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Developer asks council to soften Skyrim development agreement; council backs planning commission on setbacks
Summary
A developer asked Hurricane City Council to reduce density, allow a potential fourth story, and shrink side setbacks on 15 lots; after debate about affordability and height, council voted 3–2 to apply R1‑4 setbacks and directed staff to draft final agreement language.
Brad Brown, representing the applicant Stewart Land Company, asked the Hurricane City Council to amend the Skyrim development agreement to reflect current market conditions and construction costs.
Brown said the proposal would reduce the previously approved bonus density—"we had 17 units an acre with bonus, and we're proposing going back to the original, just 15 units per acre"—and asked the council to consider allowing four‑story apartments in a defined portion of the site and to reduce side setbacks to 5 feet on 15 single‑family lots so those lots remain buildable. He told council the change was driven by financing and program shifts that have made the original affordable‑housing subsidy model less feasible.
The planning commission had recommended against increasing height and urged that negotiated affordable components be retained. A planning commissioner told the council the commission "was very hesitant to make those two changes" and preferred keeping the R1‑4 setbacks.
Council members pressed Brown for specifics. Several asked for a height limit in feet rather than stories and said any allowance of extra height would need to be paired with demonstrable affordable units. One councilmember said rental rates in the applicant's market study were "within about 10%" of the 80% AMI cap but questioned whether that margin allowed the developer to meet the agreement's affordability obligations.
After discussion, a councilmember moved to follow the planning commission recommendation and apply the R1‑4 setbacks for the single‑family lots. The motion passed on a roll‑call vote, 3–2. Mayor/staff said they would work with the applicant to draft revised development‑agreement language and return the item for final action in two weeks.
The council did not adopt final ordinance language at this session; the vote authorized direction to prepare a development agreement reflecting the setbacks. Brown said he would continue working with staff to find options to meet affordability goals while keeping the project viable.
Next steps: staff will draft the revised agreement with final language on setbacks and return it for the council's final vote at a future meeting.
