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Richard Piatt Reporting The dust is settling on Capitol Hill after a behind-the-scenes scuffle over a bill that would affect zoning and development. An early version of the bill shocked cities and environmentalists alike.
Two bills, Senate Bill 170 and 190, originally proposed to take zoning power away from cities, among other things. Even before it got very far, reaction was strong, and today a new version emerged that all sides generally like.
Real estate developers buy land, make plans, get permits and then build. But in a few communities, certain developers feel the approval process is biased, takes too long, and is unreasonable. Enter the Utah legislature, with Senate Bill 170, a bill that would have gutted every city's ability to decide what could be built and where, among other things. Even Senator Al Mansell, the sponsor, thought it was a bit much.
Sen. Al Mansell, (R) Sandy: "When I read the bill, I realized there were probably many things in it that were way over the top."
Rep Ralph Becker, (D) Salt Lake City: "The original version of that bill took a sledgehammer to address issues that represent a fly."
In fact, behind the scenes, many city administrations in the state were in a panic over the bill because the changes were so sweeping. What's resulted was a series of whirlwind negotiations between cities and real estate interests who pushed the bill. The result is the scrapping of the old bill, now, a brand new bill that calls for lower fees, a more timely response to requests, and lower legal fees associated with development mitigation.
Sen. Al Mansell, (R) Sandy: "The cities have the right and responsibility to zone and then to form a master plan. And then they have the responsibility to follow it. And if those two things can happen, then things will work. "
Dave Buhler, Salt Lake City Council: "If there are areas that need to be fine-tuned, then all cities are more than anxious to enter into that dialogue and make whatever changes need to be made."
But bad blood lingers behind the scenes over a tactic to get the city's attention, at the expense of decorum.
Ken Bullock, Utah League of Cities and Towns: "Going this approach was over the top, and fairly dramatic and quite unnecessary."
