TREMONTON CITY CORPORATION
PLANNING COMMISSION
FEBRUARY 11, 2020

Members Present:
Micah Capener, Chairman
Arnold Eberhard, Commission Member
Paul Fowler, Commission Member
Ben Greener, Commission Member
Brad Janssen, Commission Member
Layne Sorensen, Commission Member
Tom Stokes, Commission Member
Bret Rohde, City Councilmember
Steve Bench, Zoning Administrator
Cynthia Nelson, Deputy Recorder

Chairman Capener called the Planning Commission Meeting to order at 5:34 p.m. The meeting was held February 11, 2020 in the City Council Meeting Room at 102 South Tremont Street, Tremonton, Utah. Chairman Capener, Commission Members Eberhard, Fowler, Greener, Janssen, Sorensen, Stokes, City Councilmember Rohde, Zoning Administrator Bench, and Deputy Recorder Nelson were in attendance.

1. Approval of agenda:

Motion by Commission Member Stokes to approve the February 11, 2020 agenda. Motion seconded by Commission Member Eberhard. Vote: Chairman Capener – aye, Commission Member Eberhard – aye, Commission Member Fowler – aye, Commission Member Greener – aye, Commission Member Janssen – aye, Commission Member Sorensen – aye, Commission Member Stokes – aye. Motion approved.

2. Approval of minutes—October 22, 2019 & January 14, 2020

Motion by Commission Member Stokes to approve the October 22, 2019 and
January 14, 2020 minutes. Motion seconded by Commission Member Sorensen. Vote: Chairman Capener – aye, Commission Member Eberhard – aye, Commission Member Fowler – aye, Commission Member Greener – aye, Commission Member Janssen – aye, Commission Member Sorensen – aye, Commission Member Stokes – aye. Motion approved.

Chairman Capener called a Public Hearing to order at 5:35 p.m. to receive public input on a rezone. There were three people in attendance.

3. Public Hearing:

a. To receive public input on a proposed zone change of property located in the area of 2650 West 600 North. The proposal would change the zoning from Single Family Residential R1-10 to Single Family Residential R1-8. The public hearing will also consider amendments and corrections to the Tremont City Public Works Standard Drawings

Resident Amanda White said, as I understand this zones it to make smaller lots for more houses. On the City website it says they are concerned about our water usage so I wonder why make smaller lots for more houses when we are concerned about that?

Chairman Capener closed the Public Hearing at 5:38 p.m.

4. New Business:

a. Discussion and consideration of a proposed zone change of property located in the area of 2650 West 600 North. The proposal would change the zoning from Single Family Residential R1-10 to Single Family Residential R1-8. Consider amendments and corrections to the Tremont City Public Works Standard Drawings

Chairman Bench said developer Jay Stocking is the owner of the property. Resident Craig Christensen signed the petition for the zone change and has property he would like to sell one day. It is R1-10 in some areas, but some are smaller, legal non-conforming lots. There is a mixture. There is always a concern about water, but we are going through a secondary water expansion at a fairly rapid pace. Mr. Stocking will pipe his subdivision. The Council has not had to stop any building permits due to lack of water. The secondary water expansion will be live in a couple months and that has taken the pressure off the culinary to allow for more development. Commission Member Stokes raised his concern that secondary water users are subsidizing development. It is good for the City because we should not put culinary water on our lawns, but it should be fair for east siders and west siders. Is there enough water? Administrator Bench said they will have a better idea after this watering season, but there is plenty of water to continue growth.

Commission Member Janssen asked how many additional units this rezone would allow for, which is about 25 more homes. When asked about the roads, Administrator Bench said you would have an access point on 2300 West through Christensen’s when he develops. There are two below and the west road would tie into 1000 North eventually. There are two accesses right now and there would be at least two more in the future.

