Commission backs workforce-housing overlay at 120 Kosava Drive; applicant to deed-restrict units

The Planning Commission voted unanimously May 15 to recommend that the Town Council approve a zone map amendment to apply the workforce housing overlay (WHZ) to 120 Kosava Drive. Staff said the overlay requires deed restriction and qualified-occupancy rules that limit occupancy to households where adults work 30 hours per week in Springdale or Zion National Park.

Applicant Kathy Lefave said she and her husband would subdivide the two-acre parcel and deed-restrict both the existing home and a new unit so they are available to qualified workers. "We're willing to deed restrict our home," Lefave said, adding she served on town council previously and called workforce housing "a positive thing." Staff confirmed that detailed subdivision and design/development-review applications would follow if the council approves the zone change.

Commissioners pressed on details such as design compatibility, size thresholds for applying the town color palette (standards apply to structures 3,000 sq ft and larger), and the subdivision process. The commission recommended approval with the expectation that design review, development agreements and recorded restrictive covenants will be completed as part of subsequent steps. The motion passed unanimously.