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Committee weighs density as a tool for affordability; developers eye rezones and PUDs
Summary
Members discussed increasing density and shared utility costs as ways to make housing more affordable, while staff and a city official noted differing building-height rules and developer-driven rezoning requests.
Committee members identified higher residential density inside the Greater Rigby Area as one lever to improve housing affordability by spreading infrastructure costs. Jim Gerdes argued that increasing density "so that there is a shared cost for utility installation and services" could make development more affordable, but he and others cautioned that utilities, road capacity and water storage must be planned to support denser housing.
Kristine Warner noted developers face rising costs and often seek rezoning or Planned Unit Development (PUD) approvals to proceed. "The developer's costs raised to the point where they are not affordable so the developer is going to try to do a re-zone and a PUD," she said. Committee members observed the city limits include building setbacks and a two-story limit while the county reported no story height limit, highlighting the coordination needed when development sits near city boundaries.
