City Council Approves Workforce Housing Project

By VERNON ROBISON

The Progress

The Mesquite City Council approved another workforce housing project proposal for the area of Highland Drive south of Pioneer Boulevard, between the Virgin River Hotel and Highland Estates Resort. The proposal is for a 146 unit, 73 lot duplex neighborhood on the 31.71 acres at 220 Highland Drive. Approval on the subdivision of the property was given at a meeting held Tuesday, Oct. 11.

City planner Dan Catron reviewed that, in April this year, the council had voted to rezone the parcel from Hotel/Tourist to Multi-Family/Low Density zoning. That paved the way for NRC Development to plan the current project, he said.
“Approximately 39 percent of the total site is set aside as open space,” Catron added.

Catron said that the developer had made amendments to the design to accommodate emergency access into, and out of, the neighborhood.

Councilman George Gault pointed out that the design showed only one road in and out of the neighborhood. He was concerned that this provided no alternate access to the project for emergency services vehicles.

But City Engineer Travis Anderson explained that this problem had actually been addressed and solved by the proposal.
“A lot of the new projects we are seeing are infill projects where there is development built up all around them,” Anderson said. “They are not able to combine (with adjacent projects) for design of a secondary access.”

In those cases Anderson said that the staff works with the developer to create a secondary emergency access with what is there on the ground.

In this case, the city required the developer to widen the Highland Drive access out to over 70 feet, Anderson said.
“That would allow it to, in a sense, act as two roadways,” Anderson explained. “If somebody was broken down with a car on one side, emergency services can still access the other side to get to the development.”

Mesquite Fire Chief Jayson Andrus confirmed that the fire marshal had met with public works and the developer on the project. He said that all the emergency service needs had been addressed in the current plan.

Councilwoman Karen Dutkowski was concerned about having enough room for the turnaround of large semi trucks in that area. She related an experience she had witnessed when a 45-foot semi truck had turned into the Highland Village area and then had trouble getting back out again.

Anderson said that the proposed project would actually solve that existing problem. The neighborhood creates a loop which could be taken to easily exit the property, he said.

During public comment, Hilltop Vistas resident Larry Johns asked what effect the new development would have on the views of the surrounding mountains that he and his neighbors cherished in their neighborhood on the hills above.
“One of the main reasons we bought here was the beautiful views to the north and east,” Jones said. “Is that going to be obscured by these buildings?”

Anderson responded that the hilltop elevations were 60-70 feet higher than the proposed development down below. In addition, the maximum height allowed for the new buildings was set at 35 feet.
“So your view is not going to be impeded with any buildings sticking up above where you guys are,” Anderson said. “You will be way up above that and looking over the top of all these houses.”

Councilman Wes Boger expressed support for the project. “We need this kind of housing that our workforce can afford,” Boger said. “And with this project we have a very professional and reliable developer – not a fly-by-night operation coming into town wining and dining us. So I am 100 percent in favor of this.”

Councilman Brian Wursten made a motion to approve the request. The motion was passed with a unanimous vote of the council.

In another agenda item, the council adopted a bill into ordinance to allow higher densities than were currently allowed by the city regulations. The ordinance would make it possible for residential developments to exceed 25 units per acre through a discretionary approval from the council.

The action opens the door for the Prestwick Apartment project to move forward. On 18.87 acres between Horizon Blvd. and Hardy Way, this project proposes two large four-story deluxe apartment buildings with approximately 392 units. In addition, 76 townhouse units would be included on the east side of the parcel as workforce-priced housing.

A public hearing was opened at the meeting with no public comment.
With little further discussion, the council voted unanimously to adopt the bill as a city ordinance.