Zoning changes cause concerns in Rexburg

The people of Rexburg are concerned about the city’s planning and zoning board approving more apartment complexes on vacant lots because the city is growing so fast.

“When apartments become three or four stories and the numbers get up to 75 to 80 in terms of units. That’s where we get concerned,” said Kendall Peck, a resident on North 3rd West Street.

Kendall Peck is raising a family in ahome on North Third West Street in Rexburg. Just a few streets shy of downtown. He likes the close-knit ties he has with his neighbors and the quietness of the street. But when the owner of a vacant lot on the street decided to approach City Hall to sell it as commercial land, Peck became uneasy.

“It will definitely have an impact on theneighborhood in terms of noise, traffic and some other considerations that a quiet neighborhood would always be concerned about,” said Peck.

The city says the growth of BYU-Idaho is resulting in the need for more apartment complexes. That’s when vacant lots in town become appealing, especially the North Third West and North Fifth West vacant lot. But the planning and zoning guidelines have to change to commercial property in order to build apartments on residential land.

But Kendall Peck and others along North Third West Street say they see problems that could arise from building apartment complexes that City Hall might not.

“We’re also concerned for the residents who could potentially live there because they’ll be living right next to a grain operation and railroad tracks. And there’s safety concerns about curves and sidewalks that don’t exist in the northeast corner of the lots. For us it just doesn’t feel like the right thing to do,” said Peck.

A public meeting will be held Sept. 6th at Rexburg City Hall.