Payette County P&Z OKs change

Winter, 2010 Community
Guest Author: JESSICA KELLER

Payette County P&Z OKs change By JESSICA KELLER ARGUS OBSERVER PAYETTE — Alternate Energy Holdings Inc. cleared its first hurdle in a proposal to construct a nuclear power plant in Payette County Thursday night when it gained a favorable recommendation from the Payette County Planning & Zoning Commission for a comprehensive plan amendment. In an 8-2 vote, the P&Z board voted to give a favorable recommendation to the Payette County Commissioners to amend the comprehensive plan designation of agricultural to industrial for a roughly 6,000-acre piece of property situated between Big Willow and Stone Quarry roads. Dick Bronson and Bert Sideroff opposed the recommendation. The decision, however, came after a great deal of discussion and stipulations attached. In his statement to the commission, Bronson said, while he was usually in favor of proposals that bring jobs and increase the tax base of the county, he was not in favor of this one. He said he felt the applicant reused an application presented to two other Idaho counties and did not update the information for Payette County. He said he thought AEHI’s presentation was lacking and the answers evasive to some of the questions posed by the board. “In my opinion, the applicant failed to present a compelling reason to change the comprehensive plan,� Bronson said. Commissioner Pete Morgan, however, disagreed with Bronson’s assessment, stating he thought it was consistent with the comprehensive plan’s goals, including maintaining the county’s prime agricultural land. “This doesn’t look like prime agricultural land to me,� he said. Others, however, stressed the conceptual nature of a comprehensive plan amendment and pointed out the rezoning process, if it reaches that point, is the appropriate time to expect specific, detailed answers from the applicant. “All we’re doing is opening the door for them to do due diligence,� Lila Schiening said. The majority of the board members, however, were concerned about the designation of the comprehensive plan remaining industrial in the event a nuclear power plant does not get built on the property because, while many felt the site was appropriate for a nuclear power plant, they did not feel it was appropriate for just any industrial application. Among their stipulations, the board recommended the county commissioners make the comprehensive plan amendment only reflect the application at hand and give AEHI 10 years to obtain the necessary applications. If no permits are issued within 10 years then all of the land in question reverts back to agriculture in the comprehensive plan. The board members also discussed whether to include all 6,000 acres in the amendment and decided they would with the recommendation at time of the rezoning AEHI only be granted the original 500 to 600 acres requested. “Essentially what we’re doing is giving a little latitude to more of the site around the 6,000 acres,� commission chairman Chad Henggeler said.  Following the meeting, commissioner Frazer Peterson said he voted for a favorable recommendation because he felt the site proposed was ideal for a nuclear power plant if one is built. He said it’s not level, it’s dry, meaning it’s not irrigated, it’s basically just range land and it’s hidden in a draw. “Of all the places in Payette County you’d want to put one ... this just seems like a natural location,� Peterson said.  James Underwood, Payette, the Chairman for the People for Payette’s Future, Inc., said he was not surprised by the board’s recommendation. “I think, from their questions in the past, they were leaning that way,� he said. He added, however, he is confident the nuclear power plant proposal will not be approved after officials learn more about the applicant and the application. “They really saw this as a more conceptual issue,� Underwood said of the P&Z commissioners. AEHI CEO Don Gillispie said he is pleased with the meeting’s outcome, although he knows the ultimate decision on the comprehensive plan rests with the county commissioners. “It’s nice to have a positive recommendation,� he said. He said he was not surprised or concerned that the recommendation favored stipulations about the size of the land to be rezoned, and it is common for governmental agencies to retain some control over how land will be used by reducing the overall amount. He also said, by the time the rezoning application comes before the commissioners, a lot of engineering work will have been completed to answer any questions they may have. “We’ll bring them in it, and then they will learn what it’s like to be in the nuclear power industry,� he said. AEHI must now wait for the Payette County Commissioners to vote on the issue before a comprehensive plan amendment is granted. Payette County Planning & Zoning Administrator Don Dressen said the soonest it would come before the commissioners is about a month.

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