Setting standards for Rathdrum's appearance

Members of the Rathdrum City Council met in a workshop Wednesday to discuss and review possible design standards for the city’s highway commercial mixed-use overlay districts.

“This is how you want your city to look and appear,” City Administrator Leon Duce said. “That is the purpose of this, to provide a look and appearance.”

The relevant mixed-use areas would straddle city highways outside the city center, including Highway 53 east of Meyer or along Highway 41 south of Lancaster. Commercial mixed-use zones would be a blended space including commercial buildings, leasable ground floor storefronts, possible second-story residences and public gathering spaces.

“What we’re trying to do is create an inviting atmosphere that’s pedestrian-friendly,” Duce said. “That has the appearance that the community has been asking for — more open space. Not creating density, smashing buildings and parking lots up to the highway.”

The proposed standards add landscape buffer spaces along the highways, create frontage roads that allow for pedestrian paths and reorient most buildings to face the frontage roads, and not the highways.

“This is actually … to create a beautification buffer,” Duce said. “And you’ve got a pathway process that interacts with commercial property. So you can get pedestrian traffic to go through there. You’re creating more of an inviting atmosphere with our proposal than you do with the highway system.”

The council members had questions, suggestions and some reservations during the workshop.

“Isn’t the spirit of America to go with what really works and not have it regulated to such an extent?” Councilman Neil Oliver said.

Implementing design requirements would provide a visual standard for the city, for residents, and, ideally, guidance to developers. The standards would be clear and guide the design process for architects or engineers.

Some architectural standards could be implemented, requiring a mountain-modern style with materials like stucco, stone, timber, brick, metal or masonry. In the current draft, some possible colors include earth tones reflecting the region.

The standards could also include some preferred elements like sidewalks, plazas, eating areas and pedestrian spaces. Or design elements like clerestory windows or awnings.

“This is something we kind of want right?” Councilman Mike Hill said. “This is something that we’re encouraging developers to develop.”

Having a clear set of conditions for the commercial mixed-use areas will remove ambiguity from city code, and streamline the approval process for project requests through the City Council.

“We’ve had developers actually ask us for this possibility,” Duce said.

“I like trees, can we require a certain number of trees per acre?” Councilman John Hodgkins said.

The existing commercial requirements outline spacing for trees and allowable types. The proposed commercial mixed-use overlay standards would add landscaping standards with stricter requirements for trees, plants and swales.

“I love trees,” City Planner James Agidius said. “I added two or three different landscape requirements here, on top of our commercial stuff.”

The draft of the requirements hasn’t been approved by the council and is still in discussion phases, and the workshop was held for the council to guide city staff with feedback.

Council members suggested a few revisions to the draft. For example, parking parameters need to be clarified, and more details around ADA accessibility will need to be explored in detail. The final requirements would ideally be both fair to developers and to potential residents with special needs. Residences currently would only be permitted on second stories. Elevators could add a huge cost and prevent projects from being brought forward, but residences must be accessible.

“We’re looking at a particular aesthetic and trying to enforce that aesthetic,” Hodgkins said. “It’s up to the developers to meet those challenges. If it’s an investment they want to make, they will.”

Developers will have an opportunity to provide feedback in a workshop with the city staff, but the date has yet to be determined, Duce said.