1972 05-15
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P ee tin called to order by W D, kiver Chairman of the Co issi n
embe s pre nt: Jack Chard• Wil and ovule E. L. Bennett• kobe t Gla s er• Don Roberts
ther present: Ja Moore and Da e xi chie f the Ada Counc'1 of Gover nments '
M kitchie is a o ula ion xpert and authorit for r ect ve r wth.
a Mo e s oke and ex laine the 0~ 6 pace concept Theo, _
en pace the_area in_an~ giv n lo_ alit that should_not be e tensi el d vel~~___
reas volvin s~xch thins s wi dlife habitate natural wet r co rses etc,
ceni area ; Can ons(uock can n able ock and historical sites panor mic views,
ecre
tion
eas (There are now I
one
area
to ex .lore we must
once
ve wh
t we have,
t is visable to maintain reen belt r a ricultural areas A icult al land
s co tl t oren u?~ as new land not er ar as• The resent ava' able ood oil farm land
howl rema' as a ricultural. T ass e th' s it mi ht be advanta eous to al ow tax
refe ence a ricultural with dev to er to be required to go back nd roi k up the
iffe ence deferred taxes to s bdiv' de su h land at an later t 'me,
efer t Revised No, 1 Ge io al als o file these minutes
efer t Open S ce Goals an Pol' c Ob ectives on £ile with hese minut s.
t wa point d out that owth an dev to me t should take dace a 'ace t to he Cit _
unit o£ Mu icpalities throughou the Count and no to allow scat ered Bevel ments.
t was iscussed that the la ge s oro in center would lend a reme dous ct _
o th commu 'ty as a whole: in elat' on to o ulation (1000 or em o ees Traffic
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low (
an un
etermined mass of ve
icle
Bail
) _
t was hought that an adver isin ~s~n ordinance should be c nsid red nd ut _ __
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nto ffect o perpetuate the ast ~etic Yenvir nemental climate of t e bu iness center.
isua image of a community can ffec the ' m ressions of a cit for ood o for bad.
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igns should
not detract from the
appe
,rance
of a building, or be
o la
ge as
to over-
hado the i pression or proper d cor ~ f the hole roadway, Signs shou d not hide ,or
etra t from traffic control devi es.
t was uggested that a cons dera ion o approach to a compre ensi e pla would be
- o de
and 'de th
sage amount of land need
an be projected into d fo
the the various 7,ones of Bevel
~-
uturei~y comparing past pro pmen
ess Th
-
to av present ~
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id too
uch nd or too little set aside whic coul drive up or down th val e of he Avail-
a ble 1 nd,
2.
Meridian Planning and Zoning Commission
Mav l5. 1Q77
t was ointed out tha n oul b u m'
the C unt onin what th d r h ;nit
v_
une 1 th 1 2 a 9
tive at 0 P M here a C'
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nds.~me_~ _1a
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t- _
neFds
f o Comm _--
nit -
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Chairman
ity Jerk
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ACOG - Regional Planning Division
February 1972
OPEN SPACE GOALS AND POLICY OBJECTIVES
Goal I: Protect extensive life-supporting processes and natural resources
needed to sustain the regional population.
A. Aquifers and Aquifer Recharge Areas
Policy Objective: Prohibit development that would or might discharge
toxic and biological wastes or sewage into an aquifer or aquifer recharge
area.
Policy Objective: Encourage agriculture, foresty, recreation, or other
low-density types of activity in aquifer recharge areas.
B. Surface Waters
Policy Objective: Encourage land uses that are not absolutely dependent
upon waterfront locations to locate elsewhere. Essential uses would include
marinas, water and sewage treatment plants, water-related industries, and
some water-using industries.
Policy Objective: Allow land uses that would have no damaging effect on
water resources to locate in close proximity to surface water. These uses
would include agriculture, forestry, recreation, institutional and residen-
tial open space.
C. Flood Plains
Policy Objective: Allow land uses that are unharmed by flooding to locate
within the critical flood plain. These uses would include agriculture,
forestry, recreation, institutional open space and open space for housing.
Policy Objective: Encourage land uses that are not inseparably linked to
flood plains to locate elsewhere. Flood plain related use might include
marinas, water related industry and some water using industry.
D. Forested and Wooded Areas
Policy Objective: Discourage land uses which would impair the role of
forested and wooded areas in controlling erosion, sedimentation, flood and
drought, in providing habitat for game, and in providing scenery and recrea-
tion. Compatible activities in Ada County include water mangement, wild-
life habitat, and recreation.
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' Open Space Goals and Policy Objectives
February 1972
Page 2
E. Range Lands
Policy Objective: Protect range lands from uses that may cause uncontrollable
erosion, decreased cover or vegetation for animals in critical areas, or
a drastic change in the life supporting processes that depend on range land
conditions.
F. Habitat Preserves
Policy Objective: Protect environments that are necessary for the survival
and normal functioning of deer, elk, birds of prey, fish and other wild ani-
mals. Allowable land uses may be determined by the effects which they have
upon the natural habitats.
