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HomeMy WebLinkAboutE MAIN NEIGHBORHOOD REQUEST - City of Rexburg - E Main Area - Rezone to add Professsional OverlayReRer�nmm ment.]. ati 0.n S \/V1 1111 1�,l C.l Ll 11 for Future Professional Office Space for the City of Rexburg and Its Impact Area By The East Main Neighborhood Association Raymond Hill, President May 22, 2002 The East Main Neighborhood Association was recently asked by the Rexburg Planning and Zoning Commission to propose appropriate future locations for professional offices. The neighborhood association, which has been opposed to such offices in its own residential neighborhood, accepted this invitation and has written its recommendations in this report. The association appreciates the confidence that the Planning and Zoning Commission has placed in our association and seriously undertook to evaluate and submit viable options for your consideration. These proposals were adopted by a majority vote of members of our association. We look forward to working closely with you in the future. The purpose of our nonprofit, nonpartisan association is primarily to preserve and enhance the quality of life and historic character of our neighborhood. We also have a strong desire to establish and maintain a close working relationship with the Rexburg City Council and Rexburg Planning and Zoning Commission. Additional Professional Office Space Will Be Needed as City Grows Members of the East Main Neighborhood Association understand that additional professional office space will be needed in the future as the city continues to grow. With continued growth, the city will require space for all types of land uses, including residential, commercial and industrial uses. While recognizing inevitable growth, the neighborhood association is opposed to changes in land -use in well established residential areas of this city. In particular, we are strongly opposed to redesignating the residential area between downtown Rexburg and Madison Memorial Hospital for professional offices merely because it would be convenient to the medical community. This well established residential area of the city is currentlyprotected under the zoning ordinance as Low Density Residential 1. It is one of the older sections of the city, containing many older and historic homes of a variety of architectural styles. It is an ideal residential location, located within walking distance of the downtown retail area, schools, professional offices, the university, the hospital, and one of city's two major parks. Page 1 of 5 Preserve and Protect Residential Neighborhoods Most cities throughout the country protect such residential areas from encroachment by commercial and industrial uses. Older residential sections of cities are typically protected, even though there may be economic pressures for development. The East Main neighborhood is located on the edge of a very large residential area that extends eastward and southward at the base and on the Rexburg hill. This residential area surrounds Madison Memorial Hospital and a few isolated professional office areas that have been allowed here on a limited basis. While it may seem almost harmless The Steve and Sharon Oakey home at 25 S. Third East is a historic to rezone a residential lot here or there home in the East Main neighborhood. for professional office use, the neighborhood association is concerned about the long-term effect of such an approach. It is our belief that this will lead to additional pressure to continue to rezone residential property. As the city continues to grow, existing professional offices will naturally desire to grow into the surrounding residential area. In the case of our neighborhood, a piecemeal approach to allow professional offices here and there would eventually make the entire area undesirable for residential living. The older homes that provide architectural variety to the city would one by one be replaced with professional offices with no historic value. For this reason, the association believes other locations within the city and its impact area are better suited for such professional office development than residential areas. This report hopes to outline some of these areas. The LaRae Clarke home at 264 East Main Street is another home of historic value. Page 2 of 5 Encourage Professional Offices in Central Business District It is no secret that the downtown central business district has been changing from a retail area to a place for other types of commercial and service uses. Retailers are finding other areas of the city to locate, leaving vacancies in buildings in this area. It is our proposal that professional offices should be encouraged to locate in the central business district where they are already allowed under the current zoning ordinance. Additional professional offices would strengthen downtown economically, and in Community Care located at 72 East Main Street is an return might even bring future retail use back example of a professional medical office in downtown Rexburg to the area. According to Mitch Neibaur, chairman of the Rexburg Area Promotion and Business _« Development committee, additional professional office development would be ideal for the downtown area. Examples of medical offices that already are located downtown include Community Care, Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine, Family Vision Center, BioMedics: the Plasma Rexburg Vision Center located at the corner of College Avenue and First South is another example of a Center, The Chiropractic Center, Roderick professional office building in downtown Rexburg. Chiropractic, Dr. Ward and Dr. Snarr dental offices, Rexburg Vision Center, Family Dentistry, and Upper Valley Internal Medicine. There are also many other professional offices in the business district, including accountants, attorneys, insurance agents and financial advisors. These facilities have proven to be very positive developments for the business district. It is impossible for this report to recommend specific locations for future professional offices. However, there are vacant storefronts and properties that could be used for such purposes throughout this area. A quick survey shows vacancies in the old Coast to Coast hardware store, Westwood Theatre, Brick Wall, Idamont Hotel and Sugar Factory Smokehouse, along with vacant lots next to Taco Bell and across from Career Beauty The former True Value Hardware Store at 66 East Main College on College Avenue. Street is an example of a currently vacant building that could be used for professional office space. Page 3 of 5 Job Service and District 7 Health are located in a commercial area near Third East and Barney Dairy Road. This undeveloped area is very close to Madison Memorial Hospital and is ideal for professional office buildings. Encourage Professional Offices in Highway Business Districts and Undeveloped Areas Instead of turning to residential areas for professional office space, we also recommend that you encourage professional offices in other areas of the city that are currently designated for commercial purposes, including professional office buildings. Such areas include several existing Highway Business Districts (particularly along North Second East and west near U.S. Highway 20), business parks, and future areas that will be developed on the north and west side of the Egbert Chiropractic Center has just located in the Rexburg city. Business Park. Collaborative Genetics will be next door. Examples of professional offices already Business parks such as this are an ideal place for located in such areas include new office professional offices. buildings east of C -A -L Ranch Store in the vicinity of Walker Drive including District 7 Health Office, Health and Welfare, and Job Service. This area also is very close to Madison Memorial Hospital and there appears to be a large amount of land in this area for future development. A business park is also an ideal location for future professional offices. For example, professional offices that already are located in the Rexburg Business Park include Egbert Chiropractic Center, the future home of Collaborative Genetics, Rexburg Counseling and the Family Crisis Center. When this business park is filled, there undoubtedly will be another business park developed. There are large tracts of undeveloped land located on the north edge of the city and west of the city near U.S. Highway 20 that are also ideal locations for future professional offices without disrupting existing residential areas. Page 4 of 5 Future Hospital Needs If the population estimates are correct, the size of Rexburg will significantly grow in the next 20 years. This being the case, it would seem natural that the size of the hospital will also grow significantly. Earlier this year John Watson, who was then serving as a member of the Planning and Zoning Commission and also a consultant to Madison Memorial Hospital on its long-range plan, presented aproposal to the commission to place a professional office overlay across an area nearly surrounding the hospital, including property on Maple Drive, Morgan Drive, Ash Street and East Main Street. While this ambitious plan was rejected by the Planning and Zoning Commission, it is obvious there will be pressure to develop adjacent residential areas as the hospital continues to grow. While it is a very expensive recommendation to relocate the hospital outside of the city in an undeveloped area where it can spread out, it may be the long-term solution. Otherwise, pressure by the hospital to grow will not only impact the three blocks in our neighborhood association, it will also impact other well established residential areas that surround the hospital on all sides. The purchase of homes would not only damage these residential areas, but also would be more costly compared to the price of undeveloped land outside the city. Conclusion We hope this report has given the Planning and Zoning Commission a vision of where future professional offices can be located. Of course, it is very difficult to specifically pinpoint locations for individual offices. This must be done by private developers, investors, doctors and other professionals on an individual basis. We believe it is clear from this study that there is ample room for the expansion of professional offices in many areas of the city without disturbing existing residential areas. 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