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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03.15.18 P&Z Minutes_exppdf 1 City Staff and Others Brad Wolfe – City Council Liaison Scott Johnson – Economic Development Val Christensen – Community Development Craig Rindlisbacher – City Planner Stephen Zollinger – City Attorney Planning & Zoning Administrative Assistant – Tawnya Grover Mayor Jerry Merrill Sally Smith – City Council Chairman Mikel Walker – City Council Tisha Flora – City Council Robert Chambers – Urban Renewal City Council/P&Z Joint Meeting Scott Johnson welcomed the City Council & Planning & Zoning Commissioners. The meeting is specifically to talk about the downtown. Robert Chambers is introduced. He served on the Pocatello City Council for six years and with Idaho State University on Urban Renewal. He has come to present to the Commissioners and is from the Rexburg Urban Renewal Board. Robert’s family loves Rexburg. The Downtown has to be of the heart of the City. Care and maintenance has to be an issue. They are a living creature. Rexburg has a unique downtown; it is truly the center of the community. Downtowns are the only places where chaos is encouraged. In the downtown, there is a mix of pedestrian traffic, commercial, residential. People love to be downtown. Economically, without a thriving downtown, the community will struggle. Robert worked in Pocatello to change simple things like parallel parking on the street. He is grateful that the governing bodies are interested in trying to invest and improve the downtown. Scott Johnson said, downtown is nothing new, many of those present have been involved in the downtown. A resurgence of interest is happening in the downtown. The latest company to come and provide jobs is Navex Global. They acquired a local software company. They headquartered in Portland, Oregon. They want to provide from 350-500 jobs. They wanted 20,000 square feet of trophy office space in downtown. Rexburg doesn’t have either. Hemming Village has worked with them, and Navex will take the entire second floor – coming in July. Two tech companies are looking for 10,000 square feet of Class A office space from Utah in the downtown. Why are they looking for space in the downtown? Why not in a business park? It is close to students, shops, and food. You are close to the work force. There is an energy in the downtown. As the City looked at their inventory: 50% of land is off the tax rolls, 25% of land downtown is off the tax rolls. This configuration provides unique opportunities and challenges. What can we do in the downtown? The County properties, City properties, and parking lots take up a lot of space. How can we create that space? How can we create development? Craig Rindlisbacher: Compared to other communities, Rexburg’s downtown is centrally located. Infrastructure is in place that can handle increased densities. Downtown has proximity to University and government facilities, and medical establishments. We have a historic professional, educational, and cultural institutions. Our downtown has residents. This provides business 35 North 1st East Rexburg, ID 83440 Phone: 208.359.3020 Fax: 208.359.3022 www.rexburg.org Planning & Zoning Minutes March 15, 2018 2 opportunities. The more people in downtown, the more life, the more vibrance, and safety. Matt Huish works up on campus and has students who work on architectural design. They have been working on some ideas for downtown. What is a form-based code? How would this guide development? Collaborating with these students, opportunities have been created. One of the ideas is using Center street to connect the University campus to Main street. This was the idea of the Center Street project. The street is an outdoor room needs walls and an element above to provide pedestrian scale. The students identified that a mix of unique uses could set the downtown apart. There was a focus on designing pedestrian scale streets. What details in the pictures shown, creates a pedestrian effect? Separation from traffic. Closed in effect. The overhangs and walls create edges. Psychologically you feel protected. Foliage and shrubbery and seating. It is kind of a shopping mall outside. Windows and doors allow you to see into the building and feel more at home. A high quality environment will attract people and business, residents and visitors. When you think of Rexburg, what do you think of? Is it the downtown? Students asked, what is the theme? What architectural style do you want us to use? How can activity be created? There is an eclectic mix of style and approaches that came out of the exercise. Planned communities can sometimes be too much the same. Variety gives interest and individual beauty. Investors and designers are seeking a regulatory flexibility that encourages creative landmarks and flexibility. We want establishments on the bottom floor to be coming and going activities. Video. The video has been shortened and the music has been changed to shorten it. The video shows the 3-D models the students came up with in relation to the Rexburg City streets. The set of parameters was an example of form-based code. The other idea Craig wants to talk about what happens in a downtown. The expectation has changed over time. Retail was a traditional focus. The economy has shifted to knowledge-based activities. We want to encourage entrepreneurial activities. A place to encourage socializing. This starts with jobs and more residents and opportunities to increase activity and density. Bruce Sutherland and Mayor Merrill commented on restaurants and service-based businesses will do well. Retail businesses are in turmoil with the internet. It is important to facilitate the knowledge-based business. Online businesses working from Rexburg. Bruce probably gets 60% of business of floral shop comes from internet. Each community is going to be a little bit different; the age of the community. The young people want to stay here, they are on the cutting edge and excited. Urban Renewal asked, is there a way to hang on to the history and the charm at the same time? Craig answered, this meeting will set the context for the following meeting to maintain the cultural eye of the City. Bruce talked about the Tabernacle and the Romance as community treasures. Perhaps, they are underutilized. Collaboration with the University would be helpful, perhaps the University puts on productions in the Romance. Melanie Davenport talked about our basic needs are the same. If planning is geared around students, it is important that we are working with the University not to fulfill all those