Administrator Bench then took the Commission through the amendments and corrections to the Public Works Standard Drawings. The City engineer added details about dumpsters, a new cross-section to potentially accommodate trails and minor arterial roads, and intersection detail for collectors. The standard locations for irrigation and storm drain layout, as well as sidewalk and streetlights were updated. The locations of central mailbox units were added. Updates were made to the survey monuments, ADA standards and sidewalk ramps, the measurements on a cul-de-sac, as well as their street sign location. The Commission was updated on the design of the saddle that taps into the water and sewer lines. Councilmember Rohde said how much is this going to increase the cost for developers? Administrator Bench said these are actual requirements and standard practice. I do not think any of it is going to increase. We are just updating our manual and drawings to reflect what is happening. We also removed the clean out requirement, but that can still be done if they want their own trailer dump. The asphalt patches need to meet street standards. There is an added detail on the concrete collar around manholes, sizes, and the rubber boot with pipes going in and out of a manhole for sewer. There are some general updates on concrete color as well as fencing. There have been changes to a new detail of the trench section for secondary water. The updates reflect the 15-foot PUE in the front of the property with the ones on the sides and rear being eliminated.

Chairman Capener asked if Engineer Breinholt could come and explain some of these. There is a bunch of stuff that I do not understand why it is in there. Administrator Bench said I am sure he could. We are just putting it into a detail so it is understood. They reviewed and had more discussion on some of the updates. Chairman Capener said I would like to hear why we are doing all these things so we understand what the differences are between where it is now. The Commission then made two motions.

Motion by Commission Member Janssen to table the standard drawings until they can hear from the city engineer. Motion seconded by Commission Member Sorensen. Vote: Chairman Capener – aye, Commission Member Eberhard – aye, Commission Member Fowler – aye, Commission Member Greener – aye, Commission Member Janssen – aye, Commission Member Sorensen – aye, Commission Member Stokes – nay. Motion approved. Motion approved by a 6-1 vote.

Motion by Commission Member Janssen to recommend the rezone to the City Council. Motion seconded by Commission Member Stokes. Vote: Chairman Capener – aye, Commission Member Eberhard – aye, Commission Member Fowler – aye, Commission Member Greener – aye, Commission Member Janssen – aye, Commission Member Sorensen – aye, Commission Member Stokes – aye. Motion approved.

b. Preliminary Review of Tremont Place Subdivision, Phase 2

At their last meeting, the Commission saw and approved this item.

c. Tiny home presentation – Leslie Fridal and Terrell Womack

Ms. Fridal gave a presentation on tiny homes. She said the typical size of a tiny home very seldom exceeds 500 square feet. The typical tiny home on wheels is
8 x 20 with a livable space of about 120 square feet or less. They are easy to tow and are exempt from needing a building permit. My house is in the process of being building, but it will be 8 x 30 feet for 240 square feet on the first level. I will have additional living space in two lofts that will act as a bedroom and closet. Ms. Womack said her tiny home is 8 x 26 feet and also has the two lofts.
Ms. Fridal said the national average is 120 square feet. I admire people who can live that small but that is really tiny. Ms. Womack explained some benefits of tiny homes. She said there is a lower expense. The average home is about $200,000 while a tiny house is about $40,000. They also have lower energy use, using about 7% compared to a traditional home. My home has solar panels and a water tank. You also have the freedom to move, however, ours will stay on foundations. They are also easier to maintain and quicker to clean. My home also has a composting toilet and I grew all my vegetables from my compost toilet last year. Ms. Fridal said I am a schoolteacher and my son graduated early so I am now an empty nester. I cannot afford what we consider a traditional house. I have always wanted to own my own home and I do not need a lot of space. I need a nice bathroom, a good kitchen, an area to sleep, and one to do work. I find great pride in knowing when I am done with my tiny home, I will own it free and clear with no mortgage.

