Mt. Pleasant council delays 62-acre housing proposal

MT. PLEASANT – The Mt. Pleasant City Council delayed action Sept. 22 on a proposed 62.4-acre planned unit development, or PUD, giving council members an additional three weeks to review a development agreement that could govern the project for as long as 25 years.

The council also approved a zoning amendment expanding potential uses of the former elementary school and heard updates on water development, roads and public safety.

The meeting agenda described the PUD property as approximately 60.64 acres south of Aspen Village Mobile Home Park, generally between 300 South and 700 South and 700 East and 900 East.

Carlson described the project as a long-term development that could take as long as 25 years to complete. The project would proceed in phases.

The anticipated first phase would run along the west side of the property and include about 28 detached single-family lots and seven townhome buildings, Carlson said. The mix of housing in later phases could change depending on market demand.

Some streets associated with the development would become public streets, while other internal roads would remain private and be maintained by a homeowners association.

Carlson also described an emergency-only water connection through the existing trailer court and additional connections to the surrounding street network.

Water was a significant part of the discussion. Carlson said the property does not have irrigation water and the development would rely on culinary water. Plans call for an emphasis on water-wise landscaping, including rock landscaping and drip irrigation. Developers are also considering possible gray-water reuse, although Carlson said that option would add to construction costs.

Carlson said the city’s PUD zone allows density of as many as 26 units per acre, while the proposed development agreement would cap density at 12 units per acre. He said the actual density would likely remain below that maximum because the project includes detached single-family homes.

“I like the plan. I want to see this go forward,” Councilman Cade Beck said. But he said he wanted more time to examine the development agreement.

One concern centered on language council members interpreted as potentially limiting the city’s ability to delay, stop or modify future phases during the agreement’s 25-year term. Beck said he wanted the agreement reviewed carefully before the city committed itself for that length of time.

Council members also identified conflicting parking requirements in different versions of the agreement. One copy appeared to require 1.5 off-street parking spaces per townhome, while the version Carlson reviewed during the meeting called for two spaces per unit, along with additional visitor parking.

The council agreed to continue the PUD discussion for three weeks, allowing members to compile questions and Carlson to review possible revisions to the agreement.

Water development came up again later in the meeting when Beck discussed the city’s existing water rights and the need for additional groundwater sources.

“The moral of the story is we have water rights available,” Beck said. “We just need to tap into them.”

Beck said the city should consider updating its water master plan, which he believed had not been updated since 2008, and begin identifying locations for additional wells.

Mayor Michael Olsen also emphasized the importance of developing additional water sources as the city grows.

“Mt. Pleasant’s future is water as well,” Olsen said. “We just can’t rely on the snow and mountains for future water. It’s got to be wells. We’ve got to develop source(s).”

Olsen reported that the city’s water tank project may not go to bid until around the first of the year because of funding schedules and administrative delays.

The city is continuing work on another well project, he said. Officials are looking at whether some planned components can be removed to reduce costs. The project needs to be completed by April 2027 to meet funding requirements.

The council also took action on a zoning issue involving the former elementary school, which is now being operated as a community center.

The existing Public Facility zone limits activities at the building primarily to educational uses. The proposed amendment would allow public or private convention halls and recreation facilities, sports fields and playgrounds to be considered as conditional uses. The change could allow private activities such as birthday parties and family gatherings.

Council members clarified that they were amending the zoning ordinance, not approving a conditional-use permit for the community center. Individual conditional uses must still go through the appropriate Planning and Zoning process.

The council unanimously approved the Public Facility zone amendment.

A proposed amendment allowing horseback-riding lessons or instruction as a conditional use in the Residential-Agricultural zone did not receive approval at the meeting.

The proposal grew out of complaints about horses tied near trailers along a road. Council members discussed off-street parking, liability insurance and fencing requirements.

Members generally agreed that some requirements, particularly parking and insurance, should be clearly addressed but questioned whether the same fencing standard should apply to every property.

A riding operation surrounded by open fields, for example, may have different needs than one surrounded by residential properties.

The council unanimously postponed the amendment until more precise ordinance language can be prepared.

Earlier in the meeting, officials discussed a resident affected by flooding following an irrigation main break at 64 N. 200 West. Olsen said the city’s insurer had not issued an official decision on the claim but had indicated that it was likely to be denied because the city was not considered at fault.

Officials discussed whether the city could eventually create an ordinance establishing an annual contingency fund for similar situations not covered by insurance. Such a program would require rules governing how much money could be distributed annually and for individual incidents.

Road work was another significant topic. The council heard about an alternative reconstruction method proposed by Trevor Bennett, owner of Bennett Paving and Construction of Springville, for planned work on north-south roads.

Instead of widening shoulders and applying a 1.5-inch asphalt overlay, the alternative would mill the existing roadway, reshape and compact the material, then place a 3-inch asphalt overlay over the reconstructed base. The council was told the revised approach would cost approximately the same as the earlier plan.

Members said drainage still needs to be addressed as part of the project. City representatives planned to meet with Bennett to review the proposal and seek a start date, with hopes of completing some work this year if weather allows.

Councilmember Jake Howcroft announced during the meeting that he is resigning from the council because his family is relocating to St. George for a work opportunity. The city had previously announced that Howcroft’s resignation would take effect Oct. 7.

Howcroft said the family is excited about the opportunity but will miss Mt. Pleasant. “We’ll miss this area,” he said. “We love this town, but it’s an opportunity I can’t pass up.”