COUNTY OF SEVIER CITY OF RICHFIELDAt the Planning CommissionIn and for said City April 2, 2025Minutes of the Richfield City Planning Commission meeting held on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, at 6:00 p.m., Chairman Josh Peterson, presiding.
- Roll Call. Present: Josh Peterson, Blaine Breinholt, Branden Anderson, Roxanne Bobo, Wes Kirshner.
Excused: Zach Leavitt, Wayne Cowley.
Also, Ryan Savage, Brad Garfield, Marni Winn, Lyndon Friant, Dustin Anderson and Deputy Clerk David Anderson. - Conditional Use Permits –
a. Tyler Boren requested a conditional use to operate a pre-school at 381 W 200 N in Richfield. (C-1 Use in an RM-11 zone)
Boren said she had approached the commission about a different location previously, however, it was in a higher traffic area and there wasn’t a safe drop-off point. Now they are looking at locating in the former Lily’s Boutique. Lily has purchased Richfield Floral and moved her giftshop and flower business into it. The greenhouse use is being retained by the owners, but the preschool will be located in the area where the giftshop was. There is ample parking and seems much safer.
Commissioner Kirshner said this is a much better location.
Commissioner Brienholt asked Boren to clarify which portion of the building she’ll be using.
Motion: Approve the conditional use to operate a preschool at 381 W 200 N in Richfield, Action: Approve, Moved by Branden Anderson, Seconded by Blaine Breinholt.
Vote: Motion carried by unanimous roll call vote (summary: Yes = 5).
Yes: Blaine Breinholt, Branden Anderson, Josh Peterson, Roxanne Bobo, Wes Kirshner.
Excused: Wayne Cowley, Zach Leavitt.
b. Anne Valae, appearing via video chat, requested a conditional use for short term rentals to be located at 977 West 1070 and 973 West 1070 South. (C-1 Use in an RM-11 Zone, number 14 and 15 of 36)
She purchased the units, which share a common wall, together and would like to use them as short-term rental properties. They are the newest units being built as part of Kendrick Thomas’s subdivision.
Commissioner Anderson asked what the limits are for the number of short-term rentals in an area. Deputy Clerk Anderson said they are located in are well below the threshold; 14 and 15 out of 45.
Commissioner Kirshner asked how large the units are. They are three-bedroom units, and approximately 2,800 square feet.
Chairman Peterson said there is enough parking for them.
Motion: Approve the units for short-term rental use as presented, Action: Approve, Moved by Blaine Breinholt, Seconded by Roxanne Bobo.
Vote: Motion carried by unanimous roll call vote (summary: Yes = 5).
Yes: Blaine Breinholt, Branden Anderson, Josh Peterson, Roxanne Bobo, Wes Kirshner.
Excused: Wayne Cowley, Zach Leavitt.
- Development Review – Consider preliminary approval of the Valley Ridge Development.
Ryan Savage presented on behalf of the development. He said it was approved a year ago, but that approval had since expired. Some changes have been made, including the reduction of three units from the project.
Commissioner Anderson asked about the scope of the HOA. It will only be the area within the subdivision, covering the common areas. It will not include the streets, which will either remain or become city streets.
Commissioner Breinholt asked about 2300 South and the city’s easements for water in the area.
Savage said the city will retain an easement from the pond to the golf course. The pond is used to feed the golf course irrigation. When all said and done the pond on the southwest corner of the property will be deeded to Richfield City.
Commissioner Kirshner asked if it would be all HOA structured. It will be.
Chairman Peterson asked how large the twin homes are going to be.
Brad Garfield, principal of the project, said the units will 2100 square feet with basement, plus a three-car garage, three-bedroom two bath with an unfinished basement.
Commissioner Bobo asked if all the units would be the same size. They will be.
Commissioner Anderson asked about lot 22 and 23, but primarily lot 22 and its parking orientation. It just looks funny.
Savage said they did an agreement with Richfield City that will allow a little bit less on that one. The north side had a four-plex, but due to requirements, it was reduced to a duplex and a single standalone unit. Overall three units in total have been eliminated due to the backing out issue.
