Planning commission forwards conditional recommendation for Lions Back Resort Phase 2 MPD amendment

The Moab City Planning Commission voted 4-0 Thursday to forward a positive conditional recommendation to the City Council on a major-change amendment to the Lions Back Resort Phase 2 final Master Planned Development (MPD) and phasing plan for property at 1353 Sand Flats Road.

The commission’s action approves the Phase 2 final plan and plat as an administrative step toward construction while conditioning council approval on resolution 05-2025 upon the applicant addressing all outstanding Division Review Team (DRT) comments to the satisfaction of the Moab City Engineer and the Planning Coordinator. The motion was moved by Commissioner Miles Lofton and seconded by Commissioner Jill Tanton.

Why it matters: the MPD process and the SAR (Sensitive Area Resort) zoning create site-specific entitlements that govern where and how resort-related buildings, open space and amenities may be built. The Phase 2 approvals set the plan-level locations for utilities, unit footprints and some amenity features and will allow the developer to record plats and pursue building permits once outstanding technical comments are resolved.

Staff presentation and project history City staff told the commission the applicant filed the Phase 2 MPD application in July 2023 and that final DRT comments were issued Jan. 1, 2025. Staff described the Phase 2 materials as the detailed follow-up to a…