Commission directs staff to prepare ordinance to vacate county interest in CityView Drive near Parowan

The Iron County Commission on Jan. 13 directed staff to prepare an ordinance to vacate the countyinterest in CityView Drive that crosses property addressed as 487 East City View Drive, Parowan. The motion, moved and seconded during the continuation of the 10 a.m. agenda, passed by voice vote.

Reed, the county staff member who presented the item, told the commission the Hasmeyer parcel and nearby Lafever properties contain multiple recorded easements. "The only thing that the county really has the ability to vacate is our interest in CityView Drive," he said, and recommended the county limit action to that diagonal travelway rather than attempt to remove private easements. Staff told the commission it followed a four-week notice practice to ensure compliance with multiple statutory notice requirements.

Parowan City Manager Dan Jessen said the city does not take a formal position on the countyvacation but asked the commission to consider the city's master-transportation plan and the need for an eventual master-planned road alignment as the area develops. The applicant, Eric Hassmeyer, and a neighbor expressed support for vacating CityView Drive, saying the drive has not functioned as a public road for years.

The commission's action directed staff to return with an ordinance at a subsequent meeting that would vacate the county's interest in CityView Drive across the Hasmeyer and Lafever parcels; staff said the ordinance would define the specific legal descriptions and any related conditions. No final quitclaim or sale of property was approved at the session; staff noted that disposing of county land would require valuation and a separate process if the county were to convey land beyond vacating rights-of-way.