirts Devil’s Hole and uses existing four‑wheeler track where possible, then ties to Firelight property and to planned local roads. The corridor would allow future construction of a public road, sewer and water lines to provide redundancy and interconnection between jurisdictions. Staff said applying as the municipal applicant is advantageous because a city‑led BLM application typically proceeds more smoothly than an application from a private developer.
The council motion, which passed, includes: (1) direction to staff to coordinate the application with American Consulting & Engineering and the SilverCliffs district; (2) a requirement that the developer pay all application, planning, engineering and administrative costs (including environmental review costs if the BLM requires them); and (3) an explicit reservation allowing the city to withdraw the application at its sole discretion. Staff said the corridor would later be required to be built to city standards and that any road construction costs would be borne by the development at the time of road construction.
Why it matters: the corridor offers a route that avoids sensitive lands at Devil’s Hole and creates an access and utility connection that the city and developers say will support a large planned residential development. Council members stressed consistency in the BLM application language: the city will specify that the corridor is intended for public use as a secondary/emergency access and will require the developer to meet city standards when improvements are built.
Outcome: council made a motion to authorize staff to prepare and submit the BLM SF‑299 application; the motion carried on voice/roll call and staff will finalize application language and cost responsibilities before submission.
