Mixed use plan sent back to drawing board
SANDPOINT — It’s back to the drawing board for the city’s mixed use residential zone proposal.
Council members voted Wednesday to retool the zone changes proposed for several Sandpoint neighborhoods. While the proposed mixed use zoning makes efforts to secure the established character of a neighborhood by restricting building size and other characteristics, it also expands options for individuals wishing to run neighborhood shops or home-based businesses. That provoked concern from many individuals, who worried the changes could impact quality of life for many residents.
“The guidelines do not materially improve the quality of a neighborhood, but they could potentially have negative effects,” said Raphael Barta, president of the Selkirk Association of Realtors. “I’m not aware of any crying demand for commercial space in the residential neighborhoods, so why do this now?”
Out of concern any changes made that evening would represent a substantive change without opportunity for public comment, council members decided to send the zoning proposal back to the Planning and Zoning Commission.
The council aims to schedule a joint public workshop with the commission in January or February that will help address some of the concerns raised and give residents another chance to voice opinions.
City Planner Jeremy Grimm told council members there were two things to consider before making the decision to retool the guidelines. The first was that new council members — newcomers to the issue — would have to vote on the matter once revisions are complete. However, Grimm added he was sure recently-elected Bob Camp and Shannon Williamson would have no trouble getting up to speed.
Grimm also said at this point, there’s little to prevent a developer from building a large, intrusive structure — a permitted development for areas currently zoned as professional office. Until new zoning is instituted to correct this, some local neighborhoods will remain vulnerable, he said.
Council members, however, didn’t see an overwhelming issue in either of those scenarios and voted to shut down any immediate authorization of mixed use residential zoning.
Despite council members’ decision to rework the proposed guidelines, they still made some zoning changes Wednesday evening. They authorized to change Westwood Village Square into a residential single family zone and the area around Bonner General Hospital into a commercial A zone.
Although mixed use residential zoning has become increasingly divisive since the Planning and Zoning Commission forwarded it for council approval, it still has plenty of fans.
Resident Steve Lockwood spoke in favor of the proposal at the latest public hearing Wednesday.
“I value having a variety of services close by where I live and don’t think it would be a major deterrent,” he said.