Hayden City planning commission advances 2040 comprehensive plan draft, outlines new rural zone and sewer rules

Hayden City planning staff presented a revised 2040 comprehensive plan land-use chapter and future land use map at a Planning and Zoning Commission workshop, and commissioners agreed to send the plan to a public hearing on Oct. 20.

The presentation, led by Don (staff member), summarized changes to the land use chapter and a new rural-zone designation intended to bridge residential suburban and agricultural zones. Don said the city began the update in August 2023, hired SCJ Alliance to assist with chapter drafting, and has since incorporated council and commission workshop input into a cleaner, consolidated chapter and maps.

The new rural zone would create a graduated set of minimum lot sizes and use rules. Under staff’s draft, residential suburban begins at a half-acre minimum; the proposed rural tiers include RU‑1 at 1 acre, RU‑2 at 2.5 acres, RU‑5 at 5 acres, and agricultural minimum lots increased to 10 acres. The draft adds dimensional…