Policy Objective: Protect environments that are necessary for the survival
and normal functioning of important types of plant life.
G. Prime Agricultural Land
Policy Objective: Maintain areas with prime agricultural soils, especially
those in close proximity to the metropolitan area, as agricultural districts.
Encourage only those uses that are dependent upon the soil type.
Policy Objective: Avoid use of already irrigated lands for non-agricultural
purposes where the reduction in such farmland would demand the development
of more irrigated land to replace that which was lost.
H. Mineral Resource Areas
Policy Objective: Protect areas underlain by valuable mineral resources
from development that would hinder access to those minerals at some necessary
point in the future.
Goal II: Contain urban growth and sprawl and create an urban identity through the
design and preservation of open space.
A. Urban Form
Policy Objective: Divert incompatible development from areas that are
identified as having a high potential as greenbelts, buffer zones, landscaped
rights-of-way, or as adjuncts to landmarks and monuments.
Goal III: Protect landmarks and monuments of cultural and educational importance
from encroaching development.
A. Landmarks
Policy Objective: 0ontrol new development or alteration of existing develop-
ment where the quality of historical, ethnolographical, geological, geomorphologi-
cal „ or archeological sites and monuments may be adversely affected.
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Open Space Goals and Policy Objectives
February 1972
Page 3
g. Views and Viewpoints
Policy Objective: Control new development or alteration of existing develop-
ment where vistas and panoramas may be subject to visual obscurity or where
public access to viewpoints may be adversely affected.
Goal IV: .Protect the regional population from the potentially harmful effects of
a hazardous or unhealthy .location, and to avoid the possible precipita-
tion of those effects by inappropriate development.
A. SCeep Slopes
Policy Objective: Avert problems of flood control and erosion by curtailing
all development (excepting forestry and some types of recreation) on slopes
greater than X% and strictly controlling development on slopes between y%
and X%.
Policy Objective: Prohibit development from occurring where the development
may be in some danger from hillside soil instability.
g. Geological Instability
Policy Objective: Curtail development where there is a relatively high
probability that surface development may be harmed by geological instability.
C. Airport Zones
Policy Objective: Preserve land which may be needed for future expansion of
and insulation from the effects of the airports in the region.
Policy Objective: Divert development from lands adjacent to airports and
from lands extending under flight paths and the noise cones at the ends of
runways.
Goal V: Provide space and facilities for the passive and active recreation needs of
the regional population in urban areas.
A. Urban Recreation
Policy Objective: Acquire vacant and developed urban land for neighborhood
parks and playgrounds, community parks and playfields, and major urban parks
in accordance with established planning guidelines.
Policy Objective: Insure that rights-of-way are preserved along linear
features within the urban areas of the region for the purpose of providing
the population with recreational areas where it may enjoy various modes of
non-commercial travel.
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Open Space Goals
February 1972
Page 4
and Policy Objectives
Policy Objective: Encourage the construction of special urban recreational
facilities, either by public or private means, in such locations and of such
quality and quantity so as to be in accord with established planning gulde-
lines or with community demands.
Goal VI: Provide space and facilities for the passive and active recreation needs
of the regional population in rural areas.
A. Rural Recreation
Policy Objective: Acquire land suitable for rural district parks and wayside
parks in accordance with established planning guidelines.
Polciy Objective: Insure that rights-of-way are preserved along linear
features in the rural areas of the region for the purpose of providing the
population with recreational areas where it may enjoy modes of non-commercial
travel.
Policy Objective: Encourage the designation of appropriate rural areas as
special recreational facilities and discourage types of development which
would be incompatible with such facilites.
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I. A11 residents of Ada County should be provided the best possible
living environment -- with pleasant, healthful residential neighbor-
hoods; convenient, attractive shopping, and business centers; and
suitable locations for i:idustry -- all supported by a high standard
of urban services and facilities.
I7. urban development should occur only in well-defined areas where
the public health, morals, safety, and welfare of the inhabitants
thereof can be maintained by providing the necessary public facili-
ties and services.
III. Land outside of the urban areas should remain predominately rural
in character, and to the extent possible, be used for the production
of crops or open space until such time as public facilities necess-
ary to support urban development can be provided.
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FOLICI~S
RURAL
1. Encouragement should be given to the continuation of present
agricultural areas and encouragement directed towards the
combination of farms into larger economic units.
URBAN
Residential
1. To avoid premature curtailment of agricultural production, portions
of urban areas which cannot be provided with central water, secaer
and transportation facilities should not be developed for intensive
residential, commercial or industrial purposes until central
facilities can be provided.
2. Urban areas should be encouraged to preserve community identitq.
3. The use of modern development methods and techniques should be
encouraged to bring about a more efficient use of land without
resulting in Overcrowding.
4. Urban areas should develop in an orderly manner in respect to the
location of various land uses 6 facilities, and insofar as possible,
the rate of growth in all directions from the core area.
5. A mixture of compatible housing shauld be developed to create
balanced residential neighborhoods.
6. Residential neighborhoods should be bounded by major streets or
natural barriers. Streets within neighborhoods should be limited
to minor access and collector streets.
