DESCRIPTION: The planning commission minutes document the process by which the Bear River land management and development code was established. As outlined by Utah law (Utah Code, Unannotated, 1991, 10-9-4; 201; 204; 302-304; 402), the planning commission prepared and recommended a general plan for community development and land use. After the plan had been presented at a public hearing and before the town board, it became a guide for the planning commission to draft the code. The land management and development code was approved by the Bear River town board in March 1998. The Bear River planning commission minutes summarize the discussion at meetings as the commission completed this process.

As the commission discussed the plan, they determined that maintaining Bear River's rural setting should be their focus. To accomplish this they recommended policies such as maintaining the requirement for half acre lots while increasing frontage requirements. They recommended limiting business licenses and placing restrictions on rental agreements. The commission met with professional planning consultants to refine this plan which they presented to Bear River citizens in January 1997. In February the commission revised the master plan and began drafting the land management and development code. The town board accepted the code as a city ordinance in March 1998. Through the rest of 1998 and 1999 the planning commission discussed specific issues relating to refining or enforcing the code. These include getting rid of junk cars and other unsightly items, defining the number of animals per household, and determining the appropriateness of specific signs and fences.