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- Nephi City's General Plan is to be a decision making tool as well as a plan for guiding future growth and development
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By Myrna Trauntvein
Times-News Correspondent
All the recommendations made by the planning commission for Nephi's general plan are backed by data and analysis.
Glenn Greenhalgh, chairman of the city planning commission, in opening the public hearing held as a requirement of state law by the planning commission prior to turning over the recommendation for adoption to the city council, said that a general plan is required by Utah State law in 10-9a-403 of the Utah Code Annotated.
The statute states that, "The planning commission shall make and recommend to the legislative body a proposed general plan for the area within the municipality."
Present at the hearing, in addition to 10 interested city residents, were Greenhalgh, Shannon White and Karl Brough, members of the planning commission; Jim Nielson, CRSA Senior Principal; Susie Petheram, CRSA planner; members of the council; Randy McKnight, city administrator; Mark Jones, mayor.
"Susie Petheram has basically been the author of the plan," said Greenhalgh.
CRSA has been serving as consultant on the project.
He said that a plan is designed, typically, to last about 20 years. The planning commission, in development of the general plan, has tried to tie the document to population rather than to years.
"The general plan is organized into sections," said Greenhalgh. "This plan, in draft form for tonight's discussion, is an update to the Nephi City General Plan adopted in 1996."
The Nephi City General Plan is designed to be a decision making tool as well as a general master plan for guiding future growth and development. It communicates how the community would like Nephi to look and feel as it evolves in the future and serves as a guide for the city council, planning commission and the board of adjustment.
"The last decade or so, Nephi City has been involved in three surveys of residents of the community," said Greenhalgh.
Greenhalgh discussed the summary of goals and objectives of the plan with those in attendance.
Goals are identified in the plan and objectives for achieving that goal are then addressed.
The first of those was land use and the first goal under that heading was the goal of preserving and enhancing the quality of life and rural image of the city.
"That has been a high priority of the residents of the community on each of the surveys," he said.
"What are the mechanisms?" asked Richard Hansen, resident.
Those are not specifically identified in the plan, but are to be developed as a next step.
Main Street should be improved to support a central business district feel.
Another goal and objective deals with mobility and roadways.
In addition to safety concerns and intersection studies, the city should scale roadways with the density of surrounding development.
Other goals and objectives were the mobility of pedestrian and bike travel, roadways and mobility options for seniors.
"We need to try to make downtown Nephi City a little more walkable," he said. "Walking is becoming more popular."
Historic preservation is also a goal and objective, said Greenhalgh.
Housing was also an important goal and objective.
"The goal is to preserve current quality of life by maintaining an appropriate range of housing choices," he said.
Economics was also listed as a goal and objective.
"Sales tax is the lifeblood of a city from a revenue standpoint," he said. "A single new business generating sales tax would benefit the city more than revenues made from property taxes."
Other goals and their objectives were for public services; parks, recreation and open space; and natural resources.
Maps are also included in master plan. One shows fault lines and another shows contours.
One concern for the future will be providing culinary water service to some areas considered for development. To provide gravity flow, the area to be serviced must be 40-feet below the water tank line.
Don Ball, resident, asked if it would be better for the city to install pumps or to add a new water tank.
"Gravity flow is always the least expensive option (less expensive than building pumping stations)," said Nielson. "The best option would be to add more storage but that is not the least expensive option."
Those who had requests and suggestions might consider putting those on paper and submitting them to the council, said White.
"Why are we not protecting our city waterways?" asked Hansen.
He said the city should be working to maintain a fishery inside city limits and one of those should be Salt Creek as it travels through the city. As a young boy, he would go there to fish on a regular basis.
Now the Nephi Irrigation Company sent the extra water down Old Hollow simply because they could.
"I serve on a RAC committee," said Hansen. "It is a big issue. Cities up north are trying to develop urban fisheries like what we had. We should be trying to preserve some of that historical use."
Nielsen said that the plan did address the topic and referred readers to page 76 of the plan.
"Consider developing a sensitive land overlay zone for these areas (potential environmental or aesthetics concerns)," said Nielsen.
Ball said that Nephi Irrigation Company could be asked to share the water so that a fishery could be restored.
Hansen said that he paid a tax every year for the irrigators benefit. He thought that Salt Creek should be stocked once again with the fish natural to the waterway--the Bonneville Cutthroat.
The recreation plan does address the issue, said Petheram.
"The recreation facilities update master plan is an extra piece and will be an addendum to the master plan," said Nielson. "The city is pursuing several things at the same time."
Water, sewer, drainage systems, recreation and the master plan were all being addressed. The drainage system plan was completed, he said.
The draft master plan will now be sent to the city council by the planning commission with a recommendation to adopt once the comments made at the public hearing are given due consideration. |
