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Planning commission conditionally accepts house permit at 585 East Platte Lane after staff flags missing culinary water dedication
Summary
Mona Planning and Zoning approved a house building permit for Carwin and Brook Carter with a condition that staff resolve whether culinary water rights were dedicated to Lot 2 of the Deerfield subdivision; staff will research records and report back to council before the council vote.
Mona Planning and Zoning on April 2 conditionally accepted a building permit application from K. Carwin and Brook Carter for a house at 585 East Platte Lane after staff found no record that culinary (drinking) water rights had been dedicated to the lot when the subdivision was recorded in 2001.
Planning staff told commissioners the subdivision paperwork shows irrigation (secondary) water was quantified and dedicated to the Deerfield lots but that certificates documenting culinary water were not found. Staff said the city has some water shares that could be sold for municipal hookups but that acquiring water from the city market could cost roughly $15,000, depending on availability.
The action approved the house permit with a condition that staff research the property’s historical water dedications, check for any transfer of irrigation shares to culinary use, and contact the signatory on the original files (Alan Pei/Pay) and other records before the matter goes to city council. Staff committed to return answers within a few business days so council can act on the permit on its upcoming agenda.
Why this matters: A house typically requires a culinary water hookup and meter before final occupancy; if culinary water was never dedicated to Lot 2, the applicants may need to secure culinary water by transfer or purchase, or meet other conditions set by the council. Commissioners emphasized they could not unilaterally “grandfather” the lot without documentary support and that a research-based recommendation is necessary.
Discussion and next steps: Planning staff said they located a stamped plat and subdivision folder showing irrigation dedication and a notation tying a quarter share of irrigation to lots in the Deerfield declaration, but not certificates for culinary water. Commissioners and staff discussed historic subdivision practice (the subdivision was recorded in 2001), differences between quarter-share irrigation accounting and culinary shares, and the county/state rules that drive conversions from irrigation to culinary use.
Staff told the applicants the worst-case remedy would be purchasing water shares if necessary, and that staff would contact Alan Pei and other record holders, re-check city archives, and return with specific recommendations before city council acts. The commission approved the permit with those contingencies and moved it forward to the city council process.
Ending: Planning staff said the commission will present its findings to city council at the next meeting; the applicants were told not to start construction until the water question is resolved and the council has acted.
