7. City of Rexburg
2020 Comprehensive Plan

8. Overall Goals of this Comprehensive Planning Effort
Introduction and Community Vision Statement
Overall Goals of this Comprehensive Planning Effort
To improve the physical environment of the community as a setting for human activities-to make it more functional, beautiful, decent, healthful, interesting, and efficient.
To promote the public interest, the interest of the community at large, rather than the interests of individuals or special groups within the community.
To facilitate the democratic determination and implementation of community policies on the physical development.
To effect the political and technical coordination in community development.
To inject long-range considerations into the determination of short-range actions.
To bring professional and technical knowledge to bear on the making of political decisions concerning the physical development of the community.
To maintain high levels of interaction with the public for planning and decision-making. Encourage citizen input when considering code modifications.

10. PROPOSED REDEVELOPMENT AND INFILL EMPHASIS ZONE

12. 4. Mixed-Use supports higher density development and provides higher quality experience by leveraging proximity of uses to one another. Mixed-use developments often have higher property values. It created independence of movement, eases traffic congestion, maintains air quality, lowers traffic speeds, provides safety through around-the-clock presence of people, and provides economic viability.

13. Land Use Downtown Revitalization
The City hired a consultant to develop the Rexburg Downtown Blueprint plan in 2005, which clearly articulates the issues surrounding the current state of downtown and scores them based on their level of seriousness. It also identifies a number of possible remedies to address these issues, and ranks them by level of ease to implement and correct. It is the recommendation of this Comprehensive Plan that the City work towards and implement the recommendations of the Downtown Blueprint plan, as appropriate and at the appropriate time. Additionally, the City should encourage the organization of community leaders, business leaders, and interested citizens to develop a downtown program which sponsors special events, promotes retail and entertainment businesses, and assists new businesses interested in locating downtown. The Downtown Blueprint Recommendations are as follows:
Define and focus development on target markets;
Emphasize mixed-use development with ground floor retail;
Infuse residential units downtown;
Build a sound parking system for employees, customers, visitors and residents;
Build a pedestrian and cycling pathway network linking key downtown nodes;
Undertake infill, adaptive re-use and historic preservation. Implement urban renewal program;
Install small business amenities and services to draw this market;
Design the place of downtown for America’s families;
Connect to community and region with wayfinding, gateways, parking, amenities and marketing.
Recruit social retailers to reconnect with major regional markets;
Emphasize Rexburg’s rich heritage in marketing.

14. Land Use
Goal 3: Encourage the efficient use of land, public infrastructure, and tax dollars. Objective 3.1: Minimize capital improvement costs to the City by encouraging new development to occur near similar developments or existing infrastructure systems where possible. Policy: As appropriate discourage “leap-frogging” and development in isolated areas. Options and tools available to local governments include developer incentives in areas more appropriate for development, or disincentives such as more stringent requirements and application review procedures for development in areas less appropriate for development. Policy: As appropriate, consider a phased approach to expansion of the City, focusing new development efforts in areas that are closer to existing infrastructure systems. Policy: Encourage development of vacant or underused land, when appropriate, prior to additional greenfield development. Policy: Encourage responsible growth within the City. Strategies the City may want to consider include by developing policies that require developers to demonstrate the availability of adequate public services and facilities, or to demonstrate their plans or alternatives for meeting the increased demand on these services as a result of the development.

18. Overall Goals of this Comprehensive Planning Effort
Introduction and Community Vision Statement
Overall Goals of this Comprehensive Planning Effort
To improve the physical environment of the community as a setting for human activities-to make it more functional, beautiful, decent, healthful, interesting, and efficient.
To promote the public interest, the interest of the community at large, rather than the interests of individuals or special groups within the community.
To facilitate the democratic determination and implementation of community policies on the physical development.
To effect the political and technical coordination in community development.
To inject long-range considerations into the determination of short-range actions.
To bring professional and technical knowledge to bear on the making of political decisions concerning the physical development of the community.
To maintain high levels of interaction with the public for planning and decision-making. Encourage citizen input when considering code modifications.

19. Land Use
Goal 3: Encourage the efficient use of land, public infrastructure, and tax dollars. Objective 3.1: Minimize capital improvement costs to the City by encouraging new development to occur near similar developments or existing infrastructure systems where possible. Policy: As appropriate discourage “leap-frogging” and development in isolated areas. Options and tools available to local governments include developer incentives in areas more appropriate for development, or disincentives such as more stringent requirements and application review procedures for development in areas less appropriate for development. Policy: As appropriate, consider a phased approach to expansion of the City, focusing new development efforts in areas that are closer to existing infrastructure systems. Policy: Encourage development of vacant or underused land, when appropriate, prior to additional greenfield development. Policy: Encourage responsible growth within the City. Strategies the City may want to consider include by developing policies that require developers to demonstrate the availability of adequate public services and facilities, or to demonstrate their plans or alternatives for meeting the increased demand on these services as a result of the development.

20. Introduction and Community Vision Statement
Transition and Change There has been a renewed interest in the community in investing in the revitalization of the downtown area. This goal is being strongly supported by the City in the form of development of a downtown blueprint or revitalization plan. This effort supports the desires of the community to maintain a nucleated or centristic community where the downtown functions as the core from which the rest of the community radiates. Success of this effort is the critical grassroots desire of the business and property owners in the downtown rallying to the support of this initiative to bring rapid public and private investment to bear. Commuting to Work According to the 2000 Census information, 5,112 of the 7,061 workers (72 percent) living in Rexburg work within the City limits. And, 86 percent of the workers who reside in Rexburg work inside the County limits. Economically, it is advantageous to have a high percentage of the local workforce remain within the local community, as workers are then more likely to make purchases closer to home and the workplace.

21. Downtown is a pedestrian-priority area;
Economic Development
The City of Rexburg values the historical sense of place that the downtown has provided for over a hundred years and has identified several guiding principles that will guide the continuation of the downtown core over the next hundred years. These principles are as follows:
Downtown is a pedestrian-priority area;
Downtown is the civic, social and cultural center of Rexburg and Madison County;
Downtown is highly attractive to visitors;
Downtown is the heart of “America’s Family Community;”
Downtown is a mixed-use center which includes retail, office, residential, entertainment, culture and educational facilities;
Downtown is highly connected to the City, region and to BYU-Idaho;
Downtown is guided by public-private partnerships, including agencies;
Circulation system manages “through” and “to” traffic strategically;
Downtown’s way-finding and parking systems are user-friendly;
Downtown hosts a central plaza for community events and activities;
Downtown is a great place to work, visit, shop, learn and live.