Planning commission reviews broad code amendments package including new 'rural' zone and mobile food-truck pilot

Staff member Donna led a Nov. 3 Planning and Zoning Commission workshop presenting a package of miscellaneous code amendments intended to align the city code with the recently updated Hayden comprehensive plan and with changes in state law. The package included proposed text and map changes across multiple titles of the municipal code, plus procedural fixes intended to simplify administration and enforcement.

Why it matters: The changes under discussion would affect multiple routine development processes'from how and when final plats are recorded to what types of temporary signs are permitted and how long storage containers may remain on private property. If council and the public approve code text amendments after the public hearing process, they will change city enforcement practice and the requirements for developers, businesses and residents.

Key proposals and discussion

Staff described a proposed 'rural' zone intended for parcels roughly greater than a half-acre and smaller than 10 acres in parts of the city's area of impact (examples cited: areas east/west of Hutter and north of Lancaster). Donna said the rural zone would sit between agricultural and suburban residential categories; commissioners asked whether landscaping and buffering should follow agricultural or residential standards. Several commissioners favored a less-intensive type 2 buffer for most rural-residential adjacencies to preserve views and reduce planting costs.

On noise, staff proposed simplifying the current quiet-hour language and aligning weekday/weekend hours more closely with Kootenai County to ease enforcement by the county sheriff's office. Legal counsel cautioned the commission that 'noise is subjective' and gave examples such as jackhammering; commissioners discussed the trade-offs between early-morning construction and late-night noise.

Staff proposed a re-start of a mobile food-truck pilot (original pilot ran 2019'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' 2021) to collect post-COVID data on demand and impacts; commissioners supported another pilot (one or two years) and recommended staff consult neighboring jurisdictions on operational details such as sewer hookups and oil-water separators.

On subdivisions and frontage, staff recommended a 30-day requirement for developers to record final plats and concurrent documents or have approvals become null and void; the change responds to county recording-process changes. Staff also recommended exempting small accessory dwelling-unit projects from constructing frontage improvements while still requiring dedication of right-of-way and utility easements to facilitate future improvements.

Signage and temporary display: staff proposed a nominal temporary-sign permit (a sticker or tag that indicates the approved display period) to help enforcement track the 30- to 90-day allowances in code. The commission discussed allowing limited signage in agricultural and rural zones for farm-stand / on-site sales.

Outdoor-storage and containers: commissioners discussed short-term moving pods versus permanent storage containers. Staff described the current 28-day limit for unlicensed/inoperable vehicles and proposed a 30-day temporary-container sticker and conditional-use review for permanent containers. Commissioners favored permitting containers by review where appropriate and using the sticker for short-term placements.

Quotes from the meeting

"So this is a miscellaneous code amendments workshop," Staff member Donna said as she opened the discussion on the breadth of changes under review.

On noise enforcement, legal counsel observed, "It's probably things like, jackhammering or . . . things that you would not expect from your neighbor to normally have unless it's under specific special circumstances," noting the inherent subjectivity in noise complaints.

What commissioners decided and next steps

The commission offered direction on buffer intensity (favoring type 2 in many rural adjacencies), temporary-sign tracking via a sticker, proceeding with a renewed mobile food-truck pilot (one to two years), and the 30-day recording timeline for final plats. No ordinance was adopted; staff said the drafts will be workshopped with city council and then proceed to the public hearing process. The Hayden comprehensive plan is scheduled for a city council public hearing on Nov. 18, and staff said they will return adopted redlines to the commission as needed before public hearings.

Clarifying notes

- Proposed developer obligation: record final plats and concurrent documents within 30 days of approval or the approval would become null and void (proposal discussed by staff).

- Proposed rural zone: described by staff as roughly greater than 0.5 acre and less than 10 acres; staff suggested treating many rural standards similarly to agricultural (ag) standards for signage and uses.

- Temporary signs/containers: staff proposed a nominal sticker-permit system to mark the authorized display period (example periods discussed: 30 days for containers; 30' to 90 days for temporary signs).

Provenance: The commission workshop on miscellaneous code amendments opened at 00:02:32 with staff remarks and continued through the council/public-hearing planning discussion at 01:16:33 (transcript excerpts).