Ivins council rezones Snow Canyon site for Enbridge regulator station after neighbors press for screening

The Ivins City Council on Feb. 20 approved Ordinance 2025-03, changing the zoning of part of 1650 East Snow Canyon Parkway from Resort Commercial to Commercial Light Manufacturing so Enbridge can build a gas pressure regulator to serve growing system demand. The vote was unanimous after a public hearing and extended council discussion about visibility, safety and access.

Neighbors who live in the Reserve and nearby subdivisions urged the council to require stronger screening and to relocate the driveway away from Snow Canyon Parkway. “The opening of the gate for that is directly across from our driveway,” resident Neil Miesbach said, describing line-of-sight from his Lot 11 home. He and other residents asked for a higher rock wall and evergreen planting and said seasonal landscaping alone would not conceal the facility.

Enbridge and its design team said the site was selected for proximity to a high‑pressure line and to minimize visual impact by locating the regulator in a small ravine and embedding it into the hillside. “We like to be a silent public utility and not a tourist destination,” an Enbridge representative said, adding the company is open to solid‑backed gates, angled drive access and a masonry wall with landscaping on the parkway side. Company engineers said the facility will be monitored electronically 24/7, inspected monthly and annually, and designed with setbacks that restrict combustible plantings near the unit.

City staff and members noted that detailed design and mitigation measures are addressed through the conditional‑use permit (CUP) process following a zone change. City attorney and planning staff advised that zoning amendments typically state allowable uses but that precise screening, gate design, wall height and driveway alignment are most appropriately set as conditions of a future CUP. Enbridge, the developer Black Desert Resort and staff all told the council they would work cooperatively during the CUP review to refine wall materials, gate design and landscaping.

Council members pressed for clarity on materials and heights. Enbridge said the prefabricated building would be about 12 by 15 feet with an 8‑foot ceiling and a low pitched roof for ventilation; one engineer said portions of the site will be cut into the hill so the structure sits below road grade. The council also discussed angling the access drive so trucks could enter with a gentler turn and the gate could read as an extension of the wall rather than an abrupt opening facing driveways across the street.

Council action An unidentified council member moved to approve Ordinance 2025‑03 as presented; another council member seconded. The council then conducted a roll‑call vote: Council member Anderson — Aye; Council member Gillespie — Aye; Council member Barton — Aye; Council member Smith — Aye; Council member Scott — Aye. The motion carried unanimously.

What happens next The rezoning clears the way for Enbridge to apply for a conditional‑use permit that will set detailed design, wall material and landscaping conditions. City staff reiterated that the CUP is the appropriate venue for the screening and access requirements neighbors requested, and said they will work with Enbridge and Black Desert Resort to include specific mitigation measures such as a solid gate, wall composition and placement of landscaping beyond the combustible‑planting zone.

Community context Residents and developer representatives repeatedly discussed limits of authority — developers noted state safety requirements for regulator ventilation and Enbridge said undergrounding is not allowed because regulators must be ventilated to the air. Black Desert Resort representatives said they would help fund or extend the resort's rock wall to improve screening and would work with the city on driveway alignment where possible.

Reporting note This article is based on the council’s public hearing and roll‑call vote recorded in the February 20, 2025 Ivins City Council meeting transcript. Direct quotes are attributed only to speakers who spoke on the record during that hearing.