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Planning commission recommends capping multifamily at 3% and flags wording on half‑acre lots and sewer hookups
Summary
Spring City Planning & Zoning Commission debated proposed ordinance language on minimum lot sizes, sewer‑hookup rules and a proposed cap on multifamily dwellings. The commission voted to recommend a cap on multifamily units equal to 3% of single‑family homes and requested clearer ordinance wording about sewer connections and minimum lot sizes.
The Spring City Planning & Zoning Commission discussed draft ordinance language that would change minimum lot-size rules, clarify mandatory sewer hookups, and cap the proportion of multifamily dwellings within city limits. After discussion, commissioners voted to recommend that the city council adopt a multifamily cap of 3% of single‑family homes (down from a draft 5%).
Commissioners concentrated on two linked matters: (1) wording that would allow half‑acre lots within some zones and (2) the requirement to connect to city sewer when a property is within 300 feet of a sewer line. Several commissioners said the draft language as written could be misread to allow septic systems and wells within developed parts of town, and they asked staff to clarify the ordinance text to match state requirements.
A planning staff member and commissioners noted that state law requires connection to a wastewater system when a property is within 300 feet of a sewer line; commissioners asked staff to insert a clear cross-reference in the draft ordinance so property owners and applicants will not interpret the draft as permitting septic tanks or wells where sewer access exists. Commissioners also discussed the interaction between Spring City’s zoning designations and county zoning (for example, how R‑1 and R‑2 designations differ between city and county codes) and how buffer‑zone rules affect minimum lot sizes.
The draft ordinance also proposed limiting multifamily units to no more than a set percentage of the city’s single‑family housing stock; the draft earlier recommended 5%. During the meeting a commissioner moved to recommend that the city council adopt a 3% cap instead; the commission approved that recommendation and asked staff to forward the change to council for public hearing. Commissioners noted the cap would leave only a small number of additional multifamily units allowable under current counts and asked staff to provide an explicit count of how many multifamily units would remain allowable under the chosen percentage.
Several commissioners raised process concerns: they said multiple revised drafts had been circulated on short notice and requested more time for careful review on issues that could change the city’s long‑term housing pattern. One commissioner said the planning commission can only provide a recommendation and that council is free to accept or reject it.
Staff said a city council public hearing on the broader ordinance changes is scheduled in June; commissioners requested that final ordinance wording be supplied in ordinance form well before that hearing.
Ending note: commissioners asked staff to (1) clarify the sewer‑connection language and minimum‑lot rules so the ordinance cannot be misread to permit septic systems in areas with sewer, (2) provide a precise count of current multifamily versus single‑family dwellings to verify the percentage cap, and (3) provide final ordinance text in ordinance format before the city council public hearing.
