Nibley residents protest city's proposed business design code

• Related story: 'Neighborhood commercial' zoning raises concern

By Diana Maxfield

November 18, 2005 | NIBLEY -- Residents and developers clashed over proposed design standards for the city, with the main disagreement over issues of expense versus aesthetics.

These clashes occurred at a public workshop held Wednesday to further discuss design standards for commercial and institutional zones in Nibley. The workshop was held after residents showed great interest in the design standards at a public hearing at the Oct. 20 City Council meeting.

Council members said they called for a public workshop because they wanted further public input on this sensitive issue. The main issue citizens were concerned with, easements around waterways, has been resolved, but city hall was still filled with citizens seeking to have their voices heard on other issues regarding design standards.

Developers and architects with interest in Nibley expressed concern that the standards are too narrow, which will preclude any sort of commercial development coming to Nibley. The proposed ordinance, now under review, would require businesses to use a minimum of 80 percent brick for exterior building materials. The standards would further require windows to cover 50 percent of the first story of a building's front.

Such strict design standards would cause businesses that may be interested in building in Nibley to have to change their normal architectural plan, said Don Knighton, an architect and resident of Nibley. Businesses are not going to do that just to build in Nibley, he said. The city doesn't have a large enough draw to make it worthwhile for businesses to go to extra expense to build there.

"Nibley is no Park City," Knighton said. "We would be lucky to get them at all."

Larry Jacobsen, chairman of the Planning and Zoning Commission, said he feels commercial will come to Nibley sooner or later, and someday, businesses will be willing to meet design standards in order to come. "I am willing to wait for the right builder," he said.

Todd Pignataro, resident of Nibley, said 80 percent brick is an extremely restrictive standard. "It really limits what you can do design-wise," he said.

He said requiring 80 percent brick leaves no room for a change in taste. Some sort of theme is important, to avoid a "hodge-podge mess," he said, but the standards don't have to be so strict as to prescribe a building material.

Mark Gaines, who is building a warehouse-type business in Nibley, said requiring brick as a building material would put a large amount of financial strain on builders, and likely turn them away.

Councilwoman Dori Petersen countered, "We can't sacrifice aesthetics to your economic advantage."

Another concern about brick, completely unrelated to cost or looks, said Councilman Jim Waite, is the fact that Nibley lies in an earthquake zone. "The first thing that comes down in an earthquake is brick," he said.

The purpose of brick as a building material, according to City Planner Conley Thompson, is to achieve a "heritage look." However, this portion of the design standards is likely to change as City Administrator Larry Anhder and Thompson take another look at rewriting the ordinance.

Another issue discussed at the workshop was landscaping. As the ordinance is written, lawn or turf is limited to a maximum of 50 percent of the area not covered by buildings or other hard surfaces. Jacobsen said this was put in the ordinance because lawns are water hungry. Gaines said this amount was unreasonably low, and requested that the ordinance allow up to 90 percent of this same area be covered by grass.

No action was taken regarding accepting or rejecting the design standards. The standards will be reviewed and possibly brought to another public hearing, but this hearing is not yet set.

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