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Show PAGE 8 THE ZEPHYRJANFEB 1992 - : ' - . . . an interview with david olsen -- moab city planner- - Km Davey conducted an Interview with Moab Chy Planner David Olsen. The Interview haa bem edited for clarity and length. David 01 am haa bem the Moab City Planner alnce the aprlng of 1990. He graduated from Brigham Young University In 1985, then went on to earn a Maatera Degree In public admlnlatratlon from the University of Utah. He had previously worked for the Utah citiea of Sandy and Draper. with the old algna are those development, the height and size of the signs. The only problem that never got permits. for It. the a Zephyr: So If someone haa a skin up but they didn't get permit ordinance will apply? David: Right. to get a sign Zephyr: But then moat people In town Ignored the requirement I permit So that would mean moat of the signs will to Hegel. David: AH the big signs are legal, or about 95 percent are, because when they got a building permit they also got the sign permit Ifa the more recent md temporary signs. with sign Zephyr: In talking to cities that had good and tod experiences are out that ordinances, one of the points that came acrosa was that grandfathering signs of compliance la a mistake. Yet the latest version of the Moab ordinance does Just that Why did the dtv Ignore that advice? David: There's a fairness Issue, Ifa not fair to new businesses to compete with existing big signs. But the other aide of It la that businesses change ownership, and to conform within 6 according to our ordinance, when that happens all the signs have other One 12 Is thing about the sign years. months. Also the average life of a sign ordinance. Thats about 1 percent of my work, but thaf a what people think I do with my time. That's how fm getting labeled In the community, as doing Juat the sign ordinance, and that's all I care about, and the taxpayers are wasting their money on Juat that. If you look at what the planning department does, Ifa pretty balanced with a lot of other things. Block grants, other things. There's more to It than going out there acting like a Nazi, trying to Zephyr: Over the peat year people In Moab have bem virtually assaulted by the word. "01800100." In terms of the city, whet exactly doee that mean? David: Ifa It's Just looking ahead and planning for the future. Ifs like budgeting, foresight, you get better programs If you plan rather than do It In a haphazard way. Ifa opposed to the handyman approach, where you fix things as they come. Zephyr: What are some of the areas your department la Involved In? David: There are flood control Issues. All ordinances go through the department first, we draft them. And resolutions, administrative permits, development review procedures, a number of things. Zephyr: What la the develop mmt review procedure? David: The county needs this as much as the city. I'll give an example. The new drugstore. He gets a building permit, but the work doesn't follow the requirements of the public works department on storm drainage, sidewalks, and curb cuts. So he's doing hia project with a permit, but after the work Is done we go back to him and say, "you need to attack signs. fix this and this and this." There was mother case In the county where the work was done, Zephyr: Haa the reaction from residents bem negative? then the fire chief says "you need to put In a Are hydrant" The work was done In good faith, David: Not from residents, but from businesses. And people signed against It Juat people think they're doing It right, then down the line they get stopped. The review because they didn't want mother rule, even though they might benefit from It to la to that problem. prevent try procedure Zephyr: So haa the reputation of dtv planning bem hurt by the algn ordinance In la when Idea tell to So the la what come required. people exactly they Zephyr: debate? David: Right What we're doing now Is getting a pamphlet for each zone David: A little. It was the sign committee that was abused more than the planning residential and commercial, parking requirements, and so on, so people cm go through commission. If people knew and understood all the issues around the sign ordinance, when the system without the mystery. Ifa requiring them to do more, but In the md people know Ifs explained, they agree with H. Thafs why you see the dty council, the planning what' a expected of them. commission agreeing. Ifs the people who don't know anything about It that oppose It If Zephyr: The city la preparing a comprehensive plan, which haa gone through the they knew the Issues, they'd probably ok h. la In master a commission the council. What and la of hmda the planning city plan? There was discussion at a recent public hearing on the dtv Zephyr: David: Ifs the general guidelines, and from that you get specific. It Involves the comprehensive dan, primarily around the question of open apace, whether or not the dty world md how h affects the city. Drainage, sewer, water, roads, sidewalks, economic should zone private areas for no development What was the reason for that? It life with and balance concerns. to out of you try development, quality David: Some of It was for safety, such as around MUI Creek where the potential for la and a So master plan passed. They've been passed before, nobody paid Zephyr: damage Is great If you allow development along the creek, flood control Is out So It would any attention to them. : to better to move It back. Some of It was esthetics. As far as the hillsides go, there Is rock David: That's not accurate. We're going toward a sign ordinance. That was In the fall hazard, sewer md storm drainage problems, a few others. 1968 master plan. The visitors center, although 10 years later, was In that plm. The MID Zeohvr: Where does the open mace Idea stand now In the latest revisions? Creek Rood Control and Parkway, that's still years down the road, but it was In that master David: The word open space la basically taken out We'll work with ordinances plan. Those ideas hang around when they're In a master plan. Youre right, sometimes along the hllldde and Min Creek. We have a flood channel. There's basically no we've adopted laws and they get Ignored. But now at least 95 percent of the ordinances are development there. being adhered to. And with a building inspector of our own, we won't have the clashes with Zephyr: What are some of the other things In the plan that will to controversial? the county over enforcing them. David: Ifs an environmentally sensitive document, Ifa almost the opposite of the It One of of criticisms been the the haa that doean't enforce, blggeat city Zephyr: county's. Thafs the only controversy I can see. The rest of It la straightforward master or It only selectively enforces. Its laws. Is that changing? development because It does have pfenning. A number of people think If a not David: Yes, drastically. Youre right, there Is selective enforcement. I mean, If you that environmental flavor. do things on a complaint basis, that's selective, md that's what happens In most cities. We Zephyr: Will that to taken out? don't want to knock people In the head with enforcement, but we want to give people plenty David: The environmental flavor? No, you cm't just go Into It and take It out, It's of warning, like the sidewalk laws signs, racks, etc. where we've said It will to enforced In part of the whole document. February. If we do decide to enforce something, we now try to get everyone, not Just one Zephyr: There was an article printed recently In High Country News that was highly person. critical of Moab and Grand County for what It called a total feck of pfenning. What did you Zephyr: Your office was Involved In coming up with the sign ordinance. Where think of that article? doee that stand now? David: They confused the county with the city. They put us together, where the dty David: It goes to public hearing In January. Everything biting In the ordinance has has put out a heck of a lot of resources In pfenning. They hired me, they hired landscape basically bem taken out, as for as old signs. The ordinance mainly deals with new architect Kathlyn Collins, a building Inspector, and a lot of work has been done. We're ry, . pro-econom- ic BOOK CLIFFS HOMESTEADS Join AMTRAK Put Thompson on a roll We have lots We can even for unique cabins. put you in a caboose. Save money for information , write or drop by: The Silver Grill Restaurant Thompson, UT 84540 . |