City eyes unified development code

A resolution approved by the Green River City Council last week marks the start of an internal project aimed at streamlining the city’s development rules and codes.

According to Laura Leigh, director of community development, the department will start work on a Unified Development Code. Leigh said she’s creating a steering committee tasked with helping develop the code. So far, Mayor Pete Rust and Councilman Jim Zimmerman have been tapped to join the committee. Zimmerman currently works as a code enforcement officer for the Sweetwater County Land Use department while Rust, formerly a member of the city’s planning and zoning board, also worked the director of land use for Sweetwater County.

Leigh said the city’s current development codes are divided into multiple areas throughout the city’s various ordinances.

The main objective would be to collect the various rules into a single development booklet. However, another goal involves condensing and reworking the codes into something that would be both easy to understand and legally defensible. Leigh said she hopes to have a first draft written by the end of the year.

Leigh said consultants are often used when drafting a unified development code, however the city will do the work internally. She said the main reasons for not seeking outside help is because consulting firms don’t understand the community the way locals do.

She also wants to avoid the creation of a development code book that is completely based on work done for other cities without consideration of what makes Green River unique.

“The last thing we need is another cookie-cutter ordinance,” Leigh said.

While the development code will be on the community development department’s radar for the next year, Leigh said work will be postponed if the city experiences a boom in development or permitting requests. Incidents like the heavy hail storm hitting Green River in 2016 would take precedence for the department because the need for building permits and other work would be more important.

“You just don’t know what will come up,” Leigh said.