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HomeMy WebLinkAboutEmail sent to Alisha Tietjen Rexburg City CouncilMay 6, 2026 Dear Members of the Rexburg City Council, We have lived in this community since 1996 and have spent our careers serving here as educators and contributing members of the community. Like many in this area, we made long-term investments and sacrifices to create a home that reflects the character and space that originally drew us to Rexburg. We understand that growth and development are part of Rexburg’s future, and we respect the role developers play in that process. At the same time, we hope you will carefully consider the time and effort we’ve put in to coming to a compromise. I’d like to thank the mayor and the City Council for allowing me to represent our neighborhood and share a few of our concerns. These concerns align with several of the considerations outlined in the Planning and Zoning Staff Report under “Considerations for Approval.” 1. Existing Traffic Safety and Street Capacity We understand that city engineers have addressed, and will continue to address, the growing capacity demands on 12th West. A primary concern is the safety of the intersections, which urgently need adequate turn lanes. By this I mean - a separate pull-out lane that allows you to turn into neighborhoods without stopping traffic. Just last week, a neighbor was rear-ended while waiting to turn left into our neighborhood, resulting in serious injury and the loss of his vehicle. Increasing density without corresponding road and safety improvements will only add to these risks. We hope our city engineers will take additional measures to help alleviate the strain on an increasingly heavily traveled roadway including adding pullout traffic turn lanes. 2. Health and Safety Concerns Open irrigation canals run alongside and perpendicular to this property, creating safety concerns, particularly for children. In addition, the lack of sidewalks and the increase in traffic along 12th West raise further concerns for pedestrians and families in the area. We strongly encourage the City and the developer to carefully consider safety measures, including sidewalks and appropriate protections around the canals, as part of this proposal. 3. Balanced Housing Options While higher-density housing is an important part of a growing community, current development trends have reduced options for people ready for something a little larger. This proposal appears to add to that imbalance rather than support a broader variety of housing types for long-term residents and families. Because LDR1 is less common throughout the city of Rexburg, the Steiner property presents a natural opportunity to expand those housing options while also creating a more gradual transition alongside existing RR2 neighborhoods. On page 55 of Rexburg’s Comprehensive Plan, the definition of Intermediate Residential character states: “These areas are intended to develop as complete neighborhoods, with small-scale services and public amenities within walking distance.” This language appears in both the Comprehensive Plan and the Development Code. As the City of Rexburg grows and zoning is considered west of Highway 20, we urge you to remember the commitments outlined in the Comprehensive Plan and reserve space for city parks and other public amenities. 4. Compatibility and Transition of Land Use The Madison Rexburg GIS Parcel Map Viewer our neighbors used to prepare statements for the Planning and Zoning Meeting on April 16th was incorrect and misleading. At that time, we believed most of the Birch Property was LDR1 adding a portion of transitional buffer between the two rural residential zones. While we felt the LDR1 portion should be even larger, at least the majority of the property seemed to be LDR1. The City’s GIS map was updated April 30th after the Planning and Zoning meeting. To our surprise and great disappointment we learned there will be NO homes with LDR1 land on the Birch property. Adding to our frustration, our neighborhood had a large showing of citizen participation in creating the updated comprehensive plan, but once again on the City’s website looking at the document, on page 53 the Steiner and Birch property shows the original comprehensive plan along the highway as Low Residential. Again, to our surprise, it is now listed as intermediate. These experiences have left us feeling confused and wondering which documents to trust. We know and deeply respect the Steiners and the many ways they have contributed to our community over the years. We understand and support their desire to sell their property, and we do not wish to stand in the way of that opportunity. As a neighborhood, we don’t love this proposal. We understand that balance is difficult and growth requires compromise. We also recognize that we will not get everything we would prefer. However, we hope you would be willing to listen to our compromise. When considering zoning changes, we believe it is important to evaluate the full capacity allowed within a zone, not just the current proposal. For this and the above reasons, we respectfully ask the Council to approve this zoning request with one minor edit, that the first homes built adjacent to the RR2 zoning will be classified LDR1. We feel this compromise of adding a small section for LDR1 is both reasonable and respectful, and that it represents a fair compromise for all involved. To be honest, our preference is for the land to be zoned as RR2. To sum up our neighborhood’s request, we are asking that you approve this zone change with one minor adjustment, 1. That the first homes built adjacent to the RR2 will be classified LDR1. 2. The remaining land could continue with LDR2 and LDR3 as designatied. 3. That the city will honor the comprehensive plan’s safety measures creating pull-out turn lanes alonth 12th West, require sidewalks for connectivity along 12th West, provide safe conditions around canals, and add city parks west of Highway 20. Thank you for listening to our neighborhoods request.