HomeMy WebLinkAboutWanless Southwick - LetterToRexburgCityCouncil070121 (2) Rexburg, Idaho
July 1, 2021
Dear Mayor and City Council,
We have three major concerns about the June 24, 2021, Public Hearing#2100310 to the rezone the 25-
acre "horse pasture" (parcel RPRXBCA0254499) on South 12th West Street from RR2 Zone to LDR1,
LDR2, LDR3 Zones.
1.The Planning and Zoning"Public Hearing"was a sham.
The hearing opened with the applicant(Brent Anderson representing the property owner, Birch
Properties LLC) announcing that he and other Birch family members had met with the mayor, planning
and zoning people, and the Rexburg City staff to decide how to rezone their 25-acre "horse pasture."
Thereafter the hearing proceeded as if the proposal to rezone was a "done deal."
Testimony against the proposed rezoning was delivered by persons who had been assigned to do so by a
committee of the impacted neighbors.The commissioners did not ask questions of these speakers, but
as soon as the "public hearing"was closed,the testimony against rezoning was attacked. Commissioner
Kory Kunz ridiculed census data presented,'which showed that Rexburg housing is skewed toward
rental units, is deficient in homes owned by the occupants, had a greater than average vacancy rate, and
fewer than average persons who lived in the same house a year ago.2 He dismissed the idea that city
zoning has a function to protect and give stability to neighborhoods as they grow.
The many concerned neighbors in attendance had no opportunity to ask questions or become involved
in the dialog because the "hearing" rigidly throttled the dismayed listeners. Questions, such as, how
many residences would be crowded into the 25 acres above the 50 now permitted under its RR2 zoning?
(Maybe 130 residences?) Does Mr. Anderson (an extended Birch family member from Utah) intend to be
the developer or is he simply using his professional real estate experience to increase the family's horse-
pasture sale value to a big developer by getting its zoning changed now?
2. Higher Density Zoning of this Parcel is a Bad Idea
This 25-acre horse pasture is landlocked by Highway 20 on the east, the Rexburg Canal on the south, a
smaller canal on the west, and a hay farm on the north. The only possible entrance to or exit from the
property is along South 12th West Street,which is already congested with traffic because of a lack of
adequate alternative routes to the crowded and growing Kartchner-Summerfield residential
subdivision,the big, nearby multi-ward church for college students,the Burton Elementary school, and
the large high school campus with its new stadium and fieldhouse.
Crowding more than the 50 homes allowed by RR2 zoning onto that horse-pasture parcel would
significantly exacerbate the traffic problems along 12th West Street. Curtailing the number of new
homes in this country neighborhood would not only help traffic flow, but it would reduce pressure on
the neighborhood's schools. Burton Elementary is already full to overflowing.
3. Keeping this parcel's RR2 Zoning is Better for Rexburg's Image as"America's Family Community"
Too much of Rexburg's recent development has focused on crowding people into tight spaces to
maximize the density of developments. Lost is the feel of a family community. This 25-acre horse
pasture is part of an existing "stable country neighborhood" along South 12th West Street. When
Rexburg City annexed this agricultural area from Madison County, the city specifically gave it Rural
Residential zoning to provide for the "development and protection of stable country neighborhoods."
Current residents of this country neighborhood decided to make their homes here because of the
explicit protections granted by the city's Rural Residential zoning. Rexburg's Rural Residential zones are
the only residential zones with agricultural production privileges (think 4-H projects).
Many people who want to move to Rexburg are looking for this kind of"stable country neighborhood"
for their family.They often have an aspiration to achieve a degree of self-reliance through gardening
and raising domestic animals. The larger lot sizes and the regulatory language for the rural residential
zones make this kind of home production security possible.The more crowded LDR1, LDR2, and LDR3
zones and other, even more dense, residential zones do not.
Conclusion:
We agree with Commissioner Greg Blacker,who voted against the proposed rezoning at the hearing,
and who said that 50 new homes would be an appropriate development for that 25-acre parcel. The
existing RR2 zoning already allows for a 50-home development there,which also preserves the country
neighborhood feel and function. Fifty stable families would build their homes there and use their long-
term commitment to their homes to help make Rexburg be "America's Family Community."
Please deny the rezoning request for parcel RPRXBCA0254499 on South 12th West Street. Keep the RR2
zoning for that parcel and let Rexburg develop this stable country neighborhood by adding 50 more
committed, homeowning families to that neighborhood and to Rexburg.
Wanless Southwick
375 South 12th West
Rexburg, Idaho 83440
208-569-6095
1 "American Community Survey"conducted annually by the U.S.Census Bureau.
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