HILLSIDE DEVELOPMENT IN GEOLOGICALLY HAZARD ZONES, ST. GEORGE, UTAH

In 1992, St. George City, Utah, adopted a Hillside Ordinance and Overlay Zone which included the establishment of a hillside review board. The objective was to control hillside grading operations in potential geologic hazard areas, and to prevent negative visual impacts. This was in response to the rapid area growth that was moving into the hillsides.

Although residents favored the ordinance, some property owners were concerned about “property rights issues”. As a result, there as been modification to the ordinance since adoption and controversy over its use. The City doesn't have the expertise on staff to review these geologically sensitive areas. Therefore, the review board has had to provide proficiency in the fields of geotechnical and civil engineering, geology, architecture, and landscaping. As a result, the City believes that the quality of the submittals by applicants increases when they know they will be reviewed by the board. Thus, since its inception, board recommendations have prevented many potential problems.

However, during the recent building boom, most of the easy to mitigate land in the St. George area has been developed. Thus, the job of the hillside board has become more difficult as applicants strive to optimize land use, thus pushing against the limits of the ordinances. Yet, the purpose of these ordinances is to protect the health, safety and general welfare of the residents while preserving scenic resources. As a result, more and more time has been required in the review process.

Part of the problem with this procedure is that there was no master hazards map that developers could inspect, prior to purchasing or developing a property. In addition, the city staff did not know if the preliminary engineering assessment of a parcel was adequate. Both regulator and developer looked to the hillside board for advice. Recently, the UGS published a “Geological Hazards” map of the greater St. George area. This map now enables both the City and the applicants to review the project for geological hazards earlier in the process, thus avoiding any late stage surprises. In turn, this map has help removed the board from the controversy over defining what is a geological hazard while demonstrating the need for developers to contract with a reputable geotechnical engineering consultant prior to application.