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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMIXED USE LETTER 05.06.2004Paz OGS. Oki . 00 37 South Third East Rexburg, ID 83440 July 13, 2005 Mayor Shawn Larsen Rexburg City Council Rexburg Planning and Zoning Commission Dear Mayor Larsen, Council Members and Commissioners, I viewed the video "Save Our Land, Save Our Town" with great interest. I would like to thank Mayor Larsen for sharing it with me. It was really quite eye-opening and shows that there are solutions to some of the land -use problems that seem quite overwhelming. I too have a vision of a city where people can walk to nearby schools, stores, churches and places of employment. As was stated in the video about the new town of Celebration, Florida: "The ideal community of tomorrow looks an awful lot like the community of yesterday." If you look closely, you will find much of small town America still exists in Rexburg. You will particularly find it in the older neighborhoods that are located close to the downtown area, such as where I am fortunate to live near South Third East and East Main Street. On a typical summer day, you will find people strolling along sidewalks, children outside playing in yards with their friends, proud homeowners gardening and trimming their lawns, and people sitting on front porches and in their front yards visiting with neighbors as they pass by. There are a lot of good things happening in our city right now. The study of downtown Rexburg and the attempt to make it more people friendly and economically viable is a prime example. But with a revitalized downtown, the next logical step is for it to be surrounded by thriving residential areas that are within walking distances of downtown. My concern about Rexburg is that we are not paying close attention to the residential neighborhoods immediately surrounding downtown Rexburg. Many of these homes already have been lost (for example, the College Avenue homes) or are in danger of being lost, when in fact, these should be the ones that are protected. I would like to see the city focus on these neighborhoods and try to implement policies that will preserve and protect the older homes that are located on the fringes of the downtown area. As city officials such as yourselves develop a new comprehensive plan, I hope you will implement some of the ideas in this video. We too have a rich farmland surrounding our city that is being turned into subdivisions, and we too have a downtown commercial area that remains weak and underused. Just like in communities in the video, our current zoning laws are designed to basically encourage people to drive everywhere — homes, stores and places of employment are generally spaced so far apart that driving is just about the only alternative. X As was outlined in the video, it is not just the market that has created urban sprawl, it is regulations. The video stated that new construction is favored over older homes. I believe the Planning and Zoning Commission's proposal for "Mixed Use" areas that would allow commercial development within existing older residential neighborhoods would be disastrous. It would only result in more homeowners giving up and leaving these older neighborhoods, instead of trying to restore them. The Whoopee Days Parade drew many people to our neighborhood last week. They sat along East Main Street and enjoyed what we all love about small-town America. Later, they crossed the street to Smith Park where they enjoyed great food, entertainment and fun. I stopped by to say hello to LaRae Clarke, an older widow who lives in our neighborhood, who was sitting on her front porch watching the parade go by with her family members. This is a home that is located in the "Mixed Use" area and threatened by professional offices. If there is no protection, scenes like this will be lost before we know it. I invite you to take a walk through our neighborhood and discover what I am talking about. Instead of following a path that will eventually lead to the loss of our older neighborhoods, I ask you to find ways to protect and preserve these beautiful residential areas and make them a key part of our city revitalization effort. Sincerely, �� Don S arhaw�" " �� P lt