Plat approved for house of worship; monument sign on Ovilla Road OK’d
Waxahachie Daily Light
Short nights have been the norm for the Waxahachie Planning and Zoning Commission in recent weeks, and Tuesday night was no exception as commissioners checked off on three routine agenda items in short order.
The commission approved a plat of a 1.017-acre lot for Garden Valley Ranch Church along Broadhead Road. Senior planner Chris Webb said a 50-foot right-of-way has been provided along Broadhead Road, and the site has access to all public facilities.
A specific-use permit for a 12-foot-tall monument sign at the St. Paul Episcopal Church at 624 Ovilla Road was agreed to. The proposed sign has a 4-foot-by-8-foot LED message board that is single-sided, and replaces a previously-proposed pole sign.
New development on east side of city to be built in phases
Waxahachie Daily Light
Two development projects took up most of the time of the Waxahachie Planning and Zoning Commission during Tuesday night’s meeting.
A massive 2,973-lot plat of Saddlebrook Estates covering almost two square miles on the east side of Waxahachie along U.S. Highway 287 was approved by the commission. The plat derives from a zoning change to a planned development that dates all the way back to 2005.
Senior planner Chris Webb said although the plat of the entire subdivision was being approved, the new neighborhood will be built in phases. Webb said any specifications for residential building materials in the PD have been voided by a state law passed in 2019 that prevents cities from mandating them.
1:48 Mask mandates in schools was one of the 22 topics approved for the special session of the Utah State Legislature on Wednesday.
“This bill is about returning our schools to normalcy. Its about giving some assurances to parents and to students alike, that when they come back this fall, that they ll return back to a normal situation, said Rep. Val Peterson, the Republican who introduced the bill that would prevent school districts and higher education entitles from implementing mask mandates.
The bill passed the House, 50-24 and will be considered by the Senate next.
The bill saw mixed response from lawmakers. Republican Rep. Melissa Ballard, whose father died from COVID-19, opposed the bill.
Published May 19, 2021 at 6:49 PM MDT Listen • 4:34 Wikimedia Commons Smith’s grocery stores will no longer require face masks. The chain is owned by Kroger and has dozens of locations throughout Utah. This story and more in Wednesday evening s news brief.
Wednesday evening, May 19, 2021
State
Utah Legislature Bans School Mask Mandates
The Utah Legislature passed a bill Wednesday preventing schools from being able to issue their own mask requirement for the upcoming school year. It comes the week after Gov. Spencer Cox announced the statewide mask mandate in schools will end during the final week of the academic year. Rep. Melissa Ballard, R-Davis opposed the bill because it went against party standards.