City’s building design standards approved

Newcomers now have a set of standards that they must meet for everything from lighting to landscaping before they can build a home or business in Weiser.

 The Weiser City Council unanimously approved Ordinance No. 1273, which establishes new design rules and a review committee to help developers navigate them on the path to a building permit.

 “What it provides for us is a very visible view that Weiser cares about its image and wants those who are going to fit into the community,” Councilman Sterling Blackwell said, “by demonstrating our care for the history we have and wanting to align with that.”

 Blackwell has served as the city council’s liaison on the design review committee since it was created three years ago as a voluntary part of permitting. Now, it will be required.

 The panel, which is appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the city council, is a collection of volunteers with expertise in city planning, horticulture, historic preservation and local business. The new guidelines include requirements for exterior materials, lighting, fencing, landscaping, trash receptacles, pedestrian pathways and recreation areas.

 To draft their rules, the committee compared standards from more than a dozen Idaho communities similar to Weiser. While McCall has strict style requirements, Blackwell said the committee looked more to places like Nampa that balanced history and economic realities.

 “What we wanted as a committee is to make sure that when people come to see Weiser, Weiser has that charm that we can see, that we can recognize, that makes us feel comfortable,” Blackwell said. 

 Councilman Larry Hogg raised numerous concerns about added bureaucracy stifling business. 

 “I don’t want us to be competing with Payette for a grocery store or something and have them choose Payette because our design review is too restrictive,” he said.

 Hogg also worried about how the city would enforce subjective standards.

 “I’m fearful that it slows down the process, that even with volunteers on the committee, it still costs money to have it,” he said.

 Mayor Randy Hibberd acknowledged adding an extra step, but one that will pay off in the long run.

 “Towns that have adopted these types of policies don’t tend to... want for business,” he said. “Usually, it’s a sign of growth and prosperity and of being a place where you want to have a business.”

 The committee has already been working with incoming businesses with a range of results. Blackwell highlighted that Maverik “graciously” altered the landscaping at its new gas station, including natural stone and vegetation, to comply with Weiser standards. The committee had less luck with other notable commercial projects along Highway 95, but Blackwell argued businesses often appreciate having a baseline from which to work. Clarity was key, he said. 

 “For example, when it talks about colors, we don’t say what colors are allowed, we tell you what colors aren’t allowed because it is easier to draw the line,” he said.  

 Councilman Herb Haun pointed out it protects existing businesses from unwanted changes next door. 

 At the end of the extended debate, Hogg joined the rest of the council in voting for codifying the ordinance with clarifications to be outlined at the next city council meeting in June.