A Tale of Two Maps

When I ran for office two years ago I was very much concerned about the density of the city and the potential growth that was being facilitated by the 2040 Comprehensive Plan and the Future Land Use Map (FLUM). My own little home on a quiet street was being rezoned to apartments (Mixed Use/ purple- see below). I was alarmed and concerned enough to put my life on hold and run for public office.

My hope has always been to revise the FLUM to leave already developed properties alone. I look at apartment zoning, the purple areas, that allows for 15 units per acre, on top of already existing homes. What is in the future of those existing affordable homes? I'm also concerned about the light blue Mixed Residential zone that allows for 8 dwellings per acre.

Over the past 18 months that I have been on the council, we have made some changes to zoning and codes, but the FLUM still has not been properly addressed. Existing homes are still in danger of future re-development. I'm especially concerned about all of the Mixed Use along Government Way that also falls in the Urban Renewal District where your tax dollars can be used to help pay for the ground work of future building.

At present, the City of Hayden has two primary maps that are referred to for zoning purposes. The first one is the Current Zone Map. This map shows the zoning as of September 27, 2022. It is basically a picture of where Hayden stands today. Can you find your zone?

The second map is the FLUM. This is what was envisioned for the future of Hayden when the 2040 Comprehensive Plan was adopted by the city in November 2020. The adoption of this map was the primary factor in the 1,700 zone change letters that went out in April 2021 as well as the over 500 zone change letters that went out last year (2022). Were you the recipient of one of those letters? What future zone are you in?

When is the FLUM used? Basically, if someone wants to develop a property they can either develop it according to the regulations of the zone it is presently in, or they can request a zone change. The FLUM is the guide to the most likely zone change to be approved by the Planning & Zoning Commission as well as the City Council. The property owner is then able to develop according to what their zone allows and in most cases they won't need City Council approval. How do you think the FLUM could effect your property?

On Tuesday, August 8 at 2PM, the Hayden City Council had a workshop where one of the topics was taking another look at these two maps and the effect that the FLUM has on the city. It seems as though history and promises have been forgotten. I still want to eliminate the purple cloud of density in the FLUM, but I am just one voice in four.

Tomorrow night the last item on the agenda is a workshop on "Local Land Use Planning Act related to the Comprehensive Plan" so the conversation continues. https://legislature.idaho.gov/statutesrules/idstat/title67/t67ch65/