A battle is brewing in Utah over a Senate bill that banned voters from overturning land use decisions, and the power plant that is the first significant land use to be impacted by the law.
"At the heart of this case is Sen. Brent Goodfellow's SB53, which sailed through the Legislature with broad support and took effect May 5.
The new law prohibits the use of local initiatives to enact or change land-use ordinances. It also prohibits initiative efforts related to a city or county's implementation of land-use laws.
In April, the Attorney General's Office said that courts would likely strike down SB53 because it restricts a fundamental right guaranteed by the Utah Constitution.
On May 2, a group dubbed the Right To Vote committee submitted more than enough signatures to Sevier County, but Sevier Power's attorneys argued that SB53 nullifies that effort because county officials failed to validate the signatures until June 20.
Owens argued that SB53 is overly broad and unconstitutional."
FULL STORY: Power plant up to voters
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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research