Planning commission recommends approval of Balance of Nature plan after debate over lost manufacturing, roads and flooding

Planning commissioners recommended approval Wednesday of a zone-change amendment and preliminary site plan tied to the Balance of Nature / Liberty Village project after an extended public hearing that focused on changes to the project, flood mitigation and whether streets should be public or private.

The recommendation covers a zone-change (ZC 25-11) and an associated preliminary site plan (PSP 25-8), both forwarded to Hurricane City Council with the staff and JUC comments the commission required. The commission’s motion passed on a voice vote; multiple commissioners voted in favor and two voiced objections.

Commissioners and the project team described a substantial shift from the project’s earlier, manufacturing-heavy plan toward a mixed-use “village” that emphasizes gardens, visitor amenities and alternative-medicine/holistic services rather than large-scale production. “Originally, they were gonna do all their manufacturing at this location, but they’re finding that it’s much better to diversify their manufacturing to multiple contracts and just outsource that piece,” Richard Weidig, identified in the meeting as the project manager for Balance of Nature, said in explaining the change. “It’s a business plan that they felt was a better model for them.”

Why the change matters

Commissioners said the change removes an industrial component the commission had previously supported because it would have added local jobs. “We really needed that industrial land… that is probably the number one biggest reason why I voted in favor of this development,” Commissioner Shelley said during debate, summarizing concerns shared by others. Shelley argued that the new plan appears to favor visitor-oriented commercial uses and managed short-term lodging over workforce housing and manufacturing jobs the city had expected.

The developer and its representatives said the new plan still includes long-term rental housing in one portion of the site and that the village will create different employment opportunities—restaurant, hospitality and health-center jobs, retail and research/education positions—if the plan proceeds. “Our village is going to employ a lot of people in the butcher shops and the bakeries and and so forth,” Weidig said, adding that the manufacturing building earlier planned would have supported an estimated “about 220 employees” but that the revised mix will produce other, potentially comparable job counts.

Flooding, grading and water handling

Commissioners also pressed the applicant on flooding and site grading. The site is on a low-lying area locally called Bench Lake that has been flooded in the past. The developer said they will significantly raise portions of the site and have been working with the Washington County Water Conservancy District to redirect flows into pits created by mining bentonite for nearby dams. “We analyze the flows … and we’ve accounted for that and being able to raise it,” an engineer working with the project said, describing coordination with the water agency and preliminary hydraulic analysis. The project team said they have a plan to redirect runoff to a conservancy pit to the south and later potentially create a recreational pond there.

Zoning, PDO mechanics and the unused PID

A key planning question was whether the base zone assigned to the project—R-1-10 with a planned development overlay (PDO)—still fits the project when most of the acreage will be commercial or village uses. City staff explained that the city’s PDO ordinance allows a residential base zone to include commercial uses and that recent ordinance changes require density calculations to be applied only to the land designated for residential uses. The commission heard that the requested rezoning eliminates a previously identified 27-acre light-industrial portion.

Commissioners noted a public-infrastructure district (PID) was previously approved for the Bench Lake area but that developers opted not to use PID financing because bond rates rose. The PID remains in place and, according to staff, could be used by future developers depending on the PID board’s decisions.

Private roads and emergency access

Another contested topic was whether internal streets should be private or public. The project team proposed private streets for the village-like design; city staff and several commissioners raised public-safety and long-term maintenance concerns. “Imagine, if you will, the entire infrastructure for the entire city … is built around the ability to get down a public street to do the…fix it and to solve the problem,” one commissioner said, summarizing staff concerns about emergency access and maintenance when streets are private.

The developer said details about road ownership and access would be addressed in the development agreement and construction drawings; city staff replied that the PDO code and other standards will limit what can be privately configured and that life-safety access must meet city requirements.

Project scale, timing and financials

Speakers provided a number of quantitative details during the hearing: commissioners and staff referenced the total project acreage as about 159 acres; the Liberty Village portion was described as roughly 40 acres; the applicant said about $20 million has already been spent on site work and improvements and that the applicant is funding infrastructure without issuing PID bonds at this time. The applicant said some portions of their work are already under way and that infrastructure and grading will be completed before vertical construction proceeds.

Next steps and commission action

The planning commission voted to forward a recommendation of approval for ZC 25-11 and PSP 25-8 to city council, subject to staff and JUC comments. The recommendation does not itself change zoning or authorize construction; final decisions and any conditions will be made by city council.

Speakers

- Richard Weidig — Project manager, Balance of Nature (applicant representative) - “Joe” — Engineer/consultant for the applicant (as identified in discussion) - Commissioner Shelley — Planning commissioner (identified by first name in meeting) - Commissioner Paul — Planning commissioner (identified by first name in meeting) - Commissioner Dayton — Planning commissioner (identified by first name in meeting) - Fred — City planning staff (as identified in meeting) - Jeremy — City engineering staff (as identified in meeting)

Authorities

- PDO ordinance (city planned development overlay code) — referenced throughout by staff and commissioners - Development agreement for Bench Lake project — referenced by staff; ties zoning entitlements to a site plan - Public Infrastructure District (PID) — previously formed for Bench Lake, present but not used by current applicant - Washington County Water Conservancy District — agency named as working partner for redirecting surface flows

Actions

- Kind: referral/recommendation Motion: recommend approval of ZC 25-11 (zone-change) and PSP 25-8 (preliminary site plan) subject to staff and JUC comments Mover: not specified in transcript (motion made on the record) Second: not specified in transcript (motion seconded on the record) Tally: passed on voice vote; multiple commissioners voted in favor and two commissioners voiced opposition (recorded as two nays) Outcome: recommended (forwarded to Hurricane City Council) Notes: Recommendation is subject to staff and JUC comments and does not itself amend zoning or authorize construction

Clarifying details

- Total project acreage discussed: approximately 159 acres (as stated during the hearing) - Liberty Village component: described as roughly 40 acres - Industrial acreage removed: approximately 27 acres of previously zoned light industrial were removed under the proposed plan - Applicant-reported expenditures to date: about $20,000,000 out of pocket for infrastructure and site work - Applicant-reported staffing figure for the manufacturing building originally proposed: roughly 220 employees (as cited by the project manager) - Water handling plan: applicant intends to raise portions of the site and direct flows to pits south of the site (bentonite pits used by the water conservancy district); ongoing coordination with Washington County Water Conservancy District

Community relevance

Geographies: Bench Lake area / Liberty Village site in Hurricane Funding sources: applicant-funded infrastructure to date; PID remains available but is not being used due to bond market conditions Impact groups: residents near Bench Lake, prospective employees, future visitors/tourists, city emergency services

Searchable_tags:["Balance of Nature","Liberty Village","Bench Lake","zoning","PDO","PID","private roads","flood mitigation","Hurricane Utah"]

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