Comprehensive Plan Amendment

What is a Comprehensive Plan?

The Comprehensive Plan embodies a community vision for guiding growth in Garden City. It helps the City manage growth to ensure the quality of life desired by the community. The Comprehensive Plan includes a Future Land Use Map, with designations for all property in the City. 

The Garden City Council adopted the Garden City Comprehensive Plan on July 24, 2006. This Plan was a recipient of an Idaho Smart Growth Award for best public policy.  The plan was then amended on July 22, 2019, and is a culmination of considerable efforts by the community and stakeholders to identify a clear, desirable, and appropriate path forward for the City.

Why Change the Comprehensive Plan?

If a development is not consistent with the Comprehensive Plan, an amendment to the plan may need to occur prior to further entitlements for the proposed development.  This may include a text amendment to the plan or a map amendment to the plan.

Due-Diligence Meeting: Prior to commencing with an application a planner is available for a free and informal way ‘due-diligence’ meeting. During this meeting a planner will meet with you to discuss overt potential issues with your proposal and if necessary other applications necessary to achieve the proposal. The due diligence request form can be found here: Link. Please submit the application to building@gardencityidaho.org to schedule. For more information please refer to the Early Assistance link.

The process begins with a Neighborhood Meeting. Please refer to the Neighborhood Meeting link for more information on neighborhood meeting requirements. 

If the request is a text amendment it will likely affect more than 200 people as it is a City wide change. If this is the case, alternative forms of noticing can be utilized per Garden City Code 8-6A-7. Please refer to the Alternative Noticing link for more information.

Submit an application on the city issued application form along with the fee to the city at building@gardencityidaho.org.

Once you have submitted, and it is determined that your application is complete, you will receive an acceptance letter that includes your hearing dates.  The dates will be determined based on code and noticing requirements as well as reasonable staff workloads.  We will make every effort to be as expeditious as possible in processing your application.

Once the application is accepted, staff will then send out your application materials to stakeholder agencies and publicly notice the application in accord with statutory requirements. 

Staff will provide you with the comments that the City receives as well as a staff report that provides a thorough analysis of your application with regards to Garden City Code, Title 8 as well as a synthesis of other agency comments and requirements and public comment to date.  While staff is reviewing your application, they may reach out to you to request clarification or additional materials necessary to complete their review.  Staff will provide you with the draft report  in advance of the hearing so that you can provide feedback.  Please provide feedback as quickly as possible.  Please also note that not all comments may be included at that time.

The Planning and Zoning Commission and the Design Review Committee (if design is affected) are recommending bodies to the City Council. The Planning and Zoning Commission meet the third Wednesday of every month at 6:30 p.m. The Design Review Committee meet the first and third Mondays of the month at 3:00 p.m. The City Council meets the second and forth Mondays of the month at 6:00 p.m.

For information related to Public Hearings please refer to the Public Hearings link.

A written decision will be provided.

Required Documentation

Applications are required to be submitted on the city approved form(s). A link to the current forms is located here: link

The applications and forms most commonly associated with this application are:

Comprehensive Plan Amendment Application

Affidavit of Legal Interest

Affidavit of Posting

Resubmittal Form

Please submit one copy of all application materials and all application materials in electronic format in person or via mail. The electronic materials can be emailed to building@gardencityidaho.org. Please note that application materials must be submitted either in person or to building@gardencityidaho.org to be considered formally submitted. 

Fees

For information regarding current fee amounts please see Fee link.

A typical application will incur the following fees:

Comprehensive Plan Amendment (map + text)