I am reposting this hoping that its second round will elicit
comments. It was posted during the Cd'A conference and I'm not
sure if people have caught up since returning. I am guilty of
only scanning it, and will give it a close reading immediately.
Thanks for prodding,
Susan Palmer
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Fri, 2 Jun 1995 08:50:17 -0700
From: Dale Pernula <dpernula@moscow.com>
To: vision2020@uidaho.edu
Subject: Area of City Impact
NOTICE
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN DISCUSSION DRAFT
MOSCOW AREA OF CITY IMPACT
As part of the process of updating Moscow's Comprehensive Plan, the City of
Moscow Planning and Zoning Commission has prepared a discussion draft plan
relative to land located within the Moscow Area of City Impact. The Area of
City Impact includes unincorporated areas of Latah County within about one to
two miles of the city.
On June 28, 1995 from 4:00 P.M. to 7:30 P.M. in the Council Chambers of City
Hall, the Commission will hold an informal open house discussion on the
document. You are encouraged to comment on the document prior to or at the
meeting in order that the Commission may obtain public comments early in the
process. A formal public hearing will be held after this proposal and other
elements have been finalized. Comments in the form of suggested alternative
language would be especially helpful.
Copies of the discussion draft may be obtained on the third floor of City Hall
(Old Post Office Building) located at 206 E. Third Street, or may be
requested by
telephone at
883-7000. Comments may be sent to:
City of Moscow
Planning and Zoning Commission
P.O. Box 9203
Moscow, Idaho 83843
Moscow Planning and Zoning Commission:
Jay Pengilly Lynn Baird Bill Morscheck
Joel Hamilton John Hudson Paul Mann
Lynne Young Dana Dawes Jackson Davis
Tony Johnson (Council Rep.)
A COMPLETE COPY OF THE DISCUSSION DRAFT FOLLOWS:
DISCUSSION DRAFT: Moscow P&Z Commission for 6/28/95
open house
MOSCOW AREA OF CITY IMPACT
Under Idaho law, cities and counties can enter into an "area of
city impact agreements" to jointly administer planning and
development activities in the area immediately outside the city limits.
The city of Moscow and Latah County reached such an agreement in
1993, and designated the area indicated in the accompanying map as
Moscow's area of impact. The area was drawn to include those areas
around Moscow with potential for urban-type development in the next
20 years. Because land in the area of city impact is in the proximity
of the City of Moscow, it is an area in which growth and development
may be expected to occur. Thus the area of city impact is a transition
area, including some areas that will be annexed into the growing city,
other areas where scattered residential development will intensify, and
still other areas where agricultural uses will continue for some time.
Procedurally, changes to the comprehensive plan map land use
designations for the area of city impact (which control what uses are
allowed in various areas) must be jointly approved by the Moscow
City Council and the Latah County Commission. The City of
Moscow zoning ordinance applies in the impact area and is
administered by the city.
City of Moscow zone designations can be applied within the
area of impact if they are consistent with the land use designations
shown on the comprehensive plan map. Since the usual agricultural
activities are uses-of-right within the Agriculture/Forestry zone,
provisions outlined in this section have little practical effect for most
existing farm uses.
GOALS OF THE AREA OF CITY IMPACT:
1. Promote the orderly development of land near the city of
Moscow.
2. Provide for a single comprehensive plan and one set of
development regulations that apply to land in the area of city
impact.
3. Simplify planning and development by having a single
jurisdiction (the city) be responsible for administering the
development and approval process in the area of city impact.
4. Allow for the expansion of the city boundaries through orderly
subdivision and annexation.
5. Provide for the cost-effective and well planned delivery of city
services (water, sewer, streets, etc.) within these expanding
boundaries.
6. Preserve and enhance the function of state and federal highways
and county roads in the area of city impact as safe and efficient
transportation corridors.
7. Protect the interim viability of agriculture in areas more distant
from the city and not yet ready for urban development by
minimizing conflict with scattered development.
8. Minimize the water, sewer, and access problems common to
scattered rural residential developments, and assure that the
layout of any such developments will be compatible with urban
standards when eventually annexed.
