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Council directs staff to draft approval and gives first reading to large upzone affecting about 704 parcels
Summary
After a staff presentation and public testimony, council directed staff to draft a reason statement approving ZNC 24-5 and approved the first reading of Ordinance 49-69 to upzone roughly 704 parcels along and near 21st Street to a mix of R-3, R-4, C-4 and C-6 zones.
The Lewiston City Council on July 20 directed staff to draft a reason statement approving ZNC 24-5, a zoning change that would reclassify approximately 704 parcels on the east and west sides of 21st Street to higher-density residential and commercial zones. Council then approved the first reading by title of Ordinance 49-69 to implement that change to the official zoning map.
Assistant city planner Katie Hollingshead told the council the proposal aims to reduce the number of nonconforming lots, align zoning with the city’s Envision Lewiston 2044 comprehensive plan, and create a buffer between existing commercial corridors and lower-density housing. “Fifty-eight point eight percent of the identified properties — 414 out of the 704 — are currently nonconforming under R-2 standards,” Hollingshead said during a detailed map-and-photos presentation that reviewed lot sizes, topography, and where R-3 and R-4 transitions would serve as buffers to 21st Street.
During the public hearing, developers with RPL Development urged the council to move forward with related road and infrastructure pieces that would facilitate development. Several residents asked how rezoning would affect existing homeowners; Hollingshead and the mayor repeatedly said the intent is to keep residential uses the same while aligning zoning to the built environment and to relieve problems homeowners face with nonconforming lots (insurance, refinancing, and limits on improvements).
Council members discussed statutory criteria required for rezones, including consistency with the comprehensive plan, anticipated impacts on public infrastructure, and groundwater/surface-water considerations under Idaho Code. Councilor Wright moved to direct staff to draft a reason statement approving ZNC 24-5; Councilor Forsman seconded and the motion carried.
The council also approved the first reading of Ordinance 49-69 by title, which if adopted after subsequent readings would amend the official zoning map to reclassify approximately 704 parcels to R-3, R-4, C-4 and C-6 in the locations described in the packet. The council instructed staff to incorporate any relevant public testimony into the final reason statement before returning for final action.
