Planning commission recommends County Treat Farrin riverfront parcel as grandfathered nonconforming lot

The Emery County Planning Commission on June 23 recommended that the Emery County Commission treat a riverfront parcel near Farrin as a grandfathered nonconforming lot and forward the recommendation to the county. Commissioners debated whether the parcel met Farrin City�s 1-acre threshold for campground/RV classification and reported several conflicting acreage figures from county assessor, owner records, and online measurement tools.

Speaker 6 summarized the discrepancy: county assessor records showed 0.58 acres for the county portion and 0.38 acres in the city (total 0.96 acres), owner documentation indicated 0.94 acres for the county portion plus 0.38 acres in the city (total 1.32 acres), and a Google Earth measurement returned about 0.85 acres. Chair (Speaker 2) described the parcel as a long-standing nonconforming lot that "precedes ordinances" and argued that, as a grandfathered nonconforming lot, the property could continue its use while parties resolve boundary or annexation issues.

Commissioners discussed possible fixes including a formal survey, annexation by Farrin City, or a very small land transfer to reach the 1-acre threshold. Several commissioners said the status quo should be preserved while the ownership and jurisdiction questions are resolved. The commission voted unanimously to send a recommendation to the County Commission declaring the parcel a grandfathered nonconforming lot and asking the County Commission to consider next steps, including survey or annexation.