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What's Missing in Rexburg?

If you could create one space or amenity in the City what would you want to see? Here is your chance to let us know!

What would bring your friends here? What do you most wish we had that we do not? Use this project space to share your ideas on what would make Rexburg a better place to live, work, and play.

Phases

Phases overview

Phase 1: Gathering Ideas

Gathering Ideas

Phase 2: Review the data you submitted

Review the data you submitted

Phase 3: Provide more specific feedback

Provide more specific feedback

Phase 4: Sharing Survey Results

Sharing Survey Results

Gathering Ideas

October 15, 2022 6:00 AM - January 1, 2023 7:00 AM

This phase is for brainstorming lots of ideas! What is Rexburg missing?

Do you want an indoor recreation center? More play areas? More housing options? More sidewalks or bike paths? Maybe benches or a fountain downtown? An outdoor amphitheater? You probably have many other ideas... Share them here! Sharing ideas is a fun way to uncover the community's shared vision and the priorities on which the City needs to focus. No idea is a bad idea! So, if you have ideas to make Rexburg an even more pleasant place to live, drop them below!

We'll collect this data paying attention to the most popular submissions. Therefore, its important to interact and vote with other submissions for your favorite ideas. Have an idea that is particularly important to you? Please feel free to share and invite others to the platform.

Keep in mind: This ideation phase was created to foster creativity and collaboration among the Rexburg community. Please be respectful.

33 ideas

unknown author4 years ago

unknown author4 years ago

unknown author4 years ago We do have some rural residential lots within the city, but there seems to be a tendency to rezone these areas to make them higher density housing. I believe that there is a demand for larger lots (at least up to 1/2 acre in size). A half-acre lot allows people room for such things as: a nice shop, parking space for a recreational vehicle, large garden, some livestock, etc. There are people who want to remain in the city but also want to have a larger lot. The updated comprehensive plan should identify such areas and make it more difficult for developers to increase housing density in order to make a larger profit.Some state that larger lot sizes mean increased costs for the city to provide infrastructure for those lots. That may be true; however, the city subsidizes many things for the good of the city, e.g.; parks, street enhancements like those on S. Center Street, etc.

unknown author4 years ago Besides producing eggs, meat, and fertilizer for their owners, backyard chickens eat food waste, reducing the volume of garbage that must be landfilled by the city. Here are examples:“An increasing number of municipalities across Belgium are …offering free chickens to their residents in order to shrink the amount of organic waste that ends up in the garbage bin.”[1]U.S. research shows “that backyard chickens are a highly desirable, cost effective, and environmentally positive way to address food waste.”[2]“If 2,000 households each kept a family flock of 6 chickens (or more) in a single city, they could divert over 500 tons of biomass reaching landfills.”[3]“…each backyard chicken saves $6.76/year in MSW [municipal solid waste] management costs.”[4]“Just by changing a few lines of city code to allow and even encourage residents to keep family flocks — significant amounts of biomass “waste” could be diverted from the trash collection stream and kept out of landfills.”[5]Residents of Austin, Texas can earn a $75 rebate for buying a chicken coop and keeping backyard chickens! See the city’s website.[6] https://www.austintexas.gov/sites/default/files/files/Online%20ARR%20Home%20Rebate-Chicken%20Keeping%202020.pdf Rexburg city code needs to become more friendly toward residents who want to raise part of their food at home, especially those who want to keep a few laying hens in their backyard. The chickens will eat food waste, so the city benefits from a reduced volume of garbage that must be landfilled![1] https://www.thebulletin.be/adopt-chicken-etterbeek [2] https://digitalcommons.wcupa.edu/all_doctoral/33/ [3] https://www.chickensandyou.com/bio_recyclers_civic/ [4] https://www.biocycle.net/feed-chickens-not-landfills/ [5] https://blog.mcmurrayhatchery.com/2010/10/18/city-chickens-can-save-big-time-tax-payer-dollars-part-2/ [6] https://www.austintexas.gov/sites/default/files/files/Online%20ARR%20Home%20Rebate-Chicken%20Keeping%202020.pdf

unknown author4 years ago As Rexburg changes, crowded housing should not dominate the whole city. A wide variety of housing options are needed to attract permanent residents to Rexburg, including the people who want larger lots for their single-family homes. Rexburg has an existing stable country neighborhood for rural residential living on large lots. It is even zoned for agricultural production, including limited livestock if desired. Protecting that neighborhood would help preserve Rexburg's small-town feel, its agricultural roots, and its mission to be “America’s Family Community." Attached is that neighborhood’s petition for protection:

unknown author4 years ago

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unknown author4 years ago

unknown author4 years ago Can we work on some current issues that haven't been addressed before working on new projects? The Park St Park has curbs that were laid back when the city was completing the new road work on Park St. Since then, the grass, landscaping boxes have been left empty with 6-8 inches of a drop from the street into the dirt pit. My children have tripped multiple times and been scratched and bruised from this tripping hazard. I've called the City multiple times and asked this to be addressed to no avail. It's not only unsightly with weeds and rocks, but also a safety concern.

