Planning commission approves major accessory‑structure permit after neighbours raise grading and runoff concerns

The Snyderville Basin Planning Commission on Jan. 16 approved a conditional use permit for a major accessory structure on a 20‑acre parcel after public testimony raised concerns about prior unpermitted grading, wetlands and road impacts.

Planner Kirsten Whetstone explained the application sought approval of a 9,600‑square‑foot, two‑story accessory building with a 26‑foot maximum height on a rural residential parcel. Whetstone reminded commissioners that "these major accessory structures require the conditional use permit" under the county ordinance that the commission and staff applied to the request.

Neighbors described months of heavy earth‑moving before the current applicant took over the work. Collin Cowherd told the commission his 11‑acre adjacent property had become "a little marshier" and asked whether fill had altered drainage onto his land. Longtime resident Inky Travis recounted that multiple bulldozers and trucks had worked for months and that heavy mud had been tracked onto the private road; she said several neighbors had not received mailed notice of the work.

Applicant representative Stephan Brooks confirmed some grading and retaining walls had been installed by a prior contractor and said his team obtained a grading permit in November and a stormwater permit to remediate the site. "We did apply for and received a grading permit back in November... We also have a stormwater permit in place," Brooks said, and he told neighbors the project includes silt fences, construction entrances and an engineering remediation plan.

Commissioners focused on three technical issues: whether the building sits farther than the county's 40‑foot wetland and 100‑foot stream setbacks; whether the measured grade for building height should use the current (disturbed) existing grade or be interpolated to approximate pre‑disturbance elevations; and whether construction traffic had caused avoidable damage to the private access road.

In deliberations the commission added specific conditions requiring the applicant to obtain an approved grading permit and engineer sign‑off prior to further work, to repair any construction damage to the shared private road at the applicant's expense, to meet the county stream and wetland setbacks, and to mitigate any runoff to neighboring lots. Commissioner Huebler moved the conditions; the motion passed on a roll call vote, 7–0.

Kirsten Whetstone told the public the required exterior lighting would be reviewed under the building permit and must meet the county's dark‑sky rules. The planning and engineering departments will monitor compliance with the construction mitigation plan and may withhold further permitting until remediation is complete.

What happens next: the applicant must complete remediation work consistent with engineering and stormwater requirements; neighbors were advised to report any ongoing violations to the county building department, which enforces construction mitigation conditions.

(Reporting note: quotes and technical descriptions are based on on‑the‑record statements made during the Snyderville Basin Planning Commission meeting.)