HomeMy WebLinkAboutCorey Barnard CompPlanCmnts04_25_23Rev12023 COMPREHENSIVE PLAN REXBURG COMMENTS
04/25/2023
Dear City Council and P & Z Commission,
Thank you for receiving my comments on the 2023 draft Comp Plan. This is a well-designed document that represents a lot of great effort and time in putting this together. Thank you.
After only reading this document twice, I’m left with the unfortunate view that part of this document’s focus is on reducing the divide between the cost burdens for homeowners and renters
by possibly disintegrating our current single-family neighborhoods. According to the plan that disparity is 16% compared to 63% respectively. Action items include, found on page 44
on the plan and page 50 on the PDF file:
1. Update the Land Use Code to allow a greater mix of housing types and styles, including accessory dwelling units, that cater to a variety of families, such as older adults, first
time home-buyers, lower income earners, and people with disabilities, among others. [ done/ in progress?]
2. Consider allowing ADU.S. by right in all residential zones and not require the owner to occupy the primary resident so people have the opportunity to age in place.
As well, the plan has changed a parcel on the SE corner of 2nd E and 7th S from LDR 1 to intermediate Residential. According to the mayor and City staff this was put in place in order
to attract students to that parcel to buy and own more affordable housing in the form of twin homes or duplexes thereby helping to reduce the disparity between homeowners and renters.
This is wishful thinking at its best. Students will not generally be able to afford to purchase a $200,000 + home. If you think that paying $1000/mo. for rent is cost burdensome, think
about what a $2000/mo. mortgage will do for their cost burden? I don’t know about you, but when I was in college I could not afford to buy a home. My first home was a singlewide trailer
that I could not afford until I was 7 years removed from college. As well, I disagree with this parcel being zoned this way on the Comp plan map. I believe when this comes before the
P & Z for a zone change, the public and residents for this area will not approve this change making this designation futile.
By having said parcel as IR (Intermediate residential) on the FLUM will encourage developers to build up to medium density housing on parcel. They (developers) will point to the FLUM
as justification in their application for doing so, such as “we are only doing what the City envisions for this parcel.” The same thing happened when you changed the Comp Plan Map on
may 21, 2021 to include a wide range of zoning options for individual areas. That was a negative experience for our community members, the developers, as well as the City. Such a scenario
will continue to pit residents against the City and developers rather than fostering better relationships between the 3 entities. Putting IR on 2nd E will only increase traffic on 2nd
E which is antithetical to other parts of the plan trying to improve the traffic conditions on 2nd E.
Accessory dwelling units in LR is not inline with the interests of property owners in our single-family neighborhoods and as such, should not be in this plan. Perhaps accessory dwelling
units would be more appropriate in higher density neighborhoods.
There is nothing in the plan that mentions the need to strengthen and preserve the character and densities of our existing single-family neighborhoods. I feel that our focus on cluster
development and integrating mixed use in the future could denigrate our current single-family neighborhoods.
There are no strategies in the Plan to increase public participation with the City aside from the usual “print notices in the paper or on Facebook.” Public input is such an integral
part of this plan and as such we would be remiss if we did not implement strategies to increase the level of input in the future.
I feel that this document favors State of the art community development such as cluster development and accessory dwellings in residential areas curried from our Plan developer contractor
rather than input received from the community on this plan.
I agree that we must find ways to promote affordable housing in Rexburg. And we must plan accordingly. But not to the detriment of our current single-family neighborhoods. Cluster development
is a great idea as it saves space, creates higher density populations in appropriate
areas, and is cost effective. Again, we need to balance that in order to maintain the integrity of our single-family neighborhoods, and define appropriate areas for such.
The big elephant in the room is the plethora of illegal apartment renting in Rexburg in LR areas whereby CUP’s have not been applied for. By putting twin homes and duplexes on that parcel
on the corner of 2nd E and 7th S will not reduce the cost burden for renters in our City. Generally speaking, is the cost burden so high for renters in Rexburg because rents are unusually
exorbitant?
The following statement, Consider developing a Neighborhood Traffic Management Program ( NTMP) to address neighborhood traffic issues and discourage shortcuts through residential areas
(in the “How We Move Goods and People” section under “Actions”) is a great statement but it is antithetical to the EPC in the transportation plan in that the EPC creates an unwanted
traffic issue and cuts through residential areas. I believe we need to solve the traffic issues on 2nd E and applaud the City Council in reviewing the 2022 Transportation Plan via public
input in the near future.
Lastly, I’m concerned, and have been for the over 36 years that I’ve lived here, with the curb appeal of our City as people approach the City from the South on highway 20 from the old
Thornton interchange up to Wilcox Potato. I know that most of this is Madison County. But the unsightliness of those properties along that corridor is not reflective of how beautiful
our City really is, giving newcomers and tourists a negative view of our City upon first look. A possible action item would be to plant trees along that corridor to buffer the visual
detriment there. This would be in keeping with your “Tree City Vision.”
Again, thank you for all of your diligence, thought and hard work on this plan. It will help drive our community to flourish and meet the vision stated in this document. Thanks.
Respectfully,
Corey D. Barnard
585 S 4th E Rexburg, 208.201.8302