Blanding city approves two of three rezones and plans to update Mobile home zoning

by David Boyle
News Director
Members of the Blanding City Council denied one zone request for a Mobile Home zoning, approved two other rezones, and began discussions about revisiting the requirements in Mobile Home zoning at their latest meeting.
Members of the Blanding City Council voted against the approval of a requested zone change of a property on the southeast side of town from R2 residential to Mobile Home zoning at the September 23 meeting.
Following an hour of public comments and discussion, the council not only voted against the zone change but also directed staff to prepare to implement a moratorium on mobile home zoning through February to allow the city to update its code related to mobile home zones.
At the September 23 meeting, members of the council considered the proposed zone change of 2.7 acres at 500 South and 300 East from R2 Residential to Mobile Home zoning. Speaking to the request was Jim Hunt of JL Hunt Properties.
Hunt noted that the housing shortage in Blanding is particularly hard for low-income families.
“I bet I get seven calls a month from families Blanding citizens looking for housing. About 2 months ago, I received a call from a lady that was in tears, almost begging for a home because her rent had gone up $1,300 a month and she couldn't afford it.”
Hunt noted his plans are to develop along 500 South, also noting that neighboring properties include apartments, storage units and vacant lands.
Adding the plan would be a professionally developed park with larger, newer modular homes.
“They will be evenly spaced with driveways, yards, fencing, etc. This will be the nicest park in town. Driving around town today, I would even say nicer than some homes in R2 and R1. You can't regulate how nice people keep their homes, it's just something you can't regulate.”
Hunt also noted he was disappointed in comments made in previous meetings about the development, which he said were inaccurate.
“I was kind of surprised by the approach of the people that are opposing this because they didn't bring up any legal logistic or procedural objections. They basically just threw out a bunch of lies and inaccurate information and also said we don't like this housing type, which is just not a very good reason to object.”
Hunt added that the project can address a great housing need in a reasonable amount of time.
“I'm not going to make much money on this. I'm not doing this for it's not a great business move, honestly. The location I feel like is ideal. It's immediately bordered mostly by mobile homes, storage units, mobile homes, and a couple of other homes and vacant land.”
Hunt also asked the council to “look past the loud plots of misinformation that’s been given.”
During public comment, Trina Hosler added that there is a need for housing of this type, as she said, currently, mobile homes in town are completely full. Hosler also noted that the higher cost to build modular homes or other types of housing is passed on to the renters, with mobile homes being among the cheapest housing available for those in need.
Three other residents spoke in favor of the rezone and the need for additional mobile homes in the city.
Speaking against the rezone was Rick Meyer, arguing that the same arguments were given for other mobile home parks in the area, noting that the need for affordable housing is high across the county.
Meyer raised the question about access to the property.
“Are we going to allow the developer to cross the city property to access other streets in Blanding is one of my questions because when you look at 500 South it's quite a steep drop off to this property and also there is an old canal runs through it so there's an easement for this ditch on this property that runs on the north side of it so I'm I'm just worried about access on this property and I bring that up as a concern with the council.”
Pam Hosler spoke in opposition to the rezone, noting she echoed concerns raised over the past three city council meetings. Requesting higher standards in the R2 zone be applied for building the mobile homes.
“The landscaping, sidewalks, designated parking, open space, it's evident. We as a city are asking you to help developers be better, build better, and do better. Mobile homes are allowed in the R2 zone. It is not an astronomical price to do so. I gave you exact quotes on cement pad that was put in on a project that I recently did myself. As citizens, we're not asking for no housing, but we are asking for better than substandard. We are asking for the future of the Blanding to be better.”
Four other residents also raised concerns about how the rezone would impact the value of their neighboring homes, and other concerns.
Members of the Blanding City Council did not approve the rezone request from R2 to Mobile Home zoning.
Ahead of the vote, members of the city council weighed in on and asked questions related to the rezone.
Council member Cheryl Bowers read a prepared statement noting that in her nine years on the council, this was the first time she lost sleep over a decision.
Bowers added she has worked to support businesses in the city throughout her time on the council.
