Planning commission tables revisions to ordinance 85-3 to align with new subdivision rules

The Castle Valley Planning and Land Use Commission on Jan. 9, 2025, discussed proposed edits to ordinance 85-3 to bring it into compliance with a revised subdivision ordinance the Town Council approved Nov. 20, 2024, and voted to table the item for follow-up work.

Commission members said the primary edits would make the land-use-authority designations in 85-3 consistent with the new subdivision ordinance, including naming the Planning and Land Use Commission as the land-use authority for one- and two-family subdivisions while retaining town-council authority for other subdivision types.

Commission member Ryan Anderson said the drafting task was intended to remove conflicts between the two ordinances and to reflect a state requirement cited during the council review. Commissioners reviewed specific cross-references and chapter citations, including Chapter 3 language and a land-use-authority chart in the new subdivision ordinance, and discussed where 85-3 should adopt matching language.

Members proposed precise language edits during the discussion. One suggested change was to revise the town-council line that currently reads “subdivision approval” to read “subdivision approval (except 1- to 2-family subdivisions),” and to add a second line item immediately below naming “1- to 2-family subdivision approval” with the Planning and Land Use Commission as the land-use authority and the Town Council as the appeal authority. Commissioners also discussed adding or referencing specific subdivision-chart language in section 3.13 so the documents mirror each other.

The commission examined related items that could conflict with the subdivision ordinance, including slope, grading and “geologic hazard” language in section 11.6.6 of the subdivision ordinance. Commissioners noted the town’s geologic-hazard map and discussed whether 85-3 should reference the subdivision ordinance for technical rules rather than duplicating them in two places.

Pauline and Ryan volunteered to work together to identify specific conflicts in section 11.6.6 and to recommend whether 85-3 should reference the subdivision ordinance or incorporate the rules directly. After that assignment, the commission voted to table the formal revision of ordinance 85-3 until the next meeting to allow for those follow-up tasks.

The item was tabled; staff and the pair of commissioners assigned to the follow-up were directed to return proposed language or a redline for the commission to consider at a future meeting.