Commissioner Anderson said this is a similar concept to the TOK Development duplexes on 1080 South.
Commissioner Kirshner asked about trash collection, if each unit would have its own trash collection or if they would have a communal dumpster, which is common with HOA developments. He said most HOAs are set up with a communal dumpster. He also asked about where the mailbox for the development would be.
Savage said there are at least three spots where there is plenty of room for a mailbox for the development. He said he would coordinate with the post office as to where the best place would be for mail delivery.
Deputy Clerk Anderson said where the road that bisects the development is a standard width City street, it shouldn’t be an issue for individual garbage collection. The HOA primarily applies to the common areas, such as the pickleball court.
Savage said the design also allows for trucks to enter the common areas just in case there is a need to.
Commissioner Kirshner also asked about fire access, since Fire Chief Dustin Anderson was in attendance. Chief Anderson said it appears to work as long as it’s the standard width and has through streets.
Commissioner Anderson asked about the curb and gutter, and how far it will extend.
Savage said the curb, gutter, sidewalk and asphalt shoulder will run along the entirety of the roads that border the property. However, since a portion of the property is being deeded over to the City, he would like to talk with the city about completing the portion that will border the eventual City owned property.
Deputy Clerk Anderson said that would be an appropriate conversation to have, and the City Council would have the final say.
Motion: Grant preliminary approval to the Valley Ridge Development, Action: Approve, Moved by Blaine Breinholt, Seconded by Branden Anderson.
Vote: Motion carried by unanimous roll call vote (summary: Yes = 5).
Yes: Blaine Breinholt, Branden Anderson, Josh Peterson, Roxanne Bobo, Wes Kirshner.
Excused: Wayne Cowley, Zach Leavitt. - Public Hearings –
a. Proposed amendment to 17.13.240 as it affects the requirement for preexisting lots to install asphalt shoulder, curb, gutter and sidewalk improvements.
Kendall Welch, appearing via video streaming, explained the amendment to the code.
This ordinance amendment has been developed as the result of the past two meetings and includes revised alternate standard for lots in previously developed areas of town. It’s designed to allow for an administrative process for people who don’t want to install curb, gutter and asphalt shoulders in town. The modified standard is only for single-family homes. Welch said this version of the ordinance is updated to include items the Planning Commission asked for during its last meeting.
It also includes options on page 5, which is a fee in lieu option for commercial properties.
Chairman Peterson want to make sure the ordinance spells out that the property owner will purchase pipe, while city staff will install the pipe and develop the correct grading in the gravel to create a barrow channel.
Previously, all the improvements were required of anyone building something in city limits. However, the City is trying to entice the building of single-family homes, and those items add significant cost. Also, the City Council has been pretty consistent on awarding variances to these parcels and owners.
Chairman Peterson opened the hearing at 6:27 p.m. Hearing no comment, he closed the hearing at 6:27 p.m.
b. Public hearing on proposed amendments to the Richfield City Development and Construction Standards.
Welch said this is essentially brining the city up to date with the current APWA standard design specifications. This will get the City up to the most current edition, which is the 2525 edition. Going through the previous construction standards, they have made some changes and corrections to several items. In the later half of the document, there were also some updates to the actual drawings in the manual for City required infrastructure.
Lindon Friant, representing Jones & DeMille, explained the changes are very basic. Some of the technical changes include not allowing meters be in the park strip and two feet into the property.
Commissioner Bobo asked to clarify if this is limited to just new construction in town. Friant said it is.
Commissioner Kirshner asked if it has some requirements for dealing with the mess created by construction projects. He said it should be in the code to be able to avoid mud and other debris from causing issues. Welch said there is standard enforcement language, as well as requirements for track out pads.
Deputy Clerk Anderson said this is an issue the city has had to deal with recently with the Cottonwood Corner development. He said the developer was amenable to correcting the issue, so hopefully it’s been addressed.
There is also a standard drawing for track out pads for construction vehicles.
