Plans for Taco Bell reviewed

¡Yo quiero Taco Bell!

Green River residents may get the chance to quote the Taco Bell Chihuahua soon as plans for the restaurant have been submitted to the city’s community development office.

The restaurant would be placed between O’Reilly Auto Parts and Sweetwater Coach, facing the two buildings.

Laura Leigh, director of community development for the city, said a site plan review was completed for the proposed Taco Bell location, but construction drawings or a permit application have yet to be submitted.

If the location is built, it would become the seventh fast food restaurant in Green River, joining Arctic Circle, Dominos Pizza McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, Subway and Taco Time.

Building permits driven by roofing work

The city’s community development department is noticing another uptick in the number of construction permits submitted to the office. A majority of the submissions involve roofing repairs, which drove permits last summer after a major hail storm hit the county. Last week, one contractor submitted 37 permits at once and the permits for March and April 2017 have more than tripled the amount submitted during the same period last year. Leigh said the 2016 permit submissions during the period totaled 44, while the 2017 submissions amounted to 166.

The demand for roof work in Green River resulted in the department relying on an employee from the city’s parks and recreation department to complete roofing inspections.

“We were swamped last year,” Leigh said.

Last week, the city council approved a $12,000 increase in the community development department’s budget to help fund inspections. Leigh said the increase will be made up by permitting fees, which go directly to the city’s general fund.

Leigh said the department plans to change permitting costs for roofing projects this year, saying the current $50 flat rate doesn’t take into account the value of the property being worked on. Leigh said the city initially valued the permits based on the value of the construction project and will return to that method at the start of the new budget year July 1.

While roof work drive building permits in Green River, Leigh said new construction is occurring as well. Along with new commercial and residential construction, Leigh said an income-based apartment complex will start construction also.

The building will be located west of the Upland Way and Pinnacle Drive intersection.