After a private traffic study was completed and Carbon officials conferred with Price city representatives, the county planning board approved a pared down request for a zone change in Carbonville that may eventually create a subdivision in the area.
Last year, Vic Santi requested that 150 acres in an area known as Shelter Bay behind the Questar distribution plant on Wood Hill Road be changed in zoning from mining and grazing to residential-one acre.
At the time, there was much discussion by the planning board about the request because the county commission had gone through a public hearing on another subdivision in Carbonville where numerous residents came out complaining about the roads in the area and the streets’ inability to handle more traffic.
While the Shelter Bay site is located in a different area, the roads also caused some concern, primarily because one of the main exits from the location passes by Mont Harmon Junior High.
The planning board subsequently asked Santi to have a traffic study done and the results showed the roads were adequate to handle the traffic generated by the projected number of houses in the development.
At the time of the study, the vehicles traveling on the roads take up between 12 percent and 15 percent of its capacity.
“The study shows that each house will generate between three and four trips back and forth on the road per day,” said Dave Levanger, county planning and zoning director. “That works out to less than 600 driving trips. The study also says that it appears that the trips will be evenly divided between heading for Carbonville Road and traveling along Wood Hill Road.”
The county planning director pointed out that it would take quite some time for the subdivision to be developed into that many homes, based on the economy and growth in the area.
“Based on what has been going on in the county, I doubt that there would be more than 10 or 15 homes built there in the next 10 years,” Levanger commented during last Tuesday’s planning board meeting.
As the panel looked at the latest proposal, Levanger said he had met with Price city officials and there had been no opposition to the idea of changing the zoning.
The county planning director also pointed out that, because of the junior high being in the area, Carbon School District had been informed as well.
“I understand the school district didn’t respond to the communication,” said planning board member Richard Tatton.
Levanger verified that the district had not responded to the matter.
Planning board member Lynna Topolovec suggested that rather than rezone the entire segment of 150 acres that possibly the development should be phased in by section. Other members of the commission thought that was a good idea with Tatton adding that “as the phases come on line we could look at the road issues” at that time.
“I just think we need to find out about these problems before the entire area is rezoned,” said Topolovec.
Santi told the board that would be acceptable to him and it was suggested that enough land be zoned to create 10 lots to begin with.
The planning board agreed to the zoning change, based on a legal description that Santi will supply pertaining to the agreed parameters of the vote.
In other business the group agreed to recommend another zone change for Gary Prazen, also in the Carbonville area. Prazen had requested that 1.16 acres be changed from a C-1 zone to a R-1-20,000. The only real concern the planning board had was that the road in the area might not be wide enough to accommodate traffic, but Prazen agreed to give the county some land to widen the road if needed.
In another action the board agreed to do a zone change just the opposite from the previous request. In this case Randy Farrell requested that 3.3 acres be changed from R-1-20,000 to C-1 for purposes of a car repair business. The property is located between Carbonville Road and Highway 6, near Blue Cut. A business he started in his garage has grown larger than expected and he needs more room to grow.
“The problem here is the countys,” Levanger told the board. “When he applied for a business license the map was misread and it appeared his area was in a commercial zone across the freeway. However the real zone in the area was residential.”
Tatton told the group that because of the area, the zoning recommendation could be opposed in the public hearing that will be held before the county commission.
“The interesting thing in that area is that it is a kind of transition area,” stated Levanger. “We have other commercial businesses and residential mixed there.
The board discussed stipulations that could be put on such a change, but some of the members opposed putting conditions on a commercial area, beyond what is already spelled out in the code.
“No two zone changes are the same,” said board member Earl Gunderson. “Too many stipulations on these types of zones causes a lot of trouble and problems for those who own them.”
After a little more discussion the group recommended the change be made by the county commission.
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