Hurricane council workshop examines PDO zoning changes as builders pitch smaller homes to boost affordability

City staff, planning commissioners and local builders spent the council workshop reviewing how amendments to the city’s Planned Development Overlay (PDO) might be used to promote more attainable single‑family housing while retaining neighborhood design objectives.

Council members and staff said the discussion focused on whether PDOs should remain primarily a tool to allow design flexibility — including reduced setbacks and themed design — or be used more deliberately to produce affordable housing through density bonuses or set‑asides.

The issue matters because developers said current lot sizes and setback rules make the smallest single‑family product infeasible on standard zoning lots. "If I can't get the setbacks, the biggest difference is … I have to buy an R‑18 lot, not an R‑16 lot, and if I do that it's $30,000 more" for the lot alone, Troy Entz of Entz Homes said. Entz described two product tiers he has built: an 800‑square‑foot house he said sells for "2.99" and a 1,200‑square‑foot model that he said would "start around $3.80," and said narrower setbacks and smaller lot standards are the primary ways to make the 1,200‑square‑foot product feasible in Hurricane.

"I don't know that it ought to be a requirement to get a PDO, but I certainly think it's a good idea to allow that to be one of the factors for getting a PDO," Kevin, a planning commissioner, said when asked whether affordable housing should be mandatory for a PDO designation.

Developers and builders urged the council to consider: explicitly tying density bonuses to deed‑restricted affordable units as an optional path to receive a PDO; creating smaller lot categories (several speakers referenced a 4,000‑square‑foot product used in nearby cities); and reserving a small percentage of lots for owner‑builder or "self‑help" programs.

Rob Robinson, a local contractor who said he has 31 years in construction, told the council that while self‑help or owner‑built lots can lower cost for some buyers, mixing those lots inside a production subdivision can create challenges for builders that rely on subcontractor standards and lot maintenance. Robinson suggested, as a compromise, dedicating a parcel or portion of a project for self‑help homes rather than intermixing them across a subdivision.

Builders and staff also spelled out line‑item cost impacts they say arise from regular zone setbacks versus PDO setbacks. Entz said a 5‑foot greater setback (e.g., 20 feet versus 25 feet) can increase driveway concrete by about $1,000 and corner‑lot landscaping by roughly $2,650; combined with a higher‑priced lot that might be needed to fit the same house, he estimated the change could add roughly $34,000 to the delivered cost of a home if the house must be moved to a larger lot type.

Speakers described typical product decisions that reduce price: 8‑foot ceiling plates rather than 9‑foot, laminate countertops instead of granite and more modest floor coverings. Entz noted those tradeoffs when describing his smaller models: "it's linoleum on the floor. It's laminate countertops. It's just standard oak cabinets. It's a base house." He also explained that certain small single‑level products require narrower lot widths and smaller setbacks to be viable.

Council members and staff repeatedly emphasized they had not adopted any ordinance changes or zone map amendments during the workshop. Mayor (unnamed) asked staff and commissioners to bring options for how PDOs could be structured so the council can weigh whether any concessions should be required, optional, or tied to density bonuses.

Next steps discussed included staff and planning commission review and follow‑up discussion: staff were asked to draft ordinance language options and to return to the planning commission for additional input before any formal zone change or ordinance amendment would be scheduled for council action. "These are some things that planning commissioners and planners, like, when you guys meet, you guys can discuss and give some good input back to the planning commission," the mayor said near the end of the item.

Council members and developers also recommended further public outreach as proposed ordinance language is developed so residents can see the options and tradeoffs and comment before any formal zone change application is filed.

(Reporting note: No formal vote or ordinance change was taken during the workshop.)