Chairman Peterson opened the public hearing at 6:33 p.m. Hearing no comment, he closed the hearing at 6:33 p.m. - Action on public hearings –
a. Consider recommending for approval 17.13.240 as it affects the requirement for preexisting lots to install asphalt shoulder, curb, gutter and sidewalk improvements. Motion: Recommend approval of the proposed modification to 17.13.240 as it affects the requirement for preexisting lots to install asphalt shoulder, curb, gutter and sidewalk improvements, Action: Approve, Moved by Roxanne Bobo, Seconded by Blaine Breinholt.
Vote: Motion carried by unanimous roll call vote (summary: Yes = 5).Yes: Blaine Breinholt, Branden Anderson, Josh Peterson, Roxanne Bobo, Wes Kirshner. Excused: Wayne Cowley, Zach Leavitt.
b. Consider recommending for approval – Amendments to the Richfield City Development and Construction Standards. Motion: Recommend for approval amendments to the Richfield City Development and Construction Standards, Action: Approve, Moved by Blaine Breinholt, Seconded by Branden Anderson.
Vote: Motion carried by unanimous roll call vote (summary: Yes = 5).
Yes: Blaine Breinholt, Branden Anderson, Josh Peterson, Roxanne Bobo, Wes Kirshner.
Excused: Wayne Cowley, Zach Leavitt.
- Minutes Approval
i. Consider approving minutes of meeting hosted February 19, 2025. Motion: Approve the minutes of the meeting hosted February 19, 2025., Action: Approve, Moved by Blaine Breinholt, Seconded by Wes Kirshner.
Vote: Motion carried by unanimous roll call vote (summary: Yes = 5).
Yes: Blaine Breinholt, Branden Anderson, Josh Peterson, Roxanne Bobo, Wes Kirshner.
Excused: Wayne Cowley, Zach Leavitt.
ii. Consider approving minutes of meeting hosted March. 5, 2025. Motion: Approve minutes of meeting hosted March. 5, 2025, Action: Approve, Moved by Blaine Breinholt, Seconded by Branden Anderson.
Vote: Motion carried by unanimous roll call vote (summary: Yes = 5).
Yes: Blaine Breinholt, Branden Anderson, Josh Peterson, Roxanne Bobo, Wes Kirshner.
Excused: Wayne Cowley, Zach Leavitt.
- Other Business – Deputy Clerk Anderson said if there are any names anyone has to be considered to be a planning commissioner, he would welcome them as Commissioner Leavitt is moving from the area and has resigned.
Also, a conversation was had about commercial storage units, such as Patriot Storage and UHaul. The concern is that they are allowed in three zones, Manufacturing, Industrial and Commercial General as a C-2 use. Storage units have taken up some area that could potentially be prime commercial property, such as along 1300 South, which is being extended to the Annabella Road. That extension enhances that part of town’s viability for commercial development, and already there are storage units taking up what could have been a better commercial use for the property. The question asked was does Richfield City want to limit them to just the Industrial and Manufacturing zones. If there is an appetite to pursue that, Deputy Clerk Anderson will work on proposal for the next meeting.
Chairman Peterson said the city’s manufacturing and industrial zones are quite limited. It goes back to the dog kennel issue, which was also limited to Manufacturing and Industrial.
Commissioner Kirshner said allowing them in the commercial general does bring the things like the Uhaul, which is not aesthetically pleasing for the community. It doesn’t fit. Commissioner Breinholt agreed.
Commissioner Anderson said some of the ones done in areas like St. George are done nice so they don’t look bad. They look more like a walk-in commercial building.
Commissioner Bobo asked if the City has the power to control what the storage buildings look like.
Deputy Clerk Anderson said they are done on a conditional use basis, and in the case of self-serve storage, they are a C-2 use, which means they have to appear before the Commission and the City Council. However, he wasn’t sure if the city has the correct mechanisms in the municipal code to control it.
Chairman Peterson said it’s a topic that warrants discussion in the next meeting.
