By Myrna Trauntvein
Times-News Correspondent
At the last council meeting, Tuesday, Sept. 5, Nephi City
Council members agreed to a zone change to allow for
multi-family dwellings to be constructed on property located
at approximately 50 to 100 West and between 100 to 200
North.
The zone will be changed for one-half block.
Tara Wall and Dennis Gardner, Mona, made the request
for the zone change.
At an Aug. 15 public hearing, comment was taken on the
proposed zone change with statements offered by Clarence
Phillipsen, Ed Malmgren, Jason Brooks, Monte Bailey, Mike
Carter, and Danny Olson.
"The major problem mentioned at the hearing," said
Chad Brough, mayor, "was the drainage. "City staff recommend
that if we change the zone we change it to CU (combined use)
rather than to R3."
Council members said they had considered comments made
at the public hearing and had reviewed the ideas presented
there. Council members voted to change the zone on the west
half of the block to combined use (CU).
Anything constructed which would be larger than a
single family dwelling would take a site review and would
require plan for dealing with the drainage problem in the
area. Such a review adds more teeth and would require that a
developer have a site plan to eliminate drainage
overflow.
"There is a prescriptive drainage issue to be
addressed by any developer," said Randy McKnight, city
administrator. "We have been told that a cistern used to be
located there but there is no longer any physical evidence
of one."
"The strength to deal with problems is in the
ordinance," said McKnight.
Jason Brooks, whose manufacturing business is located
next to the proposed development, told the council during
the hearing that he had a concern with the construction of
an apartment building being constructed by his business
which is located in the old Nephi Lumber building.
He said there was a safety issue since there are
several daily truck deliveries.
"We operate at all hours and have some dust and some
noise," said Brooks. "We have delivery trucks at all
hours."
In addition, he said, the business does generate some
smell and there may be complaints.
At present, Brooks said, he could not relocate his
business.
"We need truck access into the back of our building.
We have hauled in shale to keep up the truck area and plan
to improve our building," said Brooks. "I need my property
zoned commercial."
Most of the concerns, however, had to do with drainage
and the resulting surface water which pours into the
area.
Ed Malmgren, at the public hearing, said he was not
opposed to the zone change but did have a concern that the
drainage water should be addressed before construction was
allowed.
Danny Olson agreed with that assessment that the
drainage should be fixed and added that the corner has a
right of way across it and should remain zoned for
commercial development.
"You do need to be careful with the drainage problem,"
said Monte Bailey. His family owns property in the area and
he also wondered how the zone change would affect this
property.
"Why is 50 West the drawing line?" asked Mike Carter.
He wants to put a small business on his property and thought
more commercial development would devalue his.
"There will be a lot of water there," said Clarence
Phillipsen. The drainage from the state highway passes
through the area and two large pipes carry a lot of water to
the location.
"We ought to keep commercial development on Main
Street," he said.
He also thought that more homes and apartments were
unneeded.
"The drainage problem will be addressed in the site
plan review," said Brough prior to the council voting in
favor of the zone change. "I would like the Gardners to be
aware and to understand that the project could be fairly
expensive since they will need to take care of the drainage
problem."
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