Planning commission recommends general-plan amendment and rezoning to allow Fife family home at 1350 South Main

The Springville Planning Commission on [date of meeting] recommended approval of a general-plan amendment and a zoning change that will let Peter and Jillian Fife build a single-family residence on a combined parcel at approximately 1350 South Main Street.

Staff told the commission the parcel previously consisted of two lots that the applicants combined; the property sits between areas designated for light industrial uses and low-density residential in the city’s general plan. Planning staff advised commissioners that a change to the general-plan land-use designation is a necessary precursor to a zoning amendment that would convert the site to R115 — a single-family residential zone with roughly 15,000-square-foot minimum lot sizes.

At the public hearing, the applicants said they purchased the agriculturally used property to build a home and to keep the site for horses and cattle; they said the northern portion is mapped as wetland on the National Wetlands Inventory and that they have discussed the site with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Planning staff and commissioners told the applicants Army Corps jurisdiction is separate from local zoning and that any delineation or restrictions are evaluated at development or permitting if and when the applicants seek to subdivide or develop the site.

Commissioners asked whether geotechnical or other feasibility studies would be required. Staff said geotechnical work is commonly required at subdivision and sometimes required for individual lots; they also said access constraints, water and soil conditions would make any multi-lot subdivision more expensive and difficult even though the R115 zoning could technically accommodate future lots.

Commissioner (Speaker 2) moved to recommend approval of the proposed amendment to the Springville general-plan land-use map to designate Parcel 26-0260046 as low-density residential. The motion was seconded and passed on a voice vote. The commission then voted to recommend rezoning the parcel to R115, again by voice vote, enabling the Fife family to move forward with entitlements for a single-family home while leaving the remainder of the land available for agricultural use.

Next steps: the commission’s recommendation will go to the Springville City Council for final action; any development that requires ground disturbance or subdivision will trigger reviews for wetlands delineation, geotechnical analysis and other permits.