Jefferson County committee begins drafting guiding principles for 30‑square‑mile Greater Rigby area

Jefferson County planning staff opened a remote working session to begin drafting 7–10 guiding principles for the Greater Rigby area, a roughly 30‑square‑mile planning area mapped by staff.

"We're gonna put together these guiding principles," said Josh, the meeting host, explaining the goal was to produce short vision statements the county could later publish for public input. The map presented covered about six sections by five sections around the Rigby area and showed existing subdivisions and zoning overlays.

Josh described the county's intent to concentrate higher‑density development near city limits and protect surrounding farmland. He noted existing zones—R‑1 (1‑acre minimum) and R‑5 (5‑acre minimum)—and identified specific subdivisions on the map, including Mill Creek Estates and Red Fox, that informed the discussion. Participants were asked to return comments by e‑mail and to respond to a short public survey the county will publish with a QR code.

Why it matters: the guiding principles will shape future comprehensive‑plan policy and ordinance language, guiding where the county expects growth and where it will seek to preserve agricultural land. Josh said the commissioners support focusing growth in the mapped area, and staff will convert the group's input into draft vision statements for broader public review.