When a city's zoning codes are so convoluted that a City Attorney needs to write a four page memo to clarify the meaning of three sentences in the city's zoning code, the "person of ordinary intelligence" standard for valid laws has clearly been violated.  The problem for the city of course, is that the information in the "site standards" table of Title 11-2-3 directly contradicts the three sentences in the "General Notes". 

The Save Hayden group seeks to provide information about political developments especially those related to planning, zoning, and growth.   Topics addressed in the September Newsletter include: 1) Overview of problems with the 2040 Comp Plan;    2) R-MF to MR citywide rezone;   3) The August 15th "Save Hayden" meet-up and Public Hearing;      4) Hayden's incredibly biased "Standards of Approval." 5)  What is behind the "Law Enforcement" Levy;  

It almost seems that city administrators are so determined to increase their Base Budget that they have kept Hayden’s “Public Safety” allocation artificially low in order to provide a plausible justification for raising taxes.  “More Money for Law Enforcement” is a much more attractive motivator for raising taxes than Sewer upgrades, or remodeling City Hall.  

These biased and unfair “Standards of Approval for Zone Changes”, did not exist in their current form eighteen months ago.   Until the Spring of 2021, when the current Title 11 Zoning Regulations were adopted,  the City's code supported much more citizen-friendly Standards of Approval.  The old standards were intentionally thrown out and replaced with new standards that strip residents from having any voice whatsoever in the development of their city.   

Two hours into a confusing and tedious Planning and Zoning “Public Hearing”, opponents of Hayden's city-wide rezone were finally allowed to speak.   But first, over forty concerned residents who had come to have their voices heard, had to endure a two hour presentation covering minute details of hundreds of unrelated zoning changes.   

There is no enforceable statute anywhere in the zoning regulations that limits MR densities to 8 dwellings per acre.   In fact, such an ordinance, if it existed would be nonsensical because no such limitations could be enforced on already subdivided, individually owned, sub-acre parcels.

MEET YOUR NEIGHBORS,  SPEAK OUT,  RESIST THE REZONE!  Meet-up on Monday, August 15th 4:30 at McIntire Park (Near City Hall).  AT 5:00, the P & Z COMMISSION WILL HAVE A PUBLIC HEARING ON A CITY-WIDE REZONE OF 500+ “RESIDENTIAL MULTI-FAMILY” (R-MF) PARCELS.     THIS IS A STEP TOWARD ADOPTING THE 2040 FUTURE LAND USE MAP THAT DRAMATICALLY DENSIFIES HAYDEN.    

In this article we will discuss density and how it is measured. We would like Hayden residents, especially those whose property the city is trying to rezone, to understand all the factors related to density so they will not be mislead by false assurances. Residential Zones in Current and Future Land Use Maps Most rezoning in Hayden has to do with the process of transitioning from the city's current zoning to the 2040 Future Land Use Map (FLUM). Our Zoning Documents page has more information a…

Hayden is currently considering rezoning several hundred Residential Multi-family (R-MF) parcels to Mixed Residential (MR). We have alrady discussed some of the difficulties in comparing densities between these two zone types. Here we intend to discuss the enforceability of Hayden's own, officially stated limitations on residential density and potential loopholes in existing zoning laws. Some of the residential densities set forth in city documents describing new zoning options are not objec…

The major problem with Mixed Use is NOT its building code.   It is the number of acres zoned for Mixed Use, and the PROCESS by which Mixed Use developments are approved.   The 2040 Comp Plan offers By Right approval for high density development to any and all land owners whose property is zoned for Mixed Use.  Widespread and unrestricted Mixed Use zoning removes all safeguards against over-development in Hayden, formerly provided by "Special Use Permits." 

All these issues are complicated, and there are no easy, obvious solutions, but all were made dramatically worse by the 2040 Comp Plan.   And all deserve serious consideration by the Hayden City Council.  To ignore these issues is to allow Hayden to grow in an unhealthy and undesirable manner, that is opposed by the vast majority of residents.  

Home-ownership and is an essential, core value of our community and we are poorly served by city planners who fail to make a distinction between ownership opportunities and corporate rentals.  The dramatic increase in demand for housing in the area is driven by out-of-state families seeking permanent homes, yet most new “dwellings” built last year were rentals.

The proposed Hayden zoning plan includes over 2700 acres designated to accommodate large scale, high density dwellings. The number of "housing units" built on these properties could exceed 30,000—mostly rentals, and a "fully developed" Hayden, according to the updated Sewer plan (fig 3-2) is expected to house over 75,000 people.  The resulting population density would be twice that of fully developed urban centers such as Boise and Spokane.  

This type of community degradation is happening everywhere that high density development is encouraged.  The idea of “mixed use” is made to sound as if it will promote a diverse community of varying building types, but it is really just a smoke screen for very high density, corporate-owned rental units. It destroys every community upon which it is imposed.    Hayden zoning should promote home ownership and local businesses, not large, property-management corporations.