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Council advances development-code amendments on fences and billboard replacements to first reading
Summary
Council considered amendments to the development code affecting fence placement, sight triangles, driveway setbacks and billboard replacement rules (allowing existing billboards limited full replacement). Staff added illustrations to clarify sight-triangle and corner-lot rules; council raised fairness and safety questions and voted to consider Ordinance 1320 for first reading.
Rexburg City Council on Aug. 21 advanced amendments to the development code (Ordinance 1320) addressing fences, sight-triangle setbacks, driveway clearances and rules for existing billboards.
Planning staff said the package clarifies definitions, adds drawings to show corner-lot sight triangles and driveway clearance (for example, allowing 6-foot privacy fences where no driveway exists but requiring a reduced height within sight triangles where driveways are present), and proposes that some existing off-premise billboards be eligible for full replacement rather than being limited to repairs up to 50% of value. The revisions preserve grandfathered status for pre-existing signs and limit new billboards in most areas.
Several council members questioned the fairness of allowing only previously installed billboards to be replaced while barring new billboard installations. One member said, "It doesn't make sense" to permit replacement only for existing owners while preventing new billboard entries. Planning staff and legal counsel said the proposed approach is legally defensible and intended to balance safety, aesthetics and business needs; staff also noted exceptions for TAG (transitional agriculture) zones and the use of conditional-use processes for special cases.
Council moved and approved consideration of the ordinance for a first reading, with staff to refine language and illustrations as discussed.