9. Identify, protect, and where possible acquire lands in the area of
city impact that will in the future be appropriate for parkland,
including possible linear parks along the railroad corridors and
Paradise Creek.
POLICIES FOR THE AREA OF CITY IMPACT:
1. Encourage development to occur contiguous with present city
limits and aggressively annex such developments -- so that city
services (water, sewer, streets) can be provided.
2. Moscow city sewer and water services will not be extended
beyond the city limits, except in cases where the failure of
existing systems have caused a public health and safety hazard,
and where users so served agree to fully bear all costs of such
service and not to oppose future annexation.
3. Development of multi-user sewer systems in the area of city
impact is discouraged, except as provided in #2, above.
Evaluate proposed subdivisions, where individual private
systems are proposed, to assure that functional sewage systems
can be developed for all parcels without undue off-site impact.
4. Require subdividers to show that any residential development
which occurs is compatible with the street layout and service
access requirements of later higher density urban development,
and is amenable to later re-development using city size lots.
5. Discourage both residential and commercial strip development
with multiple accesses off county roads which are, or may
become, arterial streets.
6. Require that roads and intersections be designed to restrict and
control vehicular access along state and federal highways in the
area of city impact to preserve the primary transportation of
these highway corridors. Use buffers in industrial and
commercial areas to preserve visual amenities in these major
entrances to the city.
7. Some rural non-retail businesses beyond those ordinarily
permitted in the Agriculture/Forestry zone are allowed as
conditional uses in that zone.
8. Within the area of city impact, parkland dedication (or fee in
lieu of dedication) may be deferred until the parcel is rezoned to
a higher density than the Agriculture/Forestry zone unless the
proposed subdivision includes land previously identified as a
preferred location for parkland.
9. Because land policies in the county beyond the area of city
impact significantly impact development pressures closer to the
city of Moscow, it is the policy of the city to consider Latah
County development regulations in setting regulations for the
area of city impact.
10. The area of city impact should be regularly re-evaluated by the
city and county to identify areas which should be added because
there is a reasonable chance they might experience significant
residential development or be annexed in the subsequent 20
years, and areas which have little chance of such development
in 20 years and might better be administered solely by the
county.
APPLICABILITY OF ZONES WITHIN THE AREA OF CITY
IMPACT:
1. Within the area of city impact, land initially zoned
Agriculture/Forestry can be rezoned to any of the city of
Moscow residential zones subject to the following.
a. Land where city type development/annexation is imminent (say
within five years and within 1/4 mile of the city limits):
- if being rezoned for residential purposes, such parcels will
ordinarily be assigned a zone of Suburban/Residential or greater
density.
- shall meet the goals and policies established for the area of city
impact.
b. For other parcels more distant from the city:
- Land may be developed for rural residential purposes as a stage of
transition toward more dense urban development. Such land
shall first be rezoned to Farm/Ranch.
- The Farm/Ranch zone should be reviewed to ensure that its
provisions are consistent with the goal of minimizing obstacles
to future redevelopment of land to more urban uses.
- Areas zoned Farm/Ranch shall ordinarily total at least 40 contiguous
acres.
- However, smaller tracts may be considered for Farm/Ranch zoning
where the developer can show that the land is unsuited for
agricultural use for reasons such as soil, topography, or parcel
configuration, and that the rezone meets the other goals and
policies established for the area of city impact.
- While rezoning to residential densities greater than Farm/Ranch is
possible, such development is naturally limited by the
availability of sewer and water, and by the City of Moscow
policy to only provide such services outside the city limits in
exceptional cases.
2. In rezoning land for industrial or commercial uses, first
consideration will be given to land currently designated as
industrial or commercial on the comprehensive plan map. In
considering any additional proposals to change the
comprehensive plan map and rezone land to Industrial the
Commission shall:
- encourage such development adjacent to present and likely future
industrial or commercial areas.
- discourage such development amongst or adjacent to present and
likely future residential areas.
- require the use of buffer strips and other applicable methods to
screen industrial uses from highways and from other sensitive
adjacent uses.
- require road, driveway, and intersection designs that control access
as needed to preserve traffic flow and safety.
- consider the effect of such development on traffic patterns, and on
city water and sewer system capabilities.