7. Development of the Boise Front should occur according to carefully
dracm guidelines designed to prevent excessive run-off, erosion,
unnecessary scarring of the hill mass, and indiscriminate location
of roads and structures.
S. Central water & sewer facilities, other utilities, adequate street
improvements, school and park sites, should be provided for all
types of urban uses at the time of development.
9. Limited low density "eatate'° residential development, should be
encouraged adjacent to urban areas where central sewer & water
facilities are not planned and where individual sewer and water
service will meet local and state health requirements.
10. 21u1t1-family residential areas should be located functionally
coirvenient to major streets and adequate utility systems.
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11. Multi-family residential areas should be encouraged to locate
near shopping centers, cultural centers, or other centers of
intensive activity.
12. The mixture of individual mobile homes and conventional dwellings
should be avoided until the construction standards and appearance
of the two more closely coincide.
13. Mobile hone parks should be located with com.enient access to mayor
streets, primary utility branches and neighborhood social and commer-
c1a1 facilities.
14. The development of mobile home subdivisions should be allowed to
accommodate those people who desire to locate their mobile home
on their own property.
15. Mobile home parks and subdivisions should contain a minimum of ten
acres and at least fifty lots and in no case less than five acres
and twenty-five lots, so as to create a homogenous neighborhood.
Commercial
1. The central business districts of the separate urban areas should
be recognized as the commercial, social, and civic centers of the
communities and emphasis placed on their preservation and upgrading.
2. Commercial centers should be designed to provide a pleasing environ-
ment for shoppers as well as being compatible neighbors to adjoining
land uses. Adequate buffering should be provided in those areas
next to residential properties. In community and regional centers
and central business districts, the design should properly accommodate
both vehicular and pedestrian traffic.
3. Residents of the urban areas should be provided with convenient,
attractive neighborhood shopping facilities.
4. Neighborhood commercial areas should consist of day-to-day convenience
shopping and service needs. Intensive commercial uses and Indus-
trial uses are not considered compatible within neighborhood commer-
cial areas.
5. Neighborhood commercial areas should be located on mayor streets
generally with a service radius of one-half mile to one mile.
6. Neighborhood and community shopping centers should be planned and
developed as architectural units with permanent parking areas.
7. Commercial centers may be located where two or more neighborhoods
ad~oln, or within neighborhoods if designed as a part of the total
unit.
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8. Commercial areas should be functionally separated from school
facilftiea~
9. "Strip" commercial development; a long string of miscellaneous
stores along major arterials drawing unon transients for trade;
should be discouraged.
10. Commercial areas located on highways should be limited to those
uses which are oriented to vehicular oriented services.
11. Highway commercial uses should have well-defined points of Ingress
~ egress through cuts in vertical curbs and gutters. These curb
cute should be no less than 150 feet from major street intersections.
Industrial
1. Available apace for industry should be slightly more than the
demonstrated demand b need to assure an adequate supply of industrial
sites.
2. Generally, industrial sites should be located on large level pro-
perties with ready access to major transportation and utility systems.
3. Productive agricultural land should not be developed for industrial
purposes inview of the vast areas of desert land which meet the
locational criteria above.
4. Industrial areas which might be located within or adjacent to
residential areas should be carefully designed to avoid adverse
effects to surrounding land use patterns. This design should
apply both to the types of industrial uses allowed in the area
6 the physical and aesthetic appearance of sites.
5. Land uses other than industrial or industrial related uses should
generally be prohibited from Industrial areas.
6. Extractive industries should be permitted to utilize needed mineral
or building materials in areas where they are known to exist where
this practice will not adversely effect existing development.
Areas should be allocated on the Land Use Plan which are large
enough to fulfill the antlcipated demands for at least 50 years.
As a working site is depleted, the site should be rehabilitated
for another use. In the case of materials processing pits along
the river, they could become a part of a Greenbelt running the
length of the river through the urban area.
PERFORMANCE
STANDARDS
1. Compatible performance standards should be prepared and adopted
by each jurisdiction to insure the best possible development.
2. In areas where utilities are not available or axe inadequate,
plane and priority systems for improving or adding to existing
utilities should be promulgated by the appropriate public or private
agencies. These plans and priorities should have as a goal
completely pollution free systems, regardless of their location.
3. Where pollution sources now exist, all possible steps should be
taken to correct such conditions.
4. All utility buildings and structures should be designed to fit in
with existing and potential surroundings.
~~'~;,IG FACILITIES
1. Public improvements as well as private development should be guided
by the regional and local Comprehensive Plans.
2. A regional capital improvements program should be compiled, adopt®d
and followed, with annual revisions, so that the public could be
acaare of and anticipate major public expenditures. Additionally,
cooperation between public agencies would be aided and economic
benefits would result from coordinated or joint contract awardings.
3. Public buildings and operation centers should be subject to the
same locational and design criteria as their counterparts in private
enterprise.
4. A strip of land should be reserved in perpetuitq along the banks
of the IIoise River for public access and enjoyment. To lessen the
public costs of the Greenbelt, it should be made an Integral part of
private development if possible.