Garden City Planning and Zoning

Anita Weston, Reporter

Rich Civic Times

PUBLIC HEARING

GARDEN CITY,Utah.  April 3, 2019.   Chairman Lance Bourne noted that there should be some changes made in some of the current ordinances.  He pointed out that a home should be built on a property before an accessory building could be built.  He was concerned about height of buildings and how this ordinance needs to be changed so that 35’ height would be easier to determine and allow the building inspector to stop individuals from going higher.  The chimney needs to go above the roof line, and a steeple on a church are the only items that could go above the 35’ height.

Lance also noted that the Church of Jesus Christ is going to build an accessory building.  It is in a C-3 zone.  Instead of changing the zone, Lance said he thought a Conditional Use Permit would be the best way to go.

No other comments were made, so the public hearing was closed.

REGULAR MEETING

The regular meeting of the Planning and Zoning Committee was called to order. A discussion was made concerning some changes on a few of the ordinances.  The first Ordinance was #19-06 which determines the Beach Development zone height regulations.  After a short discussion, it was decided to leave the height at 25’.  This ordinance was passed originally in 1906 and has worked well for the community.  The motion was made and passed.

Ordinance #19-07 was changed to make sure that a home was built on a lot before an accessory building could be added.  A motion was made and passed.

Ordinance #19-08 is an ordinance determining the height of a home.  The height cannot go over 35’.  The building inspector will be careful in making sure this ordinance is followed.  The only items above the top of the roof line is a chimney and/or a spire for a church building.  The motion passed.

Ordinance #19-09 added that a church building can be built in a C-3 zone with the use of a Conditional Use Permit.  The motion was made and passed.

A discussion was held concerning the approval of the Final for Phase 2 of Long Ridge at Bear Lake.  This is a subdivision of 13 lots near Cherimoya and is being directed by  Jeff Jorgensen.  The permission was not given last month because there was only one entrance/exit into property.  The Hansen family have built a gravel road 20’ wide going from their property to Hodges Canyon which now meets the ingress/egress requirements. That area is quite steep in some places.  The grade in a couple of places are 9.8% and up to 11%.  However, it is in short areas and does meet the City’s requirements.  This road was done at the developer’s cost.  It is temporary until the City gets the Third West road that will be going along the west side of this subdivision.  The water and sewer lines will be placed along Third West in this area as well. The motion was made to approve Phase I of this subdivision.  The motion passed.

A discussion was held concerning the application for a Conditional Use Permit from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  The proposed project is for a new Assembly Hall located at approximately 250 feet South 300 West.  The building will consist of a 750-seat capacity assembly space, a serving area, restrooms, table/chair storage, and entry vestibule areas.  The asphalt parking area will accommodate 192 stalls, with additional gravel parking for oversized vehicles and overflow parking.   The Commission made a motion to approve a Conditional Use Permit for the Church of Jesus Christ’s Assembly Hall.  The motion passed.  The question was asked if there would be a screen from the other building.  They said no, that there will be separate sacrament meetings.

There was a short discussion concerning the parking for this new building.  The motion was made and approved the Architectural Standards and Parking for the above Assembly Hall located approximately at 250 South 300 West.  The motion passed.

It was noted that it would be nice if the Church of Jesus Christ would allow three feet on the east side of their property for widening First West.  They said they would be happy to donate that to the City.  The motion was made contingent on the Town Council to approve the three feet.  The motion passed. 

There has been an interest in getting food trucks into Garden City.  The Mayor is still looking into the idea of having a food truck zone that could overlay a current zone.  It was noted that Park City has made food trucks legal.  They have an ordinance on how to create an overlay zone.  So far, most cities that have food trucks require a temporary City license for the area they are using.  The City is currently working on writing an ordinance to fit Garden City’s situation.

In the miscellaneous item on the agenda it was noted that Waterdance was changed into a PUD at the last City Council meeting.  As a result, ingress/egress as well as parking must be noted on  Norm Mecham’s preliminary plat document.  These two items must be completed before any other work will be done on that PUD.

According to the City’s ordinances, a PUD must do certain items prior to building.  Right now Mecham is building an outdoor swimming pool.  Mecham needs to put up a bond for this item which allows a year for completion.   If it is not complete by that time, the bond will go to the city to finish up what is left.  Also, the Commission should require a wait of two years before changing any zones after the original request.

Apparently, several people are building their homes higher than the 35’ height.  The building inspector needs to make sure that the height requirement is followed.  If it is above the 35’ level, it must either be corrected or building not be allowed to be completed until the ordinance is met. It will be red tagged and will not be allowed to contuse building until the proper height is followed.  The City requires that the homes should be measured from the original grade.  The inspector needs to go prior to beginning to build and before excavation.  It is too easy to excavate prior to the inspector’s visit.  The requirement of determining height needs to be added to the building permit so that no action is taken prior to determining where the height will be.

This item should be placed on next month’s agenda.  The lot should be inspection and surveyed before building is started and when it is finished.  Corners need to be marked.

It was noted that lines of people at the restaurants and drive-ins currently go clear out into the road.  The food-eating places need to create ways to get the people away from the highway.  It is dangerous the way things are currently being done.  It was suggested that the City get an ordinance so that this suggestion will be followed by the business owners.