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Show Revisions Okayed County Zoning 4 Repeat Oaths County Commission APRIL ADAMS Review Start FARMINGTON Glen Saunders was reappointed Monday by Davis County commissioners to serve his third term as the Davis County commission chairman. At ceremonies during commission meeting. County Commissioners Harold Tippetts and Harry Gerlach, along with County Attorney Loren Martin and County Clerk Michael Allphin, repeated oaths of office and were officially sworn in for their respective terms. FARMINGTON There should be no significant Tippetts was elected in November to serve a four-yeterm, and Gerlach a term. Both Martin and Allphin will also serve for the next two ar two-ye- effects with the counarea zoning unincorporated tys revisions, according to a county planning official. The zoning ordinance revision was adopted by county commissioners last week after they deliberated on the issue for about two long-rang- ar years. Saunders was by other commissioners to serve his third term as county commission chairman. He remarked that by and large, we have an extremely efficient county goverment and work force, and said he was honored to serve again as chairman. e weeks. We really dont expect any nificant changes with the new sigor- dinances," said Davis County Planning Department Director Richard Mayfield. Basically the antiquated areas of the ordinances were updated to make them easier to handle, Mayfield explained. Three copies of the new ordinance revisions are available for review at the county clerk's office in the county courthouse. Changes were made in residential, agricultural and manufactur- ing zones. Though an accessory apartment clause was not adopted this time round, planning department personnel will look into the matter. Residents from the Val Verda area have complained to county commissioners about situations where some residents rent out their basements. One of the major changes in the revision is the addition of an appeals procedure to the county s conditional use permit section. This should help solve controversy over the granting of permits, said Barry Burton of the planning department. Residential zones in the unincorporated areas were reduced from five zones to three zones, he said. The various zones will delegate allowed lot size, while making the zones easier to handle. Where three zones were specified for manufacturing areas before, this was cut down to only one zone for the three current Vol. 5 No. 3 uses. But areas zoned for manufacturing are being rapidly annexed into neighboring cities. This is occuring mainly around West Bountiful and Woods Cross, he said. New agricultural zoning changes should discourage development in those areas and take commeri-ca- l or industrial enterprises into the cities. Burton said. Most of the county's agricultural zones are on the west side. A new AE zone was created, e lots and the permitting keeping of farm animals. The new A1 zone requires an acre lot half-acr- for building purposes. Wednesday, January 16, 1985 Judges Rule Roy Fire Chief Asks City for New Trucks Against Roadblocks SHELLEY KANC1TIS APRIL ADAMS Review Correspondent Review At a recent practice house ROY fire, Roy City Fire Chief Edward Blacke said, he confirmed what he already sus- Staff FARMINGTON Roadblocks in Davis County may face an uncertain future, now that 3rd Circuit Court judges in Weber County have called roadblocks to snare drunken drivers unconstitution- pected. The citys Engine 311 is no longer reliable. Engine 312, which is 20 years old, is not powered as rapidly as required to be fully effective. Blacke delivered the bad news to the Roy City Council in the form of a request to purchase two new fire engines costing almost $393,000. This will offer the best protection at the best cost not just for today, but for the future," said al. During the past year, the countys sheriff department has held two roadblocks, one in the north and one in the south. A meeting Friday between the 3rd Circuit Court judges resulted in the declaration that roadblocks, for DUI purposes, are unconstitutional. Lt. Bert Holbrook of the Davis County Sheriffs Department said he would reserve opinion on what effect the decision would have on local roadblocks. Though there were several arrests made for driving under the influence of alcohol, narcotics and traffic citations were issued also. However, 3rd Circuit Court Chief Judge W. Brent West said as long as roadblocks are not organized .specificially for DUI arrests, they can still be held. When we set up roadblocks, we are not only looking for DUI offenders, but other violations also, said Gayle Smith of the sheriffs department. The courts have become bogged down with people who received citations for DUI, claiming their constitutional rights on privacy were violated, the judge noted. The meeting was held due to the pressure on the courts. The roadblock issue would be discussed at a staff meeting held Thursday, Holbrook said. When we operated these roadblocks, we look for other things too, like wanted persons, he said. He said he wasnt aware of any rulings in local circuit courts or 2nd District Court on the constitutionality of DUI roadblocks. Blacke. The council will have to decide quickly because the reduced-pric- e engines may soon be sold out. Offered by America never-use- d fire LaFrance, the engines were originally manufactured for export. The sale fell through and the company is now in a hurry to sell the vehicles, according to Blacke. Roy City Manager Richard Kirkwood said a decision on whether to purchase the vehicles will probably be made at the Jan. 22 council meeting. The council voted to accept American LaFrances offer to fly Roy City Manger Richard Kirkwood and the fire departments chief maintenance officer to New York to inspect the fire engines and discuss financing. Kirkwood said the SPIRIT of Clearfield High School is demonstrated by painted face and expression of Eric Paul Hardison during basketball game Clearfield played against Roy High. citys five year capital spending plan makes the purchase possible. Overall, Blackes request would save the city $58,000 compared to previous fire apparatus purchase requests for the five year period. Short range problems would be created by unscheduled expenditures of $39,000 in fiscal year 1985 