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Planning commission approves buffering/screening exception for hotel at 836–840 S. Main
Summary
The commission approved Planning Resolution 11-2026 to allow a combination of a 10-foot retaining wall and a nonopaque 4-foot safety fence in lieu of the code-required 8-foot opaque screening for a vested hotel project at 836 and 840 South Main (described in the packet as a 240-unit hotel, brand: Marriott Autograph); staff and applicants noted site grade constraints and safety requirements.
The Moab City Planning Commission on June 11 approved a buffering and screening special-exception for 836 and 840 South Main Street, allowing the applicant to use a combination of a 10-foot retaining wall and a nonopaque 4-foot safety fence instead of the code-required 8-foot opaque screening along the residential boundary.
Johanna Blanco presented the applicants’ proposal and explained the site constraints: the adjacent parcel rises about 40 feet above the hotel property, and the project team proposed a retaining wall at the property line with plantings behind it. The packet described the project as a large, vested hotel; staff materials referenced a 240-unit hotel and the project team identified the development as a Marriott Autograph.
Community development staff and commissioners walked through the screening definition (screening height measured from the higher side of the grade) and precedent from a prior project (Red Rock Flats 2), where the commission previously reduced the screening height to 4 feet in that case. Staff cautioned that the retaining-wall/fence assembly does not strictly meet the screening definition but that site-specific mitigation could be appropriate given the grade differences.
Applicant representatives Benjamin (Ben) Jones and architect Joshua explained the design and construction implications and said the hotel brand will require a 4-foot safety rail at the top of the retaining wall. Ben Jones told the commission, “they’re going to require us to put a 4ft fence up there to keep people from falling off of that wall,” and said the team already plans that safety railing. Staff and applicants also discussed construction tolerances, grading work adjacent to neighbors and the need to align final approvals with building and engineering safety requirements.
After discussion the commission moved to approve Planning Resolution 11-2026 to allow the increased buffering distance and the combination of a retaining wall plus a nonopaque fence in place of the required 8-foot screening on that zone buffering boundary; the motion passed on a voice vote recorded as 3-0.
Next steps: Staff noted the site plan will continue through design-review (DRT) and building/engineering review; applicants should ensure the final engineering solution aligns with safety standards and any required easements or neighbor coordination.
