HomeMy WebLinkAboutKevin Shiley - 511 Park ST Deborah Lovejoy
From: Shiley, Kevin <shileyk@byui.edu>
Sent: Thursday, January 8, 2026 2:32 PM
To: planning@rexburg.org; Deborah Lovejoy
Subject: Opposition to Rezoning of 204 S 5th West to IR or R3
My name is Kevin Shiley. My wife Carrie and I own the property at 511 Park Street immediately to the
north of the parcels being considered for rezoning.We are serving an LDS mission until 2027 and have a
caretaker living in our home. I wish to go on record as being adamantly against an intermediate density
zoning, and moderately against an R3 designation.
Some background to understand our position:When we moved to our home 31 years ago, it was a
beautiful, quiet neighborhood in spite of being on the corner of a busy road. It was a great place to raise
our children. The neighborhood park across the street provided a place for kids to play after school and
on weekends.
Then the city decided to change it into a kiddie park. I was unable to attend the hearing as my wife was
hospitalized. No one on Park Street was in favor of the change, but they went ahead anyway. Now
whenever the weather is halfway decent, there is tremendous congestion in front of our house, and we
constantly hear screaming children ignored by their parents. I love children, I just don't love high-pitched
screams.About the same time, a huge apartment complex went kitty corner to us. We were promised
berms to help control noise, which amounted to tiny little useless hills. Now our home is bathed in light
from the NE corner all night long, I have to keep my bedroom window shout even in the summer because
of the light, and also the noise from all the big pickups with non-existent mufflers and motorcycles that
just have to wind it out at all hours of the night as they leave the apartment complex. But I have one
relatively quiet and dark part of my yard- our backyard. Now someone wants to put apartments there,
too? NO.
Some say why don't you just sell?We actually had a city council member ask that back when they were
pushing the apartment complex through.What kind of a way is that to treatyour long-term
homeowners? And in this case, by the time we get home from our mission, if you put apartments there,
no one in their right mind will want to buy our home, we'd have to sell it at a big discount and on a fixed
income we couldn't afford to buy anywhere else. Do you want to just be a city of renters?
I understand there is undeveloped property behind the two homes to our south. Please keep it single
family residential.All of our side of 5th west from Main Street to the canal is currently single-family
homes. Going to Intermediate ignores the concept of having a buffer zone. If it's necessary to change it
to R3, I hope the developers are sensitive to their neighbors and design it such that we can sleep at night.
Thank you for your attention.
Kevin Shiley
511 Park Street
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