Commissioner Kirshner said he wasn’t sure if Fire Chief Dustin Anderson attended tonight to discuss adding items into the code.
Deputy Clerk Anderson said he’d spoke with the Chief, and that he wanted to confer with some other people before making a recommendation on the addendums in the latest International Fire Code. The Legislature adopted the code, but left the addendums up to the individual municipalities to adopt on their own.
Commissioner Peterson asked if the Commission would like to do a second meeting this month to host a public hearing on the General Plan. However, he feels it would not accelerate it by much, so the public hearing can be done during next month’s regular meeting.
Commissioner Anderson said he feels like the Commission did a good job on tonight’s public hearings. Sometimes Commissions don’t take the time to explain what’s going on to the public, so it’s hard for them to make good comments. He said he liked how it was handled tonight where someone explained it.
Chairman Peterson said the Commission does have a set protocol for the hearings. Generally the developer or engineer will explain the project quickly. Then it is opened up the public. Each person is asked to state their full name. At that point each person is given three minutes to make their remarks. Previously it was a free for all and people talked over each other. Chairman Peterson said he felt like there would have been some people making comments at tonight’s hearings, but no one did.
Commissioner Anderson said he understands the conversation on the missing middle being put into the ordinance. In what other ways could people use it? Is there a way to utilize it for a property and not have it all run wild?
Commissioner Kirshner said he is still pondering it on the issue. He understands both side of the thought process on it.
Commissioner Breinholt said he is a little leery of it. He said he is not in favor of including alleyways. He said Richfield used to have many alleyways, and they were not attractive. Chairman Peterson said that was discussed in the joint meeting with the City Council, and it was stated that they will not be allowed. SITLA is still going to get some more information. The biggest issue is how does the city administrate it in a way that it’s consistent? How do we not want it to be a situation where special favors are granted. He likes the idea, and appreciates the effort SITLA has put into it. However, he is still feeling the burn from RM-24 like everyone else, and doesn’t want to create a new zone.
Deputy Clerk Anderson said there are instances where a certain area of town is the only place where horses can be kept on lots of less than an acre. Would a similar exception in the code be useful for this – only allowing this overlay in this one area.
Chairman Peterson said the fear is larger developers may see it and decide to pitch their own version of it, but without the care and attention put into it that SITLA has put in.
Commissioner Bobo asked if the Commission could just say “no” if not up to the same standards? The city would be able to do deny applications that are not up to the same standard, Commissioner Anderson said.
Deputy Clerk Anderson said he feels like it may be being over complicated with the overlay zone, and perhaps there is a more simple answer, but he doesn’t know what it would be.
Commissioner Kirshner asked if a developer gets an approval, but doesn’t do anything with it, is there a way to enforce a time limit that rescinds the zone back if the project included a zone change?
Deputy Clerk Anderson said the project approvals have a 365-day time limit, such as the Valley Ridge that appeared before the Commission tonight. However, once a zone is changed, that’s permanent until the property own petitions the city to change it back. While the partnership with SITLA sounds good on paper, they are still profit motivated.
Chairman Peterson said one thing he liked about the overlay is that it allows nine units an acre instead of 11 and forces diversity of building types which is a good change.
Commissioner Breinholt feels the area is still poor place to build due to the water table in the area. Deputy Clerk Anderson said the stated goal of the SITLA project is an affordable housing venture, but if they have to bring in 20-feet of barrow material, it would become unaffordable in short order.
Commissioner Bobo said the term “affordable housing” is misleading when homes that costs $350,000 are being marketed as starter homes.
Commissioner Breinholt said affordable is what people will pay. The mayor even asked what the homes will cost and the answer was essentially whatever people will pay.
- Adjournment. Motion: Adjourn the meeting, Action: Adjourn, Moved by Branden Anderson, Seconded by Blaine Breinholt. Vote: Motion carried by unanimous roll call vote (summary: Yes = 5).
Yes: Blaine Breinholt, Branden Anderson, Josh Peterson, Roxanne Bobo, Wes Kirshner.
Excused: Wayne Cowley, Zach Leavitt.