Commission supports airport overlay work and a review of Bluff’s general plan

The Bluff Planning and Zoning Commission on April 3 supported work to create a state-required airport overlay and asked the town to request a general-plan review from a consultant that has worked with the town.

Commission Chair Amanda Podmore said Utah law requires municipalities to adopt an airport overlay; the mayor engaged the Hansen Group, which previously worked on the town’s subdivision ordinance, to prepare the overlay and provide a review of the town’s general plan. Podmore recommended the commission ask the town to retain Hansen to prepare the overlay because the firm already has relevant experience.

Town council member Lou Ann Hook updated commissioners on related items: the council voted to sign an airport lease and returned it to the Bureau of Land Management; the airport appears on the town’s CIB (Capital Improvement Board) priority list for potential funding, as the town evaluates options for long-term maintenance and to limit town costs.

Commissioners discussed scope options for consultant work. Several members said the airport overlay itself is straightforward and required by state law; they recommended that the town pay Hansen to draft the overlay and request a complementary review of the general plan to identify gaps that would affect airport-area regulation and any needed updates to the town’s maps and policies.

Amanda Podmore said she would convey the commission’s recommendation to the mayor and town staff so the town can request a more detailed proposal and pricing from Hansen Group. The commission did not take a formal vote at the meeting but asked staff to proceed with a request to council for consultant assistance.