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Bluff planning commission advances wide-ranging zoning-code rewrite, schedules public input for Sept. 17
Summary
The Bluff Planning and Zoning Commission spent much of its July 16 work session reviewing a red-line draft of zoning-code revisions — including zone consolidation, nonconforming-use rules, ADU clarifications and an interactive map — and tentatively scheduled an informal public input open house for Sept. 17 at 5 p.m.
The Bluff Planning and Zoning Commission on July 16 pressed ahead with a broad revision of the town’s zoning code, prioritizing zone consolidation, process clarifications and a final definitions pass while setting an informal public input session for Sept. 17 at 5 p.m.
"In the time I have served on planning and zoning, we have never turned an applicant away unless we did not have enough seats for all applicants," Chair Malia Collins said as she opened the discussion, arguing for a careful and respectful process while the commission finalized recommendations. Commissioners reviewed a red-line working draft and agreed to do most definition work at the end of the revision process to avoid repeated edits.
Commissioners discussed whether the town’s new online interactive zoning map should be treated as an official map. "I think it should be referenced," one commissioner said, and members debated making the code language refer to multiple official maps to cover main, east, west and interactive versions.
On substantive items, the commission agreed to streamline nonconforming-use language, debated whether a one-year restoration deadline should require work to be "completed" or merely "begun," and clarified a nonconforming lot as a parcel that fails to meet current size requirements. Commissioners noted that adjustments to lot-size rules could change which parcels are considered conforming.
The commission also addressed technical details and cross-references: building permits and on-site wastewater requirements will be tied to building-department procedures; filing fees will be set by town-council resolution and placed in the master fee schedule; and language about archaeological finds and human remains will rely on state law, with several commissioners saying local code need not duplicate criminal reporting duties spelled out in Utah State Code.
On home-based businesses, members decided to align local language with state law, leaving home-based businesses exempt from a separate local license unless they create off-site impacts. Commissioners also agreed to consolidate building-height references into a single matrix to avoid inconsistent numbers across sections.
To collect public input earlier in the process, the commission tentatively scheduled an informal, open-house-style public-input session for Sept. 17 from 5–6 p.m. Commissioners asked staff to prepare enlarged laminated maps (two copies each for overall, east and west maps) and working-document copies for attendees so residents can point to areas of interest.
The commission directed members to continue reviewing the red-line document and the map before the next meeting, and to bring real-life scenarios—such as ADU questions—to a future session for code-testing. The commission did not take formal votes during the work session; the next scheduled planning-and-zoning meeting will resume the code review.
