Bluff posts major general-plan updates for public review; staff seeks feedback on housing, water and future-use map

Bluff staff and the Planning & Zoning Commission presented a comprehensive set of proposed amendments to the town’s general plan Oct. 28 and asked for public comment through 5 p.m. Nov. 7, 2025.

Staff said the update incorporates state-required elements added since the plan’s original 2018–2019 drafting and aligns the plan with the town’s recent strategic planning work. Proposed additions include a housing section (noting low- and moderate-income housing pressures and the need for future work), an agriculture section (a state-required element), an airport overlay for the Bluff Airport, expanded municipal-property and infrastructure descriptions, a strengthened community-health-and-safety element, and a new enforcement-and-implementation chapter.

A future-use map was included as part of the plan; staff repeatedly emphasized that the future-use map is not a change to zoning. The map is intended to show areas the town might propose for different uses in the future; staff noted the map needs more refinement, particularly where planning and zoning had identified renewable-energy development potential in an area recently disconnected from the town.

Public commenters praised the work and urged additional detail in several areas. Josh Ewing commended the amount of work and suggested the plan explicitly consider accessory dwelling units as a strategy to increase housing supply without increasing density, asked for more detail on water (including exploring a secondary water system and flood risk tied to nearby mining operations), and said the future-use map should be posted for public review to allow informed comment.

Staff said the redlined draft and the future-use map would be made available and reminded residents to send written comments to office@townofbluffutah.gov by 5 p.m. Nov. 7, 2025. No action to adopt the general-plan amendments was taken at the hearing.