Hayden approves zone map amendment

The Hayden City Council on Tuesday approved with a 3-1 vote a citywide zone map of existing residential multi-family properties, as recommended by the Hayden Planning and Zoning Commission.

Councilwoman Sandra White cast the dissenting vote.

The approval includes a timeframe of two years for development of properties where developers have zoning development agreements with the city. A condition was added specifically to the Vine Church property at 9140 N. Reed Road to ensure that property would become single-family residential if the church left that property, unless an amendment is made to its zoning development agreement.

Hayden Community Development Director Donna Phillips said this means properties identified on the existing zone map will be changed to new zones of residential suburban, mixed residential, single-family residential, commercial and mixed use as was identified on the city's draft zone map and discussed in the staff review and at the public hearings of the planning and zoning commission and the city council.

Mixed residential provides for a range of residential structures, including single-family, two-family and three-family dwelling units as well as accessory dwelling units on individual lots. Mixed use provides for residential multi-family (four units or more per structure) and commercial land use types, creating a flexible environment for either one or the other or both. Residential suburban provides for single-family residential on larger lots and minimal agricultural uses. Single-family residential provides for the classic Hayden neighborhood, where single-family homes on smaller lots are permitted — accessory dwelling units are permitted, but two-family dwellings are not.

"After hearing from concerned citizens, many of which were within the residential multi-family zone, city council reinstated the residential multi-family zone for a period of 12 months," the city explained on its website. "The expiration of the reinstatement is Sept. 28, 2022 and cannot be extended due to Idaho State Law. The city council has chosen to migrate the existing parcels within the expiring residential multi-family zone designation, to a zone designation which more accurately reflects the existing site uses, and/or development in process."

Phillips said the impact to Hayden residents is minimal.

The approved zone map amendment recognizes the existing condition of the property except in three properties where the owner requested the change as they have been working through preliminary project activity.

"Any future zone map amendments shall be reviewed as individual requests, and shall follow the public hearing process," Phillips said. "For those properties which were non-conforming lots, for the most part residential lots not meeting the minimum lot sizes, this approval will make them conforming lots."