Feeding ban, annual hunt may be part of Manti City deer ordinance
By Terri Forbes
01-30-2019
MANTI—City officials continued to hammer out a new zoning ordinance for both the commercial “gateway” areas of historic Main Street and other residential areas at a meeting Wednesday, Jan. 16.
The Manti City Council and Manti City Planning Commission primarily looked at a revised draft of ordinances that will determine the design standards for historic Main Street.
However, city officials also looked at ordinances drafted by a consulting firm, Urban Planners International, LLC, for some housing types that don’t presently exist in the city, including duplexes, twin homes, row houses, town homes and apartments.
Kent Barton, Manti city administrator, noted that Urban Planners International, which is headed by Dr. Michael Clay, a professor of urban planning at BYU, was the consulting firm for Manti’s last general plan.
Urban Planners International has had contracts throughout the state, including with Logan, Springville, Clinton, Spanish Fork, Payson and Cedar City.
A couple of years ago, the city decided to bring the company back to help create an ordinance to preserve the historic streetscape along Main Street. Another goal was to retain and attract commercial business in the city.
Then last year, the city annexed 400-plus acres of residential developable land north and east of the city, including some land north of the Manti Temple. That was the impetus for asking the consultants to broaden their focus to various housing types and higher density housing than presently exists in the city.
The city also assigned the consulting firm to put together potential ordinances on a few narrower topics. Those assignments included a residential fence ordinance, a large animal ordinance and language beefing up the city’s nuisance ordinance.
Dr. Clay and his team spent four weeks pouring over Manti’s current code to familiarize themselves with ordinance presently on the books to gain an understanding of the project at hand. The meeting Jan. last week was the firm’s second get-together with planning commission and city council members.
The main focus of the meeting Jan. 16 was the historic commercial zone ordinance, including details such as signs, parking lots, building height, space between buildings, design and other requirements.
The draft language on signs states that signs are to be limited to the business being identified, with no flashing, rotating, animated or neon signs. Sign are to harmonize with the existing palette of colors on the zone.
Proposed building height restrictions say buildings in the commercial zone are not to exceed 30 feet two stories. And in future construction, buildings are to be attached or directly adjacent so as to leave no space or alleyways between buildings.
The design standards state that upper floors should engage street life through balconies, windows and architectural features that provide a pleasant pedestrian experience.
The “other requirements” section proposes gas stations not be permitted in the historic commercial zone and freight loading or unloading not occur on a public street.
Next was the review of the city’s north and south gateway commercial zones. Those zones are for the north from 800 North to city limit (1100 North) and the south from 100 West to the city limit (500 West).
The north gateway zone sign requirements proposed no advertising be permitted except for the specific property or business on which the sign is placed. The draft language also bans flashing, rotating, animated and neon signs and requires sign colors to be conducive to the existing palette of colors for the zone.
Within the north gateway zone, the building height was proposed to not exceed 45 feet or three stories. The design standards include a front-facing façade with approved materials, architectural styles and landscaping.
The south gateway zone included the same north gateway standards but added a lot-size requirement—a minimum of 2 acres and up to 5 acres.
Regarding residential zones, Dr. Clay’s handout explained the purpose of residential districts is to provide locations where neighborhoods can be established, maintained and protected.
The regulations would permit churches, schools, libraries, parks and playgrounds in residential zones. Residential developments would be separated based on density.
One of conditional uses proposed in residential zones—mobile home parks and trailer parks—seemed to strike a nerve. The question was asked if the parks should be eliminated altogether. One attendee said eliminating the mobile home and trailer parks would leave some with limited options for a more affordable place to live in Manti.
The consensus seemed to be that if an ordinance banning mobile home parks were adopted, the two current parks in the city would be grandfathered in and could continue to operate.
Another ordinance being drafted was that of large animals, livestock, fencing, general regulations and limits on farm animals based on lot size and even cruelty. To get a better understanding of what the city intended, Dr. Clay distributed a one-page questionnaire. The questions asked, do you own any large animals, are the animals kept for breeding or for pleasure, do you believe the number of large animals on a lot should be limited, if so, how many animals is too many. There was also a question about fencing and should owners of large animals be required to mitigate the odor of their livestock.
Dr. Clay asked that the questionnaire be completed and returned within the week so that the responses could be incorporated and discussed at the next meeting.
The third revised ordinance outline will be presented at an upcoming planning commission meeting. Dr. Clay said the planning commission hoped to wrap up work on the ordinances by Feb. 15, which is the end date of the city’s contract with his firm.
He said once the city is satisfied the final document is all-inclusive of the elements the firm was asked to review, the city will begin scheduling time for public review and comment, and move from there to adoption.
