The Planning and Zoning Commission for the City of Blackfoot finalized their proposed R1-R “residential ranchette” zone at their Tuesday evening meeting. The new zone will now go to a public hearing in February.
The P&Z commission also approved a conditional use permit for a day care business run by Karen Thomas at 232 Monroe Street. In addition, they voted to send the proposed tiny house subdivision ordinance to the city council for approval.
Kurt Hibbert, the city’s planning and zoning director explained: “The R1-R zone is just an R-1 zone but with animal rights added. It vests those rights to keep animals for the long term on the property as a conforming use.”
Many of the properties which were formerly zoned as R-A “residential-agricultural” will be candidates for the new R1-R zone.
“Creating the new zone will be a two-step process,” Hibbert said. “First, we have to make the zone and then we assign properties to it.”
The commissioners approved a public hearing for the R1-R zone, to be held at its February 26 meeting. After that, the commissioners will either revise it or send it to the city council for approval.
The second step involves rezoning neighborhoods from the former R-A and current R-1 zones, and placing them in the new R1-R zone. Rezoning those areas as R1-R must then go to a public hearing, which will probably be held in March or April.
LET THE CITY KNOW
Most of the properties that will be rezoned as R1-R are in the southwest quadrant of the city, along Riverton Road, Lansing and McAdoo Streets.
If individuals want their properties to be included in the new zone, they should contact the City's Planning & Zoning Department. The first rezoning of properties as R1-R will not incur any costs to residents; however, after that, anyone who wants to apply for R1-R zoning for their property will need to pay the rezoning fee.
Any R-1 residents with one acre or larger lots who wish to be in an R1-R zone should contact Kurt Hibbert, Blackfoot’s P&Z administrator at (208) 785-8600 ext. 4, or at khibbert@cityofblackfoot.org, preferably before the second public hearing.