Developers and the state land trust said a 40-acre Sitla parcel near Ivins could be developed into about 250 ‘‘starter’’ single-family homes that they expect to price under $400,000, but city staff and commissioners warned the council that annexation, water and sewer extensions, zoning changes and significant geotechnical work would be required before any approvals.

Jordan Wall, founder of Wall Wall Construction, told the joint Ivins City Council and Planning Commission work meeting that the team — which includes local horizontal contractor TJ Griffiths and land developer Brecken Anderson — expects to deliver mostly 1,000–1,400 square-foot homes on lots in the roughly 3,000–4,000 square-foot range and a weighted average sale price of about $375,000. "Our goal is to create homes for residents to live, work, and raise their families," Wall said during the presentation.

Why it matters: the property is a Sitla (State Institutional Trust Lands Administration) offering intended to test participation in the governor's affordable-housing agenda. The parcel currently lies outside Ivins city limits, so any development would require annexation and a municipal determination that roads, water and sewer service can be extended. City staff told the meeting Ivins' current code does not allow lots smaller than 5,000 square feet, and that setbacks, garage requirements and the city's sensitive‑lands rules would have to be reviewed and likely revised to enable the proposed product.

What the developers proposed and the constraints they cited
The development team called the proposal "Anasazi Ridge" and said it responds to state housing targets and local workforce needs. Wall cited statewide data presented at a Housing Action Coalition event — high rent burden, a rising age for first-time buyers, and a statewide housing shortfall — and framed the project as a public–private response to that need.

The team told the council it proposed approximately 250 single‑family units, with house sizes generally between 1,000 and 1,400 square feet and a home-price target under $400,000. The developers said the design intent is to use earth tones and details to fit Ivins' character while keeping costs down through density and local contracting.

City staff, planning commissioners and neighbors identified a list of technical and policy issues the city would have to resolve before an application could be approved. Those included:
- Annexation: the parcel is outside Ivins; an annexation application would require the city to evaluate capacity to provide water, sewer and roads.
- Zoning and ordinances: Ivins' municipal code currently lacks a zoning category for 3,000–4,000 sq ft lots; garage, setback and other development standards would need review.
- Sensitive lands and slope: portions of the site lie on steep hillside or within mapped sensitive‑land overlays that the city said may be impractical to develop.
- Geotechnical and earthwork costs: staff and commissioners flagged clay soils, rock outcroppings and drainage as major cost and safety drivers; city staff said retaining walls could reach heights cited in the plan "up to 17 feet" and the developer acknowledged some walls could be taller in parts.

Engineering and cost responses from the developer
Developers said the grading plan shown at the meeting was preliminary and that they plan to use soils engineers, geogrid and gravity block or concrete walls where needed, and to include French drains and other drainage controls behind walls. TJ Griffiths, a horizontal contractor on the team, said the firm regularly builds large retaining systems and that alternate lot orientations could reduce the number and height of large walls; the team said an alternative east–west lot layout mitigates roughly 80% of the tallest walls shown in the first draft plan.

On cost, Aaron Langston, director of development for SITLA, told the council that raw land typically accounts for roughly 10% of a home's sales price while infrastructure can be 15–20%, and that SITLA still expects to realize significant revenue under the team's pro forma even while supporting an attainable product. "Land is a big part of the cost of the house. That's actually not at all true," Langston said, summarizing the trust's view that infrastructure drives much of the price.

Access, parking and open space
Council members and staff raised questions about where access points would be permitted, whether a second access could be secured through adjacent properties, and whether Highway 91 access would be allowed; staff said a second access through Anasazi property is the most likely option and access directly on Highway 91 would be unlikely. Several Council members also pressed the team on parking and emergency access for narrow streets; city standards require a minimum public street section (28 feet of asphalt plus curb/gutter, about 32 feet total) to allow parking on both sides while preserving fire-apparatus access.

Commissioners asked about open space and neighborhood amenities; developers said they intend to place parks and shared amenities on a front parcel the team also controls and pointed to trail and BLM access above the site as additional open-space resources.

Community concerns and next steps
Longtime Westside landowners, including a councilmember who also disclosed he submitted a bid on the property, expressed concern that the scope and density would contradict decades of prior planning that anticipated lower-density development on the city's western edge. Developers said they are willing to consider tradeoffs — shifting density, enlarging perimeter lots, or otherwise redesigning — if the city signals support and flexibility on ordinances.

No formal applications were filed and no votes were taken. City staff and the council said the next steps are technical: the Planning Commission and City Council would need to consider ordinance revisions, and any developer would have to file an annexation request, preliminary plat and engineered plans showing utilities, drainage and slope mitigation before the project could receive approvals.

Clarifying details reported at the meeting
The project team described a plan for about 250 homes on a roughly 40‑acre SITLA parcel adjacent to Ivins. RFP constraints the team cited included lot sizes near 3,000–4,000 square feet, home sizes under 1,800 sq ft, and a target sale price under $400,000 (team's weighted average ~ $375,000). The team proposed rooftop construction beginning October 2026 under an aggressive schedule that would require permitting and final drawings in late 2025. City staff said Ivins currently has a minimum lot standard near 5,000 sq ft and the parcel is outside the city limits, requiring annexation and utility-extension planning. Retaining walls in concept plans were called out as high as 17–21 feet in backyards; developers pointed to alternative layouts reducing most tall walls.

What remains unresolved: annexation feasibility, the cost and phasing of on- and off-site infrastructure, detailed soils and slope mitigation plans certified by geotechnical engineers, and whether the council will revise Ivins' development ordinances to permit the proposed lot sizes and other design concessions.

Provenance: the council agenda item on the Sitla Ivins 40 was read into the record by city staff and the developers and Sitla representatives presented slides and then answered council and planning-commission questions; the transcript contains the developer presentation and the subsequent technical and policy discussion but no motions or votes were recorded at this meeting.

Ending note: City leaders said the meeting was a conceptual discussion and that staff and commissioners will study the municipal code, sensitive‑lands designations and service capacity before formal decisions. The developers and SITLA said they are prepared to continue negotiation and to revise designs if the city indicates policy flexibility.