Public hearing on city code update resumes March 14

by Philip A. Janquart

 A hearing to consider a request by Agile Homes to change city code will resume March 14 after an earlier public hearing was tabled due to time constraints.

 At the Feb. 14 hearing, Agile Homes stated its case to change city code governing lot area regulations for residential districts.

 The Weiser City Council recently approved annexation of approximately 37 acres of property on the west side of West 9th Street where Agile plans to develop a roughly 150-home residential subdivision.

 Agile’s request involves decreasing setback regulations and changing the way measurements are taken.

 Current city code requires measurements be taken from the property line to the roof’s drip edge. Agile would like to see the measurement taken to the house’s foundation.

 Agile co-owner Mike Smith said during the Feb. 14 hearing that Weiser is the only city that still measures to the drip edge, which he said, “encourages the use of no, or smaller, overhangs” that negatively affects curb appeal.

 Smith told council members, in part, that the current code is out of date and that his company’s request for a code change is based on buyer cost increases, as well as changes in demographics, modern lifestyles, and demand.

 “Our request to change setbacks is primarily driven by changing buyer needs,” he told council members at the Feb. 14 meeting. “I don’t know when these setbacks were adopted but, typically, when we are talking city setbacks, they were adopted sometimes 40, 50, 60 years ago … and what buyers are wanting, and housing, is changing dramatically, even in the past 10 to 15 years.”

 Smith said wage increases have not kept up with the steep rise in home prices, leading to a demand for smaller houses and lot sizes.

 “It’s a nation-wide problem, but is even more so in the Treasure Valley,” he said.

 Smith said that most people are no longer looking for large yards that require maintenance and that free time outside the home has moved to back yards, negating the need for larger front yard space. He also cited a steady increase in demand for three car garages, as well as additional parking beside the garage.

Testimony

 Several residents attended the Feb. 14 hearing where the city council heard testimony, both in support of, and in opposition to, the requested code changes.

 Weiser local business owner Patrick Nauman spoke in support of Agile’s project.

 “One of the things we’ve been working on with the Economic Development Task Force is to try to increase housing and especially increase affordable housing for a workforce as we try to recruit businesses, to get businesses in, to do business here within the boundaries of Weiser and Washington County,” said Nauman who cited employees who must commute to Weiser due to a lack of housing inventory.

 Some residents have expressed fear that allowing a change to the City’s setback code would result in cookie-cutter style houses, detracting from Weiser’s historical smalltown charm. 

 “I don’t think it’s going to change the look of Weiser, at least not in a negative way,” remarked Nauman, who said he is finding it hard to find a house in Weiser. “I live outside the community and work in the community, and I’ve been trying to move back to Weiser for two years. I don’t want something that everybody else is going to have. I want something that is unique and different for me, that’s my own home. I don’t want a cookie cutter home and that’s not what they (Agile) are talking about.”

 Washington County resident and business owner Caleb Doty said his daughter, who has been working with Agile for about a year, can’t have the home she and her family would like due to code constraints and that today’s developers and builders do have community aesthetics in mind.

 “I can tell you that the model that nowadays developers and builders, the ones that are still in business … they do a really good job,” he said. “They don’t want the communities they go into to look terrible when they are done. They aren’t trying to make a buck and get out of there. They want to create communities that look great for a long time to come.”

More testimony

 Weiser resident Curtis Stanley read a letter prepared by himself and wife, Christina, who was not able to attend the hearing.

 He said that changing Weiser’s code is not necessary in order for Agile to meet the needs of its clientele.

 “What Agile Homes has not brought up in their request is the fact that they do not need the zoning changes to satisfy those needs,” Stanley said. “There is absolutely nothing stopping Agile Homes from building fewer homes and increasing the size of all, or some, of the lots in the subdivision to accommodate the needs of these buyers.”

 Stanley said there are too many questions that remain, including the unknown impact Agile’s request may have for future development in Weiser. 

 “This request would affect all B and B-1 zones,” he said. “What would that look like for Weiser? How will this affect construction moving forward in existing neighborhoods and how will it affect existing residential structures?”

 He added that any code changes should be delayed until the city’s comprehensive plan is updated and approved.

 “Making zoning and building regulation changes in the City of Weiser now, may not be in the scope of the comprehensive plan and the wishes of the citizens of Weiser who are being surveyed for that plan.”

 Resident and Washington County Historic Preservation Commission President Tony Edmondson agreed with Stanley in terms of the comprehensive plan.

 “I feel that any community which isn’t growing, is probably dying, and since that’s not what I want for Weiser, that probably puts me in the pro-growth camp,” he said. “But not all growth is equal, for each has their own opportunities and challenges. I want growth which reflects our values above any applicant’s and that’s what concerns me about the process, which has brought us to this hearing tonight. I believe you should not approve the request before our comprehensive plan has been updated.”

Comprehensive Plan

 Weiser’s comprehensive plan is currently under development and is expected to be completed in early fall 2022.

 “We are waiting on the [U.S.] Census numbers right now,” said Weiser City Clerk David Tate. “We want those numbers for the comp. plan; that’s why the timing of this is so important, so we can utilize the latest information,” he said in January.

 U.S. Census numbers won’t be available until late spring or early summer, according to Tate.

 The public hearing on Agile’s request will resume March 14 at 6 p.m in the City Hall Council chambers.