[Vision2020] North Polk Street (Was: Moscow City Council Monday Agenda)

Bev Bafus bevbafus at verizon.net
Tue Feb 6 07:48:00 PST 2007


Thanks Steven -- I wondered if someone would pick up on this and run with
it...

The streets are a very real concern.  And you are absolutely right about the
precedent being set.

There are other issues.  The lots are 5,000 square feet, and some are much
smaller.

The biggest problem I have is not with the developer, however, but with the
process this has followed with the planning department.

The application has come in piecemeal, and keeps changing.  The engineering
deaprtment originally had 23 items that needed correction, and suddenly,
they have "all" be rectified - but I can't see anywhere where these items
have actually been addressed.

Parking in this development is going to be a nightmare!

Anyone want to talk about this?  Contact me off list.

Thanks
Bev Bafus

  -----Original Message-----
  From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com
[mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com]On Behalf Of Steven Basoa
  Sent: Monday, February 05, 2007 4:22 PM
  To: Basoa Steven
  Cc: vision2020 at moscow.com
  Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Moscow City Council Monday Agenda


  When I first read the City Council agenda I laughed when I saw item 6
(pasted below).  Oh my, I said, how sad.  It looks like someone is planning
a gated community.  How insecure these people must be to want a gated
community here in Moscow.  Why?  When I read Ms. Bafus' post (also below), I
laughed some more and said, I should have known.  But my concern isn't so
much about a gated community but the proposed bending of the rules for it.
The lot sizes have been changed, that doesn't seem to be so much of a
problem but the last line of #6 bothers me.  The "public street standards
have been waived due to the fact that the internal roadways are to be
private."  This seems wrong on several levels.  The city of Moscow, Latah
County and the state of Idaho all have their building and planning codes and
regulations for a reason.  I may not agree with all of them, but they are
our standards.   All roadways within the city should be built to the current
standards.  This allows for greater traffic control and movement of safety
vehicles (ambulances, fire trucks, etc).  What if the current owners decide
to pack it in and move elsewhere?  What if they decide to break up the gated
community and allow it to become a 'normal' part of the community?  Then we
would have yet another section of town with narrow and inefficient streets.
Where else will the building codes and rules be altered to ease someone
else's burden?  Sidewalks?  Plumbing?  Electric?   And when the next
developer comes along and says, "Well, you changed the rules for them, why
not for me?"  Where does it stop?  I urge the city council to not waive the
public street standards.  I urge the city leaders (including, and maybe
especially, the city managers) to stop playing fast and loose with the city
codes and zoning issues.   Consistency and fair, unbiased enforcement of the
building codes should be the order of the day.  Instead it appears that spot
zoning and the waiving of building standards have become the norm.


  It has been hard to write this post and not digress into a tirade about
the lack of intelligent planning on the part of Moscow's city leaders of the
past two decades.  I think the city desperately needs some sort of master
plan for growth and development.  Otherwise we will continue to grow in the
sprawling and disconnected manner of the recent past.   And that ain't good
for anyone except maybe a few developers and contractors.


  SB


  6.       Public Hearing – Greensides Hill Preliminary Plat – Andrew
Ackerman
  On January 10, 2007, the Planning & Zoning Commission recommended approval
of a Preliminary Plat for division of approximately 8.2 acres of land into
37 single family lots on the west side of N. Polk Extension called
Greensides Hill.  The land currently consists of three parcels, each
developed with a single family residence and zoned medium density, single
family residential (R-2).  The proposal Preliminary Plat has associated with
it an approved Preliminary Planned Unit Development.  The R-2 Zoning
District has a 7,000 square foot minimum lot size for single-family
residential lots. Via the PUD process the lots have been permitted to be
reduced from the minimum standard. Additionally, public street standards
have been waived due to the fact that the internal roadways are to be
private.


  On Feb 2, 2007, at 10:28 PM, Bev Bafus wrote:


  For anyone concerned about the direction of growth in the City of
Moscow.....

  And especially concerned about the way we allow growth in infill areas
(lots surrounded by city that are undeveloped or underdeveloped).......

  And concerned about the capricious and inconsistent treatment of proposals
by City of Moscow Planning & Development........

  Please attend this meeting on Monday.

  Pay attention to the public hearing - item #6.

  This is land on North Polk Street.

  These parcels are owned by Mike & Linda Hoffman, Doug & Nancy Wilson, and
Matt & Laura Gray.

  Thanks
  Bev Bafus


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