unknown author4 years ago I recently learned that - in public hearing on Sept. 7 - the City of Rexburg presented the designs for a future recreation center; possibly to be built near Rexburg Rapids. The purpose of this “post” is to express strong support for this center.During the nearly 30 years that we lived in Fort Collins, Colorado, I was invited to participate in City discussions regarding the design and construction of a Senior Center. I believe that this invitation was extended because I directed a gerontology program on the campus of Colorado State University. I strongly advocated for a Senior Center that was “open to the community”. I didn’t feel that it would serve the best interests of the City of Fort Collins or senior residents to create a center that segregated by age. I was not the only “voice” advocating for such. In the end, a beautiful Senior Center was constructed and was named as such. But in terms of actual operation, it was essentially a community center. In fact, when our youngest daughter was married, the wedding reception was held there. Here is a link to the Center’s website: https://www.fcgov.com/recreation/senior-center/When this daughter and her husband moved to Post Falls, Idaho, we visited them often. During these visits, I learned about the Ray and Joan Kroc Center in nearby Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. We visited the Kroc Center a number of times, and were very impressed with how busy it always was. Here is a link to the Center’s website: https://www.kroccda.org/kroc-cda/When our oldest daughter and family moved to Herriman, Utah, we visited them often. During most of our visits, I would take advantage of the nearby J.L. Sorenson Recreation Center in order to spend time with our grandchildren. Like the Senior Center in Fort Collins, and the Kroc Center in Coeur d’Alene, the Sorenson Center in Herriman was always busy, and seemed to function as a focal point for many community activities. Here is a link to the Center’s website: https://slco.org/jl-sorenson/As a university professor for almost 40 years, much of my life was spent on campuses that had student recreation centers and student union buildings. I was always impressed with how these facilities provided an array of amenities that were valued and used by students; often creating a sense of “community” that might not otherwise have been achieved.

unknown author4 years ago There aren’t enough things to do around Rexburg for young families. We need something like an indoor recreation center where people can go- somewhere that has activities for everyone of all ages. We need something that is available year-round. For example, I think the Provo Recreation center is a great resource for the Provo/Orem community- why can’t we have something like that here? Having a recreation center would also open up a few much needed jobs.

unknown author4 years ago

unknown author4 years ago Each day I walk about 7 miles around Rexburg. Part of this daily jaunt is on the trail that runs parallel to the South Fork of the Teton River (see red dash line on accompanying image). Because there is no pedestrian path/trail underneath the bridge on 2nd East (Hwy. 33), I need to use the cross-walk at the intersection of Hwy. 33 and Teton River Village (i.e. between Jack-in-the-Box and Citizen's Bank). I don't mind doing this, but sometimes my crossing holds up traffic. Personally, I feel that traffic might flow more smoothly at this intersection if those walking along the trail could continue via a pedestrian walkway on the south end of the bridge (see yellow arrow).

unknown author4 years ago After attending the Rexburg Comprehensive Plan Workshop on Tuesday, October 18, 2022, I did some further research concerning the availability of single unit housing in Rexburg. I went to the US Census website and was able to gather 2020 estimates concerning housing. Using that data, I put together a spreadsheet which compares the Rexburg statistics with those for the entire United States, the State of Idaho, and various towns within Idaho. This comparison shows that the percentage of 1-unit homes in Rexburg is very low compared to the nation, the state, and most towns in Idaho. At the workshop, if I heard correctly, a city representative stated that BYU-I is not currently the main contributor to the projected population growth for Rexburg. If that is correct, then it seems we need to be planning for considerably more single unit houses. I have attached a pdf file of my spreadsheet.

unknown author4 years ago

unknown author4 years ago We definitely need more policemen for the size of our town. The police are limited as to what they can do as they are spread too thin! We definitely need an additional Super Walmart on the college end. The college students leave the shelves empty and it's chaos when they first come in. We definitely need more infrastructure - nice sit down restaurants, a variety of shops - TJMaxx, Target, etc. There are too many Auto Part stores, banks, and physical therapists. Why send the residents to shop in Idaho Falls when the taxes can come here. MORE TREES, less concrete and apartments. Many of the trees have already been torn down. There is no shade and the birds have left. We definitely need a City Government that actually represents the local people of Rexburg.

unknown author4 years ago

unknown author4 years ago

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unknown author4 years ago Part of my daily walk includes a section of trail that runs East-West along the South Fork of the Teton River. Because of the lovely scenery, this is probably the favorite section of my daily jaunt. Today I noticed that the ice on the river had frozen solid enough that folks on the north side (presumably residents of the Stonebridge subdivision) had trekked across it (at a point near the Idaho Eye Center) to access the trail. This made me think that a pedestrian bridge located near this point would give residents of the Stonebridge subdivision year-round access to the trail that runs along the south side of the river. I am attaching a satellite view with yellow lines indicating three possible locations for a pedestrian bridge.

unknown author4 years ago The Parks Department webpage states: " Parks have become a place where residents gather to relax, play, and celebrate. Everyone has a park memory. As Rexburg continues to grow, the City wants to maintain and build new parks so that future generations can enjoy and make memories in these parks." I agree, and would love to see at least two or more parks located in the SE quadrant of the City, as indicated in the area highlighted (red line square) in the attached image. Ideally, it would be nice to have many of not most of the City's parks connected via a trail system similar to the trail that runs alongside the South Fork of the Teton River.

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