HomeMy WebLinkAboutLeon Parson - RE 301 S 12th W Deborah Lovejoy
From: Parson, Leon <PARSONL@byui.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, July 7, 2021 12:09 PM
To: Deborah Lovejoy
Subject: Proposed Zone Change To The Birch Property on s 12th w
Dear Deborah Lovejoy:
Below is the letter I previously sent to each of the City Council members. I have edited it since then
and am therefore sending it to you. If you could please make a copy of this for them, rather than the
first email, I will gratly appreciate it..? Thank you very much.
Respectfully,
Leon Parson
Dear Mayor Merrill and City Council:
Up front — Note: I am not yelling or screaming ... and definitely, I do not envy your stewardships as
"The Final Word" designers for the city of Rexburg.
From the bottom of my heart — thank you for rejecting the original Birch property zone change
request of becoming a partial MDR ....! I also appreciate the apparent compromise gesture of the
proposed LDR 1,2, & 3 zone request. Having said that, l nevertheless, concur with all 3 points that
Wanless Southwick makes in his letter.
In order to maintain the overall DESIGN integrity of the South 12th West community, and curtail
the S 12th W Traffic,
• between the Widdison Edition of 1&1 1/2 acre lots to the north of the Birch property,
• to the S 12th W street-side 1/2 to 1 1/2-acre lots between the Birch property and the Willow
Brook edition
• to the West View Acres on 440 West with RR1, 1 to 5-acre lots located directly west of the Birch
Property,
• to the Willow Brook subdivision on the south with 1-acre and 1/2-acre lots, to the RR1
properties south of Willow Brook on S 1000, PLEASE keep the Birch property at the current
RR2 Zone.
Note: Not having access to the Master Plan the following, therefore, this is just my
perception.
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At approximately the same time as the announcement that Ricks College would become a 4-
year school was made, 20 years ago, there were two quite pervasive feelings of FEAR felt in
Rexburg.
1. That there would not be sufficient housing for the predicted 6% annual student increase.
2. That Rexburg would become an "industrialized" city as several large commercial businesses
began expressing interest in establishing sites here.
For example, on 31 July 1991, Walmart announced intensions of putting a store in
Rexburg. Apparently, all other large commercial businesses were denied permits or not
welcomed.
(I would really, really love having more commercial businesses in Rexburg...!!!!)
As for the student housing issue, the Lord took care of that within the next 10 years. Beginning
in 2009, by 2015 there were over 40,000 BYU-I online students enrolled. Through providing
Pathways International, the annual student increase has remained at a modest 1% annually.
The "perceived need" for student housing however, appears to have continued for 20
years. Rexburg seems to have become a "bedroom community", with residents sleeping here
but going out of town to work; greatly congesting two of the Hwy 20 on/off ramps, i.e. Main St
and University Ave.
The placement of Madison High School west of Rexburg, and the densely housed Summerfield
Edition, further impacted the same two Hwy 20 on/off ramps. An additional MDR zone change
was granted on Hwy 33 just 1/3 mile west of the Main St on/off ramp which will undoubtedly
add congested traffic there, as well as on S 12th W!
A point to consider: Before most, if not all, artists ever touch a brush to canvas,
they Decide what they want the painting to SAY, i.e., to visually, emotionally, and
conceptionally "communicate". They do that by evaluating placement of the subjects, the
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comparative sizes, what to dominate or subordinate, they carefully analyze the overall balance,
how best to establish a unified and harmonious theme, etc.
Note: It is readily obvious if something is out, or in balance, out, or in harmony, or too busy.
Collectively, as city stewards, the P&Z, and City Council have the same opportunity to decide
what you want Rexburg to say, i.e. "communicate" to the Rexburg citizens, those that visit, as
well as the tens of thousands that pass by each day.
With a long-range, well-thought-out, overall design of what Rexburg Becomes and Looks like;
the resulting physical, emotional, and esthetic comfort of the citizens of the community will last
many, many generations beyond the temporary reward of the cost-effective savings for a mile
of sewer pipe and the isolated monetary profits based on the number of units that can be
placed into .144-acre lots.
Thank you again for your time, thoughts, and efforts.
Respectfully,
Leon Parson
PS As a final thought: For those residents that do come into Rexburg from Summerfield etc.
please consider a Master Plan for reopening up 1000 South (Burma Rd, to 7th South. Along
with the proposed diamond exchanges, that will greatly relieve the pressure on both the Main
St and University Hwy 20 on/off ramp congestion as well as the traffic on S 12th W
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