Parking availability at proposed 200-unit housing complex in Washington City sparks debate with developer

Wasatch Acquisitions' applicant Josh Lyons negotiates his project proposal with the Washington City Council, Washington City, Utah, June 8, 2022 | Photo by Truman Burgess, St. George News

WASHINGTON CITY — Washington City Council members disputed the terms of a new housing development for an hour and a half before coming to a consensus during a public meeting Wednesday.

Project aesthetic plans for The Ash housing development | Image courtesy of the city of Washington, St. George News

The proposed 200-unit project by Wasatch Acquisitions — named “The Ash” — is planned for the northeast corner of Bella Vista Drive and Desert Cactus Drive. “The Ash” will consist of 168 apartment units and 32 townhome units. The apartments will have one-, two- and three-bedroom options and the townhomes four, two-story units per plex.

During the meeting, Mayor Kress Staheli and Councilman Craig Coats negotiated at length with applicant Josh Lyons for more parking units in the development.

Coats began the debate by saying Wasatch Acquisitions’ plan lacks sufficient parking spaces allocated per housing unit. He outlined the larger problem Washington City has faced where private housing residents fill their garages with storage items, boats or RVs, leading them to park their cars on city roads to avoid private road ticketing. 

Although generally legal, Coats said this pattern of city roads increasingly overflowing with parked vehicles is a cause of stress for the city. He said he wants to avoid this dilemma by anticipating a lack of private parking ahead of time.

Responding to Coats, Lyons explained the 348 parking spots in the proposal already meet and go above the city code requirement of 335 parking stalls, but Coats maintained his position that there still needed to be more parking spaces for private residents. Coats also found fault in the 65 RV/boats stalls on the edge of the proposed property plan.

“We just can’t get enough parking in these developments,” Coats said. “I’m concerned how there’s a whole area just for RVs, and those cost extra money. I’m surprised we have so much extra paid parking spaces for an apartment that probably needs the spots, anyway.” 

Preliminary aerial landscape and plot design for The Ash housing development | Image courtesy of the city of Washington, St. George News

Again, Lyons defended the proposal, saying many Utah families moving into apartments and townhomes still want to be RV and boat people, so there should be ample space to accommodate their lifestyles.

Staheli facilitated the debate toward possible solutions, initially saying how much he dreads police officers spending their time citing illegal parking instead of engaging in more important matters. 

After an hour of logistical sparring, Coats settled on approving the proposal if Wasatch Acquisitions added 24 additional parking units. Councilman Kurt Ivie said he’d approve the development if they added 20 units instead. The other council members agreed with Ivie on 20 additional stalls.

“Parking is like money,” City Manager Jeremy Redd said. “You can never have enough.”

Lyons said he could accept adding 20 more stalls, and after Councilman Bret Henderson made a motion to pass the proposed zone change if the applicant added those 20 parking spaces, the council voted in favor, including Coats.

Staheli said he’s excited for Wasatch Acquisitions to begin their development of the property after 10 years of potential developers failing to build units there that meet the community’s needs and desires.

Where Wasatch Acquisitions succeeded compared to previous developers, Staheli said, was how well they’ve worked with local residents to create an aesthetically pleasing and cohesive building plan. Lyons explained Wasatch Acquisitions even changed the color schemes of all their planned roofs in order to meet local residents’ wishes.

The Ash will include a wide range of amenities for its residents, including a central clubhouse, pool, spa and splash pad. There will also be a volleyball area and pickleball courts, dog parks and play areas for children.

Wasatch Acquisitions did not comment on when construction is scheduled to begin.

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

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