Commission recommends annexation of roughly 75 acres northwest of Jerome for R‑1 development

The Jerome City Planning & Zoning Commission on June 9 voted to recommend annexation of a roughly 75-acre parcel northwest of the city and to zone it Residential 1 (R‑1) for future single-family development.

EHM Engineers, representing property owner Corey Barton, requested annexation of the cultivated field near the northwest corner of 100 North and 200 East. Staff said the parcel is contiguous to the city boundary and lies within the Area of City Impact. The application requests R‑1 zoning. The commission’s findings note the parcel is currently farmed and contains no structures; it is designated on the Future Land Use Map as agricultural transition and would become available for residential development as utilities are extended.

Staff and commissioners discussed constraints and conditions: the parcel lies within an Airport overlay that requires disclosure but not a density cap; water rights associated with the property will be transferred to a trust to supply irrigation for future development; the commission expressed concern about the National standard for fire response times and about interim sewer capacity and water-pressure limitations. The commission found utilities can be made available at the developer’s expense and recommended approval to City Council.

The application materials include differing acreage figures in the record: the application narrative lists approximately 74.6 acres while the metes-and-bounds description included in the packet states 75.41 acres. The commission’s recommendation records the parcel area as approximately 75 acres for planning purposes.

The recommendation will be forwarded to the City Council for formal annexation and zoning action; the commission recorded a vote in the packet and recommended conditions relating to utility extension and developer-funded infrastructure improvements.