by David Boyle
News Director
Members of the San Juan County Commission discussed fire district annexation of Spanish Valley, discussed fire issues elsewhere in the county and approved an award to upgrade heating at the county building at their latest meeting

by David Boyle
News Director
Members of the San Juan County Commission approved the next steps for a 72-acre resort in Spanish Valley, approved Storm Water Drain Master Plan for Spanish Valley, and approved a resolution supporting a Congressional effort to withdraw a proposed BLM rule at their latest meeting.

Members of the San Juan County Commission approved a letter of support for a trail system in Spanish Valley, approved county ownership of a billboard in Hanksville, and tabled comment on a proposed change in process by the Bureau of Indian Affairs at their latest meeting.
At their February 21 meeting members of the commission heard a report from Spanish Valley liaison Jerry McNeely.

Three percent of San Juan Counties' available housing units are being used as short-term rentals, with about a third of those short-term rentals located in northern San Juan County.

Concern about development in Spanish Valley dominated the June 16 meeting of the San Juan County Commission.
Commissioners tabled a recommendation by the county planning commission to approve a “preliminary community structure plan” for more than 5,000 acres of ground held by the School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA).

A petition to seek the repeal of new planning and zoning regulations in Spanish Valley has been filed with the San Juan County Clerk.
More than 30 packets bearing the signatures of San Juan County voters were presented to Clerk John David Nielson on January 23.
If Nielson can verify 1,168 of the signers as registered voters, the issue will be placed on the November 2020 general election ballot.

A group of San Juan County residents from Spanish Valley are initiating a petition process that could put a controversial action by the San Juan County Commission on the ballot.
A petition carrying seven signatures was presented to San Juan County Clerk John David Nielson in November.
On December 3, Commissioners determined that the petition was referable. The next step is gathering signatures from county residents. 

The San Juan County Commission held a relatively quick and quiet meeting on December 3 in Monticello.
There was no public comment at the meeting for the first time in several months.
Commissioners determined that a citizen petition for a referendum on Spanish Valley zoning ordinances is referable.  

Master planning in Spanish Valley was the major focus of a marathon meeting of the San Juan County Commission on November 19.  
In the end and by a 2-1 vote, Commissioners rejected the recommendations of the San Juan County Planning Commission and adopted a preliminary plan that had been submitted to the Planning Commission by Landmark Design.

Nearly three dozen people attended a presentation by a representative of Love’s Travel Stops in the Grand County Water and Sewer conference room on May 9.
The group was composed of mostly residents of Spanish Valley whose homes would be in close proximity to the proposed truck stop.
Several members of the San Juan County Planning and Zoning Committee and Economic Development Department were also in attendance.

A six-month moratorium on commercial development in Spanish Valley may be put in place by the San Juan County Commission.
Commissioner Kenneth Maryboy was set to introduce a resolution to consider the action at the April 16 Commission meeting (after the press deadline). The item could be an action item on the May 7 agenda.

The chair of the San Juan Planning Commission promised during a meeting Wednesday, April 3 to pass a dark skies ordinance for Spanish Valley after many residents contacted commissioners and planning staff following the commission’s previous vote to not recommend such an ordinance.

A multi-year planning process to develop ordinances in Spanish Valley has been put on hold – at least for the short term – after a series of public hearings at the San Juan County Commission meeting on March 19.
Several residents of Pack Creek, a small enclave of approximately 40 properties adjacent to Spanish Valley, attended the meeting and complained that they had not been included in the planning effort.

A massive infrastructure development project, totaling more than $11 million, is setting the stage for continued growth and development of Spanish Valley. The project is bringing water and sewer services to the area.

Within ten years, Spanish Valley may become the largest community in San Juan County, according to a Spanish Valley Area Plan that was recently approved by the San Juan County Commission.
The plan is set to guide future development in the San Juan County portion of Spanish Valley. The area is just south of the Grand County line, adjacent to the booming Moab area.