Bluff proposes broad general-plan updates including future-use map, housing and water sections

Bluff staff presented extensive proposed amendments to the towns General Plan at a joint hearing Oct. 28, recommending updates to reflect changes since the plans original drafting in 2018–19 and to incorporate state-required and recommended elements.

Staff said proposed changes include updated data, a new future-use map (which staff emphasized is not a zoning map), added sections on housing, airport and transportation elements, an agriculture section, updated municipal property and infrastructure designations, and a larger, more detailed water section. The amendments also separate enforcement and implementation language and add more clarity to goals and the plans development-history narrative.

Staff noted the future-use map currently highlights potential renewable-energy areas and riparian corridors and that a portion of the area (shown in black on draft materials) had been disconnected from town boundaries during a recent map update; staff asked the public to comment where additional future-use designations might be warranted. Staff reiterated that written public comments will be accepted through Nov. 7 at 5 p.m. and said the red-line version is posted for easier review.

Public commenters commended the work and suggested several priorities: stronger conservation language explicitly supporting Bears Ears National Monument protections, further attention to accessory dwelling units as a housing tool, more analysis and policies on water and flood risk (including potential impacts from nearby mining/gravel extraction), and better public access to the future-use map for comment. Staff said further edits and follow-up would be guided by public feedback and legal requirements.