General Plan zoning designations spark tension between county residents and Cedar City council members

CEDAR CITY — Multiweek discussions of Cedar City’s General Plan sparked tensions between City Council members and Iron County residents over whether properties near the Flying L Ranches subdivision should be zoned for rural estates or medium-density housing.

Farmland on 2300 West, Cedar City, Utah, March 9, 2022 | Photo by Alysha Lundgren, Cedar City News

The properties in question were the Melling Farm and a neighboring parcel near the Flying L Ranches subdivision on 2300 West — 24.15 acres total, council member Tyler Melling told Cedar City News in a phone call last week.

Currently, the parcel is zoned for half-acre lots by Iron County. In the most recent proposal for Cedar City’s General Plan, the Melling parcel was rezoned to match with Iron County’s zoning after planners took public comments into consideration, council member Melling said.

Prior to the most recent changes, the Melling farm had been zoned by the city for medium-density housing since 2000. Council member Melling noted that zoning designations for properties located in the county only take effect once they are annexed into Cedar City.

Wayne Melling attended the City Council meeting Feb. 16 to request his property keep its medium-density zoning, as written in previous plans. He said his parents had an offer for the development of quarter-acre lots but that Fly L Ranches residents’ petition caused it to fall through.

“When farming is done, I would like to have a viable option other than selling the water and owning 20 acres of dust,” Wayne Melling said.

Tensions high in City Council chambers

City Council members spoke on the issue before Mayor Garth Green opened the public hearing March 2.

Cedar City Council member Tyler Melling speaks during town hall meeting on a proposed new Iron County correctional facility, Cedar City, Utah, Feb. 8, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

Council member Melling said he felt his family’s land was singled out for rezoning.

“This was the only undeveloped residential parcel in the entire plan update to be selected for downzoning from higher to lower density,” he said.

Council member Melling said he heard concerns regarding parking, water and density but that policy changes in recent years should help to ease those concerns. He hopes future policies will encourage a shift in attitudes concerning blended neighborhoods, he added.

“As we find better ways of blending housing types we will have more sense of community and grow more sustainably,” said council member Melling, who previously recused himself from any discussions regarding the General Plan, as Wayne Melling is his father and he wanted to prevent an “apparent conflict of interest.”

He rejoined discussions on the General Plan after receiving comments from the public that he felt were “unacceptable,” he said in a call with Cedar City News.

“Because it’s not just Flying L division,” council member Melling said. “It’s pretty much anytime we’re having any kind of development in this community if people are moving in. And usually, the people that move in aren’t out-of-towners, it’s kids who grew up here.”

Council member Terri Hartley said during the City Council meeting that she’d exchanged emails with residents saying they would prefer if the properties were not rezoned. Some members of the public questioned whether those individuals were referencing Iron County or Cedar City zoning designations.

As Mayor Green opened the hearing to the public, he set time limits for those speaking for and against. Each side could choose three people to speak for 3 minutes each, two people to speak for 5 minutes each or one person to speak for 10 minutes. A member of the public requested more time as many county residents wished to speak but the mayor denied the request.

“I’m starting the clock, sorry,” he said.

County residents at the podium

William Schryver speaking at Cedar City Council Meeting, Cedar City, Utah, March 2, 2022 | Photo by Alysha Lundgren, Cedar City News

Iron County resident William Schryver approached the podium, stating that none of the current residents of the Flying L Ranches subdivision were in favor of nearby properties being rezoned for medium-density housing.

“Any perception (to the) contrary, which you have expressed, owes to a misunderstanding of the differences between the zoning designation specified in the Cedar City General Plan coloring book and the legally-binding zoning within Iron County,” he said.

Schryver questioned council members’ motives, saying that rezoning for medium-density housing primarily benefits speculators, developers and bankers.

“In pushing for radical zoning changes, you will be acting deliberately contrary to the wishes of all the people in the area,” Schryver said. “This being the case we are left to wonder why. What are your motivations?”

Schryver said he also took issue with the materials and design quality of  housing in recent developments, stating that civic planners should avoid “transitory proceeds.”

“Civic planners should always remember they should be in the business of planting and nurturing trees for our grandchildren, not petunias that provide a few weeks of blooms and then are gone,” he said.

Dave Loescher took the podium next, stating his focus would be on neighborly respect and that he understands that General Plan zoning will serve as guidance should the parcel ever be annexed into the city. However, he said he didn’t think the current plan was consistent with current county conditions.

Cedar City Council members (right to left) Ron Riddle, Tyler Melling, R. Scott Phillips, Craig Isom and Teri Hartley, Cedar City, Utah, Feb. 23, 2022 | Photo by Alysha Lundgren, Cedar City News

“I know you want to maximize your profits, but let’s do it in a consistent manner,” he said.

Mayor Green ended public comments against the properties being zoned as medium-density and opened the floor for those in favor.

Tom Jett stood up, stating that more citizens should get involved in the planning process.

“I hope people take this as a lesson,” Jett said. “Be involved, because this is your community and these people only know from what they see and so I hope more people stay involved.”

Several members of the public requested more time to speak but were denied. Mayor Green ended the public hearing and initiated a short break.

Voting on Cedar City’s General Plan

The General Plan was on the docket at the last City Council meeting. Before voting, several council members said a few words. Council member R. Scott Phillips said he understands the plan won’t meet everyone’s needs but reminds those in attendance that it could change again in the future.

“(The plan could change) from what we have stated on paper to something else,” he said. “I think our goal here is to try and do the best we can for trying to create the vibrant, livable city that we all envision.”

Phillips said he thinks that previous City Councils made a mistake in zoning areas within Iron County as medium-density but said he hopes regardless of the outcome that the community will continue to grow and prosper.

Council member Ron Riddle said the General Plan is an opportunity to support mixed-use housing and supports the Melling’s farm and the adjacent property being zoned as medium-density.

Members of the public attending the city council meeting, Cedar City, Utah, March 2, 2022 | Photo by Alysha Lundgren, Cedar City News

“(Residents will) have the opportunity to be with people who maybe live life at a different pay scale,” he said. “And I see opportunities for us to grow and develop as a city and as a people because we don’t all live in the same housing zone and the same type of house.”

Riddle motioned to leave the Melling farm zoned for medium-density housing. The Council voted 3-1 in favor of the General Plan, including Riddle’s motion.

Hartley was not present and excused from voting. Phillips was the lone dissenting vote.

“This is very difficult because there’s 117 pages here and I read every one of them,” Phillips said. “And the map, I went over every bit of it … I just have a difficult time because I think two wrongs don’t make a right. So while I agree with the General Plan and I will support it, my vote has to be no.”

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.

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