Commission grants variances allowing unpaved roads in two subdivisions with conditions

Duchesne County commissioners voted Dec. 8 to grant two variances from the county's typical street-paving requirement for two preliminary plats, while attaching conditions intended to protect public safety and the county's interests.

Commissioner Matt moved to approve a variance to not pave the road for Pinion Ridge Phase 7 "with all of the restrictions still in place and including, abiding by any approach permit requirements of pavement and grade," according to the motion read into the record. The motion was seconded and passed on a voice vote.

Later in the meeting commissioners moved and approved a second variance for Great Basin Estates (Base 6), again conditioned on the applicant meeting other subdivision requirements and securing required access permits. Planning staff noted the preliminary plats had already been approved by the planning commission, but that an earlier March amendment had clarified standards for private-maintained roads under the Wildland Urban Interface code and had left another code section requiring paved streets unchanged; that conflict prompted the commission to re-review the two specific plats.

Commissioners asked staff to draft clarifying code language to prevent future inconsistency between the subdivision code sections and to return the language for planning-commission review. Planning staff recommended a cleanup ordinance rather than a moratorium; the commission directed staff to prepare a concise ordinance amendment and submit it for the planning commission's next agenda.