Historic Preservation Commission

IDAHO FALLS HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION Regular Meeting Thursday, December 3, 2020 12:00 p.m., Annex Conference Room And WebEx Minutes Members Present: Rachel McMurtrey (Chair), Christopher White (Vice Chair), Hereschell Mynarcik, Catherine Smith, Carrie Athay Also Present: CDS Director Brad Cramer, CDS Assistant Director Kerry Beutler Meeting Called to Order: Rachel called the meeting to order at 12:15 p.m. Minutes: Hereschell made a motion to approve the minutes from September 3, 2020. Carrie seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. 2021 CLG Grant: Kerry Beutler explained the deadline for the grant is December 31, 2020. He repeated the grant application from last year. The grant is for administrative costs of the committee, training for the Idaho Preservation conference and to send Anas, the new Planner, to the National Trust Preservation Conference that will be held next November. The commission discussed that the grant for this year would be good but maybe next year they could add a cost to hire someone to help with different projects for National Register Projects. Hughes Imperial Estates and Gustafson Park Discussion: Brad Cramer discussed the Hughes Imperial Estates and Gustafson Park neighborhoods. He stated that one of the distinguishing features was the twenty (20’) foot side yards. When we got rid of that zone, there was a clause left in that said for the neighborhoods that were developed prior to this new code, you have to live by the old rules. He explained that the Planning Department is finding it hard to administer. Because of this, Planning has had discussions bringing all of the neighborhoods onto the same code with the same requirements except for Hughes Imperial Estates. Brad asked the Commission their opinion on Hughes Imperial Estates on what gives this neighborhood potential historical integrity. He wanted to know if they see a problem if the code is changed and people start building sheds and additions in the side yards, does that damage the historical integrity of the neighborhood? The commission discussed sizes of sheds and possible shot gun apartments going in. Brad assured them that wouldn’t be the case in this neighborhood. Comprehensive Plan – History of Development: Brad Cramer spoke to the Commission regarding assistance from them in developing a portion of the Comprehensive Plan that talks about the history of how the City has grown. One of the messages for the Comprehensive Plan is how the City is poised for big growth. Planning has looked at how the City has grown since 1907 by looking at data points like population, land mass, and change. In 1950 the City had 19,000 people and 2,700 acres. In 1960 we had 33,000 people and 5,000 acres as the INL came to town. This is the biggest growth spurt the City has ever had in a ten (10) year period. For future growth, the Planning Department does not plan on doubling population but it is a possibility. What the City can’t do in a financially solvent way is double in land mass again. People weren’t using a lot of land. They lived in a tighter environment going from .15 acres per capita in 1950 to over a quarter acre in 2020. If the City keeps growing at an exponential rate and the population were to start growing faster than it has been over the last decade, which was slow because of the recession, we won’t have the space without having to cut into prime agricultural land. Spreading out would add miles of utilities and roads. Why has Idaho Falls grown the way it has? What are the events that brought people here? If there is a connection, what is the connection to today? Where will Idaho Falls be in the future from 2020 to 2030? Some growth could be due to small module reactors at the INL, Covid has created a whole new way of working, there are zoom towns, and people want to live near recreation opportunities? What are the Commissions thoughts about how the City can connect that historical growth pattern to what we might expect to see in Idaho Falls? The Commission discussed resources and what is available, as well as, the timeline of Idaho Falls. The rail roads, INL, mines and natural resources that all contributed to the ebbs and flows of population. Diversity of the population also impacts growth. With the INL and other businesses coming in, our diverse population could be a draw to Idaho Falls. Roundtable: Meeting Adjourned at 12:50 p.m. Respectfully Submitted Ann Peterson, Recording Secretary