17.56.010 Purpose and intent.
1. The purpose of the Sensitive Areas (SA) district is to designate and describe those areas within the city that possess physical or environmental characteristics that require special public consideration of uses that might affect the structure of the land (sensitive areas); the management of surface or subsurface water; safety of future land occupants due to increased fire, earthquake, or storm hazards from the proposed development; or the uneconomic extension of public facilities and services. Of specific concern is development in flood-prone areas, earthquake zones, landslide areas, areas of steep slope or unstable soils, and other sensitive areas requiring careful assessment prior to alteration.
2. It is the intent of these regulations to permit a reasonable latitude in the use of property, while at the same time requiring design solutions which will avoid detrimental impacts on sensitive natural areas, as well as provide protection from adverse natural forces and hazards.
3. With the enactment of this chapter, it is the intent of the city council:
a. To place upon landowners and the engineers, architects, geologists, biologists, hydrologists, developers and other professionals hired by the landowners the responsibilities, liabilities and expenses of evaluating and mitigating the reasonably foreseeable environmental and health impacts of a proposed development, assessing the condition of potentially unstable land and the impact of land conditions on the proposed development and adjacent properties, and determining restrictions that should be placed on the development to prevent and mitigate adverse impacts on the health and safety of the community, its residents, and the environmental stability of sensitive areas;
b. To restrict the development of land to those uses that do not present unreasonable risks to persons or property because of geologic hazards; and
c. To prevent fraud in land sales relating to the geologic condition of real property.
4. With the enactment of this chapter, it is the intent of the City Council to authorize a governmental function of regulation within the meaning of Section 63-30-3 and 63-30-10 (1), (3) and (4) of the Utah Code. (Ord. 111 §1, amended, 1985; Prior code §12-116-1; Ord. 99-13, amended, 2000)