Rathdrum holds workshop on broad Title 15 zoning and code updates

Rathdrum city staff led a workshop on proposed updates to Title 15 of the city code that would change residential zoning designations, add a mixed‑residential option, limit certain industrial uses by size, and tighten rules for accessory structures and annexations.

City staff said the packet is a working summary rather than a final draft and that it will return for public hearings in January. The changes discussed include sunsetting the existing R‑1 and R‑2S zones in favor of new R‑1A, R‑1B and R‑2A categories with larger minimum lot sizes; creating an MRA zone intended to require multifamily development on portions of parcels; reinstating small‑scale manufacturing as a permitted industrial use with a production‑area cap; and new limits and definitions for the downtown overlay district.

The proposed R‑1B would require 20,000‑square‑foot minimum lots with a cap of 1.25 acres per lot and a limit of 10 acres total citywide in that designation; staff said the intent is to avoid large tracts that force expensive infrastructure extensions. Staff also proposed that the mixed‑residential A (MRA) zone be structured to encourage cottages, row houses and other forms of attached housing rather than “tall, multifamily” buildings; city staff clarified that existing MR zoning would remain in place and that MRA is an alternative for annexations or rezonings seeking a mixed‑use outcome.

On industrial uses, staff recommended bringing small‑scale manufacturing back into the industrial zone but limiting manufacturing floor area to roughly 1,200 square feet for those parcels to avoid heavy industrial uses in inner‑city lots. Councilmembers asked whether that cap should be 2,000 square feet; staff said they were seeking input on an appropriate size and would clarify whether the measurement applies to production floor only (excluding office, bathrooms and storage).

Staff also proposed several administrative changes: a mandatory five‑year review tied to a new state law for the city’s area of impact maps; an administrative relief pathway to allow temporary, limited deviations to accommodate Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) needs (for example, covered ramps or temporary carport‑type structures when documented as necessary); clarified requirements for landscape barriers next to accessory drives; and a one‑year expiration (with possible council extension) on annexation approvals if an annexation agreement is not executed.

Council members raised implementation concerns: how the changes would affect future annexations, whether limits on permitted downtown uses could constrain economic opportunities, parking impacts in the downtown overlay, and how the city will define ‘‘manufacturing floor area.’’ Staff agreed to tighten language in the packet, clarify where single‑family uses remain allowed versus where multifamily will be required, and return with a public hearing draft.

Several features of the draft were flagged for further drafting and public notice: the proposed 200% maximum lot‑size cap in residential districts (with exceptions for remainder blocks in phased subdivisions), clearer definitions for ‘‘production floor’’ versus storage, and formatting improvements to the land‑use tables. Staff said the updated code will come back for two public hearings before final adoption.