Bellevue planners last week started the process of revising the city's standards for large-scale buildings, after big-box retailer Home Depot inquired about the possibility of building a store on the north end of town.
"We don't care if Home Depot comes or not," Planning and Zoning Commissioner Eric Allen said. "What we care about is how a building of a certain size will affect (Bellevue)."
The Bellevue Planning and Zoning Commission initiated changes to the city's building-design criteria and listened to public objections to large-scale retailers at a special workshop Thursday, May 19.
The workshop was scheduled after news that Home Depot was studying a site on state Highway 75 prompted the City Council to enact an emergency 182-day building moratorium on structures greater than 20,000 square feet. The moratorium passed in April is intended to give the city time to review and possibly amend some of its building standards.
"There are things we need to change to make Bellevue look like the city you want," P&Z Chairwoman Laira Thomas said.
Under the city's current ordinance, a maximum 72,000-square-foot building can be built in the business district. The ordinance sets forth that at least two businesses must be contained in the building, but does not define the size requirements for the businesses. As the ordinance is written, a building could contain one business 71,000-square-feet in size and another 1,000-square-feet in size.
At approximately 28,000 square feet, Atkinsons' Valley Market is the largest building in Bellevue. By comparison, the Bullion Square complex in Hailey is approximately 21,000 square feet.
Questions over appropriate building size in Bellevue arose after inquiries revealed the site of the Sun Valley Garden Center is being considered as a location for a model Home Depot store. Representatives from Home Depot met with city officials in early May to present conceptual plans for a "boutique" store that would be smaller than typical Home Depot stores.
At the Thursday meeting, P&Z commissioners focused solely on changing the city's architectural design-review standards.
"This meeting is not about Home Depot. Home Depot has not made an application," said Jacki Saul, Bellevue planning and zoning administrator.
The P&Z remained focused on establishing design standards to reflect the public's vision for the city's future. A handful of attendees expressed concerns about large-scale retailers coming to the Wood River Valley.
"I came to this community for the strong sense of identity and strong sense of community that I think is often deteriorated with large-scale retailers," said Aaron Domini, Citizens for Smart Growth community planner.
The commission encouraged further public comment to shape the direction of changes to Bellevue's architectural standards.
"I do not want a big urban city or anything that represents that," Bellevue resident Ken Allen said.
Commissioners made suggestions to minimize the visual impact of large-scale buildings by requiring three-sided architectural detailing, requiring parking behind a building and requiring landscaping. The P&Z also discussed requiring an independent economic-impact analysis and an environmental-impact study to evaluate the effects of a large-scale retailer on the city.
The P&Z will address building standards and take additional public comment at its June 2 meeting. It will likely then pass a recommendation to the City Council.
