City of Kuna looking for two planning commissioners now

The city of Kuna is now looking for two new Planning and Zoning Commission members, after chairman Justin Touchstone informed the city he’s leaving the commission. Former commission member Holly Kerfoot moved to Fruitland in the fall, leaving her post open for the past couple of months. Touchstone, who has been the commission’s chairman since July, announced he is leaving the commission after serving for three years. Touchstone said he will stick around for a while until a replacement is found.
That leaves Dave Case, Stephanie Wierschem and Carl Trautman on the commission. Case has been on the commission since February 2007. Wierschem has been on the commission since March 2007. Trautman just joined the commission in July.
I know Dave Case personally, and I like him and I think he does a good job on the commission. However, Dave also serves on the school board, which meets once a month at the same time as the Planning and Zoning Commission, which creates a time conflict for Dave and causes him to miss some commission meetings.
So I hope the city finds a couple of new commission members quickly. City planning director Steve Hasson told me that just last week he received inquiries from two good candidates, which is encouraging. It’s been difficult finding folks who fulfill the requirements. Planning and Zoning Commission members must be residents of the city of Kuna (not just the surrounding area) and have lived in Ada County for at least five years.

Are conceptual site plans too restrictive in Kuna?

A proposal to tighten up Kuna’s rules regarding conceptual site plans sparked an interesting philosophical debate about how restrictive the city should be toward potential development. The issue centers around the city’s requirement that annexation and rezone applications be accompanied by a conceptual site plan.
In September, City Council members approved an annexation of a 14.8-acre parcel of land on the east side of Meridian Road just north of Northwest Lineman College. The applicant, Victor Clark, sought annexation into the city of Kuna with a commercial zoning. However, Clark said he had no idea at this point what might go there. He didn’t have a buyer on the hook; he wanted commercial designation in order to help attract potential buyers.
At the time, City Council member Lisa Bachman pointed out that city code requires that all such applications be accompanied by a conceptual site plan. City Council members, with the exception of Bachman, voted in favor of the annexation and rezone.
Kuna city planning director Steve Hasson was directed to revisit the city code that requires conceptual site plans with an eye toward possibly loosening the requirements.
Hasson, however, said that the more he worked on the ordinance, the more restrictive it became, not less.
Council members tabled a decision until the Jan. 6 City Council meeting. The public hearing portion of the matter was closed, but council members are tentatively scheduled to make a decision during the Jan. 6 meeting, which begins at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 763 W. Avalon St.