Two Porter boards meet in special session Wednesday to conduct public hearings on use-variance and rezoning requests tied to the proposed sale of Splash Down Dunes waterpark.

The rezonings, initiated by the Town Council, also would affect parcels for other businesses at or near the Waverly Road and U.S. 20 intersection where the waterpark is located. Included among them are Pinkerton Oil, Westchester Animal Clinic, Hultman Flooring and Pat's Liquors.

New zoning needs to be assigned after it was learned none really exists in some areas there because of a paperwork oversight years ago.

Town Council president Greg Stinson said he has spoken with owners of the property so they understand what's happening.

The Board of Zoning of Appeals will conduct its Wednesday hearings beginning at 6:30 p.m. on Utah-based Seven Peaks Marketing's request to locate a waterpark in a Business-3 zone, and to allow its parking lot in a Residential-1 zone.

At 7:30 p.m. or immediately following the BZA, the town's Plan Commission will conduct public hearings on rezoning both the 17-acre Splash Down Dunes site and 15-acre parking lot to enable those specific uses, and on using the latter parcel itself for parking.

Final action on the rezonings will be up to the Town Council based on advice from the Plan Commission. May 24 town department heads, sitting as a Technical Advisory Committee, recommended the specific zoning categories to be assigned.

The proposed rezonings generally reflect what was thought to be the previous B-3 and R-1 zonings with one difference: the new classifications would drop the need to ask for planned unit development approval in favor of expedited site-plan review that looks at the same issues as a PUD.

Nothing in the new rezoning proposals would affect the Summertree multi-family/office use development south of the Splash Down Dunes parking lot.

Local Seven Peaks attorney Greg Babcock told the BZA last month that he will lay out more detailed plans Wednesday how the waterpark, closed since 2009 and overgrown with weeds, will be repaired and upgraded.

Posted 6/5/2012