needs on the campus. Craig talked about some good things are happening; North Pointe is catering to the students. How can we serve all the needs of the community? Steve Oakey talked about two books: Glaser and Jane Jacobs were authors mentioned, then a documentary on New York. If we allow people the broad latitude to satisfy customer needs, they will create the vision we see here. The cost diminishes and the unique character also increases. The avenues of Salt Lake City are an example; there are many unique homes. The odd shapes and sizes 3 of the homes, streetscapes, landscapes, cottages would not be allowed. The rules and regulations we prescribe take the ability of these designs away. People used to live in part of their stores. He suggests the city diminish their rules to allow the creativity. Sally, City Council Chairman, talked about form-base. What can work? In Cleveland, the Mayor, Jerry Merrill, visited a motorcycle shop, restaurants, and neighborhood homes. He wondered what kind of zone is this, that would allow all these uses on the same street? Sally talked about the group trying to create a vision. Scott talked about government protecting the Avenues. Government can play a role. Craig suggested talk being productive in smaller groups to answer specific questions. He reviewed important points in the presentation. Downtown can become the foundation for growth and prosperity in the community. Use the downtown as an asset. Challenges will be talked about in the follow-up meeting. Be thinking about the questions on the handout. Handout. Group will reconvene next Wednesday at 5:00PM.  How do you see the downtown changing in the future?  What can we do to strengthen community identity in the downtown?  What specific things need to happen in the downtown to make it a successful “economic engine” for all of the region?  What community actions are needed in order to make this happen? Scott asked for comments and questions. Melanie Davenport talked about the store fronts for pop-up businesses. The intent is for the designers to be creative. Bruce Sutherland talked about the flood caused a lot of rebuilding without much planning, but immediate need. Steve Oakey talked about establishing first principles. Neighborhood involvement sometimes restricts the possibilities. Talk about a local machine shop. We need to listen to the neighborhoods on the basis of principles. He would like to see a historical piece in use. Private property and health & safety are principles on which his decisions are made when hearing a proposal. Make sure you have the fact and the logic, not base decisions on emotions. Council Chairman, Sally said one of the things she learned when meeting with Chairman, Heidi, is Planning & Zoning was not aware of all the information City Council has had. City Council doesn’t always have a lot of knowledge about what Urban Renewal is doing. One idea is to be creative. A storefront can be anything like pop-ups. There are a lot of fun and cool things that can happen. Within the context, how can you encourage creativity? The architect will design based on a framework. See you next week. Be thinking about these questions. 4 Chairman Heidi Christensen opened the meeting at 6:35 PM. She welcomed everyone. Roll Call of Planning and Zoning Commissioners: Roll Call. Present: Chairman Heidi Christensen, Bruce Sutherland, Melanie Davenport, Steve Oakey, John Bowen, Darrik Farmer, Rory Kunz, Kristi Anderson, Council Liaison Brad Wolfe (Not voting). Absent: Mark Rudd, Greg Blacker, Gil Shirley. Minutes: 1. From Planning and Zoning meeting – February 15, 2018 Motion: Move to pass the minutes as recorded, Action: Approve, Moved by Steve Oakey, Seconded by Rory Kunz. Vote: Motion passed (summary: Yea = 5, Nay = 0, Abstain = 3). Yea: Chairman Heidi Christensen, Steve Oakey, John Bowen, Darrik Farmer, Rory Kunz. Abstain: Bruce Sutherland, Melanie Davenport, Kristi Anderson. Public Hearings: 1. 6:35 p.m. (#18 00051) to Rezone Medium Density Residential 1(MDR1) and Medium Density Residential 2 (MDR2) to High Density Residential 1 (HDR1) at approximately 261 S. 3rd W. (beside Georgetown) in the City of Rexburg, Madison County, Idaho. Steve Lofgran - 2625 4000 W – Request zoning change on the corner of 3rd W and 3rd S. A change was made to the comprehensive plan was granted in February. He is seeking HDR1 to allow the land to be put to a better use. There is currently a 4-plex, single family homes, and two homes in the area have been torn down, which are now empty lots. Darrik asked about High Density instead of Mixed Use. The applicant answered, the option was explored, but is not in his best interest. The options were discussed at time of application. Heidi thanked the applicant and asked for clarifying questions. Craig has no questions. 5 Chairman Heidi Christensen opened the public input portion of the hearing at 6:38 PM. Favor: Sam Stoddard -2740 W 4000 N. He is for it because he owns the lot that is kitty corner to this zone change. He knows how expensive it is to acquire land. He knows what land adjacent to the college is being used for. He is for the increased density and do more building there. Neutral: None Opposed: None Written Input: None Rebuttal: None Chairman Heidi Christensen closed the public input portion of the hearing at 6:40 PM. She invited staff to report. Staff Report - Staff feels that high density in this area is compatible with the surrounding area in the comprehensive plan and the zoning. Public Works was concerned and wants a traffic study for this area. Infrastructure for sewer capacity is needed. Steve asked about the broadening of the PED area to the south. Kristy asked about why the PED did not include this area when the boundary was made. Craig answered the focus was the area between main street and the campus. Area 2 was added later due to request for redevelopment. Bruce clarified PED is an overlay district, not a zone. It makes sense to make an amendment to the PED. It is in close proximity to the campus. Motion: Motion to recommend to City Council to rezone MDR to HDR1 at approximately 261 S. 3rd W. in Rexburg on the basis it is congruent to the uses of this area and it makes sense for good land use planning., Action: Approve, Moved by Bruce Sutherland, Seconded by Kristi Anderson. Vote: Motion carried by unanimous roll call vote (summary: Yea = 8). Yea: Chairman Heidi Christensen, Bruce Sutherland, Melanie Davenport, Steve Oakey, John Bowen, Darrik Farmer, Rory Kunz, Kristi Anderson. Hearing closed at 6:46PM Heads Up: April 5, 2018: 1. Thomson Farms Preliminary Plat The meeting was adjourned at 6:46 PM.