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Ferron planners favor short ordinance fixes first, full general-plan rewrite later
Summary
SIRDA recommended Ferron adopt targeted ordinance updates now—ADUs, parking, annexation and others—to address immediate problems and follow with a simplified general-plan update that could take a year to 18 months; commissioners agreed to start with the ordinances and follow a staged public-review process.
At a June 26 work session, Todd Thorn of the Southeastern Regional Development Agency advised Ferron’s planning commission to prioritize targeted zoning and ordinance fixes now and to schedule a comprehensive general-plan update later. Thorn estimated the full plan review would likely take about a year to 18 months if the commission reviews one or two chapters per meeting and holds required public hearings.
Why this matters: The city’s general plan dates to 2007 and runs long (commissioners referenced a draft of about 159 pages). Thorn argued a shorter, focused general plan and near-term ordinance changes would be more practical for a small rural city, allowing staff to enforce current policy while the broader vision is updated.
Details from the discussion
- Ordinances first: Thorn recommended starting with “low-hanging fruit” ordinances—he listed ADU, tiny-home/small-lot standards, Airbnb/short-term rental rules, C‑1/highway commercial zone standards (site-plan, parking), stormwater controls, annexation policy and fence-in/fence-out rules. He said concise drafts (often one to several pages) make public review quicker and easier for staff to administer.
- General-plan timeline and content: Thorn described the typical general-plan elements required by state code—housing, transportation, water-use element (for counties), economic development—and suggested Ferron focus on a simplified plan that meets state minimums and lays out clear goals and implementation steps rather than a very long list of objectives.
- State requirements and incentives: Commissioners discussed the state’s guidance on plan updates and that some state incentives (for affordable housing) target higher-density, Wasatch Front projects and offer limited benefit to small rural towns. Thorn noted that counties are asked to include water-use elements and that small towns are not always required to prepare separate affordable-housing plans.
What will happen next
Thorn said SIRDA will assemble example ordinance language from nearby communities and provide an indexed list so commissioners can edit collaboratively. He recommended the planning commission hold public hearings at the planning-commission level, then forward proposed ordinances to the city council for adoption. Commissioners agreed to begin with the ordinance drafts and to coordinate review in monthly meetings.
Ending
Commissioners thanked Thorn and directed staff to circulate the sample ordinances and an index of recommended ordinance updates. The meeting recessed after a motion to adjourn was made and seconded; no roll‑call vote was recorded at the June 26 session.
