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Commissionors keep 10‑foot commercial setback, direct staff to require parking at or draining to natural grade in floodplain
Summary
Springdale commissioners debated proposed changes to parking rules in the special flood hazard area on July 2 and instructed staff to retain the 10‑foot commercial setback while adding a requirement that permitted parking be at or drain to natural grade.
Springdale commissioners spent substantial time on July 2 debating proposed code changes that would alter where parking is allowed in the special flood hazard area and how such spaces should be designed to protect the Virgin River riparian zone.
Town staff summarized the draft change as removing a 10‑foot parking restriction from the special flood hazard area for residential zones while requiring low‑impact design and capping the number of allowed parking spaces (three per property, with some overlay exceptions). "The draft ordinance language proposes to remove that restriction in residential zones," Town staff said.
Commissioners raised safety, environmental and enforcement concerns. Several members questioned whether garages or enclosed parking could practically be built below the base flood elevation without watertight doors; others noted FEMA guidance allows enclosed parking under elevated residential structures in some coastal contexts, but Springdale's topography and the presence of the Virgin River raise different concerns. Commissioners repeatedly cited emergency‑responder safety, warning that dug‑in parking or hidden drop‑offs could be hazardous during flood response.
A recurring suggestion was to require any parking in the special flood hazard area to be "at or above surrounding natural grade" or at least designed so the lowest portion drains naturally to surrounding grade. One commissioner said a requirement that the lowest part of a parking area be at grade would reduce the risk of concealed dropoffs in floodwaters and reduce hazards to first responders.
Outcome and next steps: The commission directed staff to remove the proposed edits to chapter 13a for now, to add language in chapter 10.27 that parking spaces in the special flood hazard area must be at or able to drain to natural grade (rather than be dug into a recessed hole), and to retain the 10‑foot commercial parking setback pending a separate riparian‑zone study. Commissioners asked staff to consult Zion National Park and other experts on buffers for the Virgin River and for guidance on whether dry washes should be included in riparian protections. No ordinance change was adopted at this meeting.
Speakers quoted in this article are identified from the meeting record.