Ms. Fridal then explained what other communities in Utah are doing. Utah is behind on the zoning for tiny homes. Washington County does allow a minimum square footage of less than 300 square feet for a tiny homee as long as they are on foundations. Salt Lake City allows mother-in-law apartments or for people to be parked behind someone else’s house. In Eagle Mountain tiny homes on wheels are allowed to be in areas that are zoned R1. If Tremonton allowed this, it would be ahead of the game and may help others to have their dream of home ownership. The City Manager toured my daughter’s tiny home. I think what people do not realize is it that it does not lack on luxury. My tiny home has a washer/dryer combination, a full-size bathroom and shower, kitchen, living room, a full bedroom with a queen bed. You just have to be very creative in where you put things and how you utilize the space. They are not just setup like an RV. They can be very luxurious and have many things in them that you would see in a traditional home.

The pair then showed how they plan to add both of their homes to the half-acre lot. It is landlocked and adjacent to the storage units and a business, but has a small driveway. Ms. Fridal said I do not think we would ruffle too many feathers because of the location. We would put our homes back there and are asking that the City code be modified to allow for homes as small as 200 square feet as long as they meet the following guidelines. They must be placed on a slab foundation, be hooked up to utilities, and must have a working kitchen and bathroom. The board could add any other items they see fit. There may be some apprehension to this and how it might affect property values so we are willing to present to the community. We also want to do a blog where we would record our process from start to finish.

Chairman Capener said I like it. I think it is what we have to do for affordable housing. Commission Member Stokes said when you put this home on a lot you understand you will conform to City standards? They both agreed. Ms. Fridal said other than the rareness of the size we want to do what everybody else is doing. Commission Member Stokes said people are concerned about going from 10,000 square feet to 8,000 square feet. With these small houses, you could put 20 of them on an acre. I do not think that is what people want. You are putting yours on half an acre and I think that is a lot of land for a little home. Administrator Bench said right now 400 square feet is the minimum in our covenants. Chairman Capener said we are only taking it from 400 square feet to 200. Commission Member Fowler said that is 50%. My tent trailer is 200 square feet; could I put that on a slab and hook to utilities? It is going to open up a can of worms. Commission Member Eberhard said what all will go on that half-acre lot?
Ms. Fridal said we come from a farming background. We will have a garden with solar panels and parking spaces for both our homes.

Chairman Capener asked about a conditional use permit. Administrator Bench said we could work on it and see. They would not meet the five criteria for a conditional use. It would have to be some sort of overlay for that lot. The underlying would remain R1-10 and the overlay would allow these two homes. We could write an overlay, which would go through the public hearing process. The City Council would have the final say. Since your home will be about 300 square feet, you could also add an enclosed sunscreen porch to get it to the 400 square feet, which is allowed in the code. We could then amend the code to allow the accessory dwelling unit. Councilmember Rohde said I think we ought to address it in the code as much as we can and address all the issues up front. Can we create a code for an R1 and a section of land for that? Administrator Bench said we ought to wait and see if that happens, then we could do some specifics. Commission Member Fowler said I would rather us develop a legitimate way of doing it rather than bending. If we are going to do it, let us find a way to move forward. Administrator Bench said we are not bending, she is going to get to the current code. The Commission asked Administrator Bench to look into creating an ordinance and find out what other communities are doing. The Commission also discussed the 14-foot driveway leading to the lot and asked Ms. Fridal to ensure it has been deeded with the title to her property. Administrator Bench would prepare a draft and provide information at the next Planning Commission meeting.

5. Adjournment

Motion by Commission Member Stokes to adjourn the meeting. Motion seconded by consensus of the Board. The meeting adjourned at 6:59 p.m.

The undersigned duly acting and appointed Recorder for Tremonton City Corporation hereby certifies that the foregoing is a true and correct copy of the minutes of the Planning Commission held on the above referenced date. Minutes were prepared by Jessica Tanner.

Dated this 24 day of March, 2020.

______________________________
Linsey Nessen, CITY RECORDER

*Utah Code 52-4-202, (6) allows for a topic to be raised by the public and discussed by the public body even though it was not included in the agenda or advance public notice given; however, no final action will be taken.