Royce City staff to pursue compatible-use plan after state law requiring routing of nearby development to military liaison

Royce City Council discussed state legislation requiring that municipalities develop and maintain compatible-use plans for private development proposals within 5,000 feet of military installations, and directed staff to coordinate with a state liaison and the Hill Air Force Base planning contacts to produce a recommended local approach before the statutory deadline.

The item stems from House Bill 265, passed in the 2023 general session, which requires cities to route eligible development applications to the Utah Department of Veterans and Military Affairs so the military and state can review potential compatibility concerns. City staff and council members noted the statute's language is unclear in places and that previous municipal work on airport/airfield overlays does not perfectly map to this requirement because the law uses the base fence line rather than the runway edge.

City economic development staff Brody told council that staff had been unable to find a ready-made template for compliance and would meet with a state liaison later in the week to coordinate next steps. "We're actually meeting with him Thursday to go over not only what we've currently done in our ordinances and with our zoning and some of our overlay zones, but also with, kind of a draft that we got, in cooperation with Layton City, to to see if what we're gonna bring forward complies with their understanding of the statute as well," Brody said.

Council members asked whether the ordinance the city previously adopted would cover the new requirement; staff and a council member with subject-matter familiarity said the existing overlay is similar but not identical because the new statute measures from the base fence line. Matt Wilson (staff) said the statutory citation of concern is 73-3-1.5 and described the chapter as the governing section staff will review. Brody and staff described the statute as well-intentioned but not well written and asked for discretion to draft a locally appropriate compatible-use plan or procedure.

The council did not take a formal vote but gave staff direction to: (1) meet with the state liaison and Hill AFB contacts; (2) draft a compatible-use approach for Planning Commission consideration; and (3) return to council for final approval before the July 1, 2025 compliance date. Several nearby municipalities and county jurisdictions face the same deadline, staff noted, and staff said they would share findings with the mayor and other local partners as they proceed.