“Jim has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not millions, in our city, as well as providing homes to people who would likely not be able to afford them otherwise. Thank you. I want you to know I appreciate it. Jim has met the requirements set for city code for his trailer parks. If you want to blame anyone for the state of the current trailer parks, you blame me. Blame past city councils who have not taken steps to improve the appearance of our trailer parks through code. I take responsibility for this, and I'll work to help fix it before I leave.”
Bowers added that she has no financial stake in the project, and while she doesn’t have to legally declare a conflict of interest, she did state that Hunt is her ex-brother-in-law and that her sister and sister-in-law have handled maintenance at the park, with another sister also helping during the rezoning process.
“I've looked around this room many times during this process, though, and I think there's other council members who could state the same thing about family being in the room. That said, I do plan to vote today because my focus for 9 years has been on the city of Blanding.”
In discussion, other members of the council agreed that a moratorium was important for the city to revisit its code. The moratorium will freeze development in the mobile home zone for a few months to allow the city to review and revisit the code.
Council member Charlie Taylor voiced his support for a moratorium.
“I do believe we need to get on top of this. I won't let Cheryl take the blame for what our trailer parks look like and our mobile homes look like, it's all of us. It's something we've all talked about for years, and we haven't moved forward on not just the city council, but citizens bringing something for us to discuss and forcing us to kind of come to that issue.”
Council member Chris Ewald noted that during his time on the council, he’s never seen so much involvement on a topic.
‘I would love to see more housing, more affordable housing. I think we owe it to everybody to make sure that it's the best that it can be.”
Ewald also clarified with City Manager Pratt Redd that on record, over 70-percent of the adjacent residents are opposed to the rezone.
The rezone request is a separate question from the moratorium, Redd added the city has already been reviewing code in other zones.
“This is where we're trying to get things right. We just did R2, we're in the process of modifying R1, commercial, and then mobile home.”
The motion to rezone the Hunt property from R2 to Mobile Home did not pass, with Bowers voting in favor of the rezone and Erik Grover, Kellen Nielson, Taylor and Ewald voting against.
Members of the Blanding city council also held a discussion regarding a moratorium, although the item could not be voted on the council generally agreed a moratorium on the Mobile Home zoning was best.
Redd recommended a "strategic pause"—not a ban—to allow the Planning and Zoning committee to update the extremely brief mobile home code.
Staff suggested seven areas needing clarification, including safety standards, required site plans for internal circulation, parking, and drainage, and clear definitions distinguishing mobile, manufactured, and modular homes.
Redd noted that the lack of definitions and standards is also an issue for developers. The proposed update is designed to provide developers with "a modern, consistent set of rules" and give residents confidence that future projects will meet community expectations.
The moratorium, which would require a public hearing and an ordinance vote, is tentatively scheduled for completion by early February 2026.
Members of the Blanding City Council did pass two other rezone requests at the meeting.
A request by Chad Moses to rezone five acres near 100 West 800 North from R1 to R2 passed with a four-to-one vote, with Grover voting against.
Moses proposed a zone change to build multi-unit housing allowed in the less restrictive R2 zone.
Neighbors raised concerns about the rezone and the potential project's impact on neighborhood character.
As a result, Moses included a deed covenant that restricts use on the property. The covenant bans permanent or semi-permanent trailers, RVs, and up-down apartment styles, limiting development to condo-style units with ground-floor entries.
The council approved rezone requires that the deed restrictions remain in place, or the zone would revert to R1.
Members of the Blanding city council also approved a rezone request by San Juan County, moving a property from R1 to R2 to house the new Children’s Justice Center. The rezone also passed with a four-to-one vote with Grover voting against.
San Juan County Facilities Director Sam Long explained the new building will provide a safe, inviting residential-style setting for children victims of abuse to record testimony. The county-owned property is located near 800 North and 400 West, with the R2 zone change required as the facility functions as a professional office.
Members of the city council also approved an alternative judge from Kane County to fulfill duties if Judge Kelly Laws were to be unavailable. The resolution puts a contingency in place for the city should it be needed.
Members of the city council also approved participation in the Fremont Solar Projects, a new solar and battery storage project in Iron County. The city committed to 600 kilowatts of power at a fixed rate, with energy expected at the end of 2027.
Council also discussed the proposed administrative leave bonus time policy, which allows department heads to award employees up to 16 hours of paid leave per year for going "above and beyond" their duties.