Ivins Planning Commission Aug. 18: Building Height Talk

The Ivins City Planning Commission met on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers at 85 North Main Street. The City of Ivins has posted minutes for this meeting, and the Planning Commission approved them at its September 1, 2026 meeting. This post sums up what those minutes record. The meeting video, agenda, minutes and every supporting document are on the Ivins Meetings page entry for August 18, 2026.

According to the minutes, the meeting was called to order at 5:30 p.m. with Chair Perry Brown and Commissioners Dave Robinson, Brandon Weight and Doug Clifford present. Staff attending were City Manager Chuck Gillette, City Attorney Bryan Pack, Building and Zoning Administrator Rob Dalley and Deputy City Recorder Sharon Allen. No disclosures were made, and there were no reports, presentations or appointments.

Construction standards: public hearing and recommendation

Agenda items: “Public Hearing regarding amendments to the Standard Specifications for Design and Construction for Ivins City.” and “Discuss and consider recommendation of amendments to the Standard Specifications for Design and Construction for Ivins City.”

The minutes record Chuck Gillette stating that the changes had been in the works for years and were brought to the Planning Commission to flag anything before the item moved on to the City Council. The Chair opened the public hearing; the minutes state no one was on Zoom and, hearing no comments, the Chair closed it.

During discussion, Commissioner Clifford pointed out that some revised sheets still showed older revision dates (for example, street lighting still showed 2019). Chuck Gillette agreed the dates had been missed and said they should be updated to the date the Council passes the changes. Asked whether any changes were crucial for builders, he stated “nothing extreme,” noting that concrete collars may increase cost and that notes were added to clarify some drawings.

Outcome: Commissioner Robinson moved to approve the recommendation of the amendments, “as amended by correcting the dates,” seconded by Commissioner Weight. The motion carried unanimously, 4-0 (Brown, Robinson, Weight and Clifford voting aye). The related attachment is listed as Ordinance 2026-18. Our September 3 City Council post covers the Council's later action on the construction specifications.

Building height code discussed

Agenda item: “Discuss Building Height Code 16.11.126”

This was a discussion item, and no vote was taken. The minutes record these points among others:

Rob Dalley stated he had been asked about building height changes in both residential and commercial areas, and that the current ordinance sets a maximum height of 25 feet in residential and 35 feet in commercial.
Chuck Gillette stated height is measured from pad elevation, which is set in the construction drawings. He also stated that the Council did not approve the height request for The Retreat, approving only the setback flexibility, and asked staff to look at the question citywide. Our August 6 City Council post covers that Council decision.
Chuck Gillette described the existing view-corridor rule along roads such as Center Street, Highway 91, Snow Canyon Parkway and Kwavasa Drive (a 15-degree view angle starting six feet up at the property line) as an additional height restriction to consider.
Bryan Pack stated the Planning Commission and Council already have flexibility through a development agreement and a special height exception, and that a code change would be a more universal approach.
Chuck Gillette stated the zoning ordinance was redone in 2005 and lowered residential height to 25 feet to preserve views, and that the City is balancing views against the ability to build more affordable homes.

The minutes record commissioners expressing interest in looking at height more broadly across the City rather than case by case, and Rob Dalley offering to look into it further.

Land Use Map discussion

Agenda item: “Discuss Ivins City Land Use Map.”

This was a continued discussion item with no vote. The packet included a PC data packet and maps covering functional road classifications, open space, existing and projected transportation volumes, and undeveloped land. According to the minutes:

Chuck Gillette stated that everything not shown in gray on the undeveloped land map is technically undeveloped, that hatched areas are projects in process, and that a key question in the land use update is whether the City needs more multi-family housing.
Commissioner Robinson presented figures he had gathered, including an average age in Ivins of 52.1 years, 32% of residents over 65, and 896 students in Ivins from Washington County School District enrollment.
Commissioners and staff discussed housing costs, infrastructure efficiencies and attracting younger families. The Chair asked how the Commission wanted to review the data.
Rob Dalley stated a work meeting was planned for September 17 to take an initial run at the data, and asked commissioners to email him anything else.

Minutes approved and adjournment

Agenda item: “Discuss and consider approval of the Ivins City Planning Commission Meeting Minutes for August 4, 2026.” Commissioner Clifford moved to approve, seconded by Commissioner Robinson; the motion carried unanimously. The meeting then adjourned on a unanimous vote.

Our September 1 Planning Commission post covers the next meeting, where these minutes were approved.

Source documents

This summary reports only what the cited City of Ivins records state. For the authoritative version, check the official City of Ivins records at ivins.granicus.com, ivinsutah.gov and the Utah Public Notice Website, or contact the Ivins City Recorder at 435-628-0606.

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Robert Bolar
REALTOR® and Global Real Estate Advisor, Summit Sotheby's International Realty, Ivins, Utah
801-737-3333 · Robert@OwnUtah.com