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Developer asks commission to align sidewalk timing with recent state law; cites $110,000 in potential waste
Summary
Tyler Melling of Cottonwood Hollow LLC urged the Planning Commission to amend subdivision rules so developers install only required ADA curb ramps up front while allowing most sidewalks to be deferred to building phase, citing a recent state statutory change and a project that faced about $110,000 in wasted concrete costs.
Tyler Melling, representing Cottonwood Hollow LLC, told the Cedar City Planning Commission that a recent change in state law limits how the city can require sidewalk installation and recommended amending the subdivision standard to avoid unnecessary construction and replacement costs.
"We were fully planning on dumping $110,000 worth of wasted concrete down the drain, to comply," Melling said, describing a residential project where sidewalks would be prematurely installed and then damaged or torn out by heavy construction activity. He said the staff‑draft language retains ADA curb ramps and pedestrian corner treatments as requirements but allows other sidewalk segments to be installed at the building phase rather than before home construction.
Melling said the state law (renumbered within the last few months) prevents the city from requiring sidewalks beyond those immediately adjacent to a home be installed sooner than 18 months after posting a bond for public improvements. He and staff discussed options that would keep major collectors and master‑plan trail segments as subdivider responsibilities while allowing other sidewalk sections to be delayed until homes are built.
A commissioner noted deferred sidewalk installation can lower lot prices and reduce duplication, while others asked staff to refine the language to reduce unintended consequences for long‑term, unfinished subdivisions. Staff and the developer agreed the item will be re‑noticed and returned next week as a public hearing for a formal recommendation.
Next steps: staff will refine ordinance language to reflect the state law change and present the amended language at the re‑noticed hearing next week.
