Power board recommends City Council approve power-line extension for Hawk Ridge development

The Hurricane City Power Board voted to recommend that City Council approve a power-line extension to serve the proposed Hawk Ridge development, board members said after hearing a developer presentation and staff analysis.

Applicants described Hawk Ridge as a multi-phase project that would include multifamily near 600 North and single-family and larger lots overlooking a nearby river. The developer said the site’s topography — including a cliff edge in places — is driving requests for design flexibility, including a gated-community option for part of the project. “The reason I'm proposing a gated community here is because of the cliff edge,” a presenter said.

Brian, a transmission-and-distribution staff member, told the board the department could provide temporary overhead service to get initial phases energized but that a permanent solution will require finishing an underground section and potentially building a new line on the west side of 2800 West. “We would do just like a temporary overhead line to get them powered,” Brian said, and then complete underground portions in later phases.

Board members pressed on routing, future phases and whether the city or developer would maintain private infrastructure if a gated road were approved. A board member explained the city’s standard: roads are public unless City Council specifically authorizes a private street, meaning the gate question would go before council for a separate determination.

After discussion, a board member moved that the board recommend council approval of the extension “as far as our department’s concerned.” The motion was seconded and carried by voice vote.

What happens next: the board’s recommendation will be transmitted to City Council for a formal decision on the power-line extension and any required approvals for private street status or conditional gating.