and $139,000 in fiscal year 1986. Blacke told the council that equivalent new American LaFrance fire engines would cost $490,000. Rebuilding Roys trucks would cost $227,000 and give a life expectancy of 10 to 12 years. The vehicles Roy is considering buying have a projected life of 20 years with an additional 15 years if refurbished. Although Blacke said Roy is not in imminent danger" of having its Insurance Services Office (ISO) rating downgraded, Blacke believes purchase of the vehicles is good management both from a fiscal and fire protection stand point. dRoys last ISO evaluation was done in 1978. Since then Roy has increased in area and commcrical value. Mijor examples include construction of Iomega, Roy Marketplace Plaza, a large addition to Roy High School and a new elementary school. If we were evaluated now, we could be faced with a negative change in our fire rating, said Blacke. Roy is currently rated Class 5.' A downgrading would cause increases in property insurance rates for commercial and city buildings. ISO is due to Roy in 1988. With purchase of the new engines. Blackes goal would be to upgrade the citys rating to Class 3. It would mean a upgrade the citys rating to Class 3. It would mean a significant decrease in commercial property insurance rates and a minimal decrease in homeowners insurance rates according to Blacke. If we provide a positive atmosphere for business, it is better for all. With a larger tax base, city services are more sound and taxes are held down, said Blacke. His major concern is with Roys gallon per minute pumping ability. To provide proper offensive commercial response, Roy needs a 3,500-gpcapability. With two inadequate fire engines, Roy has on-- . ly a 1,250-gpresponse. Mutual aid agreements with nearby fire departments supplement Roys capabilities, but Blacke feels Roy needs to reduce its dependency. Its a matter of benefit versus risk. A m m preponderance of our neighboring departments are all volunteer. When they come to our aid, it leaves them naked. Apartment Owners, County Clash Over Vacancy Rate APRIL ADAMS spent to upgrade Review Start ty. Since apartment FARMINGTON owners and county officials disagree over the vacancy rate in Davis County, a feasibility study on vacancies may be undertaken by the countys housing authority. A public hearing on federal community block grant monies ended with local apartment owners declaring vacancy rates were not helped by funds being The county will receive approximately $950,000 of the federal block grant monies. Of this amount, $100,000 is slated for housing authority use. Rental property owners from south Davis County said taxpayers money should not be spent to upgrade the old properties. I strongly resent taxpayers dollars going toward substandard property, when substandard proper- most of us here have sunk our own savings into our property," said Terri Stark, of Bountiful. She also disagreed with housing authority statistics from a study done a year ago saying the county has an extremely low. vacancy factor. A number of angry apartment owners said the study was outdated, and demanded another study be completed. A year ago, I never had a vacancy problem. But ever since October, I have had a real problem with vacancy, Stark told listeners. Ms. t Many prospective renters are going to nearby Salt Lake City, where an overflow of construction is taking place, she said. Rosemary Davis, director of the Davis County Housing Authority, said the federal block grant money under discussion would not go toward upgrading old rental property for renters. low-inco- Instead, the grants will be used for d rehabilitation, she said. We will fix deficiences in houses the owners live in. she explained. Most of these people cannot qualify for loans from banks, she said. This money does not go toward new owner-occupie- construction or rental rehabilitation, she emphasized. Other federal and state funds, however, do go toward upgrading rental property in the county. Ms. Davis said she would like to see a feasibility study done. A professional study costs over $2,000, she added. Rapid Apartment Growth Causes Dilemma in Layton LYNDIA GRAHAM Review Correspondent The issue of LAYTON apartments in Layton has raised its head again, this time causing members of the City Council and planning comission to consider a moratorium on rezoning property units. for At a joint meeting last week the commission and council members were told by City Planner Scott Carter, that 1,112 multiunits were constructed in Layton time span, during the 1983-8- 4 making Layton apartment construction one of the highest in the state. Some 1,393 units had site plan approval for future construction and 1,652 units were denied approval during 1984. During the same time, 801 single family dwellings were con multi-dwelli- structed and 873 single family lots were recorded, presumably for future construction. Carter said a breakdown of housing in Layton showed 12 percent of Layton families live in multiple dwelling units, 14 percent in mobile homes and 74 percent in single family dwellings. If even half the approved apart- ment developments were structed, the percentage con- of apartment dwellings could rise to nearly 20 percent of all housing in the city. Just what constitutes a good ratio of apartments to single family dwellings has been the subject of concern in Layton for some time. The planning commission and City Council have received many requests for projects during the past year and council members have said repeatedly they want quality projects in the city. Without placing a moratorium on all apartment construction, the citys only form of control is through zoning. Carter said he could only give an off the wall estimate, but guessed that the city still has nearly 300 acres of property already zoned to allow for multiunit construction. Many of the projects coming before the City Council for approval would require zoning changes to allow for apartment construction. Developers of such compcxes are also watching the citys apartment only growth. Ellis Ivory, of Ivory and Company, said at the joint meeting one reason so many developers Continued on Page 2A APARTMENT complex in Layton is one of many in the city which are causing city offi- - cials to study the ramifications of continued increase in the number of such units. |