Meeting of the Planning and Zoning Commission held January 27, 2026, 6:00 P.M. in the Council Chambers of City Hall.
Members present:
Kevin Asker – Vice Chair
Dan Gautney
Brian Perry
James Zehner
Elijah Rauzi
Yolanda Stout
Lee Spencer
City Staff: City Administrator Kennedy
The meeting was called to order by Kevin Asker at 6:00 p.m.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES: On motion by James Zehner, second by Dan Gautney to approve the minutes of December 16, 2025, as presented. Motion carried.
PUBLIC HEARING #1: The public hearing was opened for a conditional use application submitted by Derith Kettenburg, 815 N Mill Street, to allow her to operate an upholstery business in her home.
APPLICANT PRESENTATION: Derith Kettenburg stated she would like to operate her upholstery business, Little Button Sewing at 815 N Mill Street which is in residential zone B. She was originally set up to serve boating customers but now does a little of everything which includes vehicles, four-wheeler seats, household furniture, restaurants, mending and alterations and pretty much anything in the fiber arts. She will use an air compressor which can be noisy, but a lot of people have them in their garage. It’s not anything unusual that she wouldn’t already be doing when working on her own projects. She uses hand tools, a sewing machine and pneumatic tools with the air compressor as well as to blow things off. Sometimes she uses wood working tools if needed along with a welder. She addressed items from city code section 10-10-1D1 a. – e as outlined below.
a. The conditional use does not unreasonably impact public health, general welfare or general interest in the community. Derith stated there will be no excessive noise. She has a quieter air compressor. The jobs she takes are pretty much what she does for herself personally. The work will be limited to the property and not parked on street. Trash will be contained. Her supplies and tools will be kept clean and in good order.
b. The proposed conditional use of property or structures will be appropriately located with respect to transportation facilities, water supply, fire and police protection, waste disposal and other similar facilities which might be needed for the proposed use. Derith stated she would have trash but it is not expected to exceed the one trash can per week. She will take reasonable safety precautions with smoke detectors, fire extinguishers and the like, keeping the area clean and well maintained to prevent problems.
c. The general neighborhood character and surrounding property values will not be unreasonably negatively impacted. The property will be maintained in the best possible condition. It is important for her to have a respectable facility for both her home and her business. It will look presentable. Interiors and exteriors will be kept clean and tidy to minimize fire hazards and vermin like mice will not be permitted to inhabit spaces.
d. The proposed conditional use will not cause an undue traffic hazard or unreasonable parking problem in the use district in which the conditional use is proposed. She stated she has plenty of off-street parking on the property for her, her customers and their projects. She is not expecting more than 5-6 customers per week. Any coming and going will mostly occur by appointment. Since business is slow, she doesn’t really have set hours. This is a workshop, not a retail storefront.
e. There is no substantial community objection and the terms of section 10-10-3 of this chapter are incorporated herein as an additional condition to the granting of a conditional use. This will be determined by the commission.
STAFF PRESENTATION: City Administrator Kennedy reported all notices of hearing were delivered to those property owners within 300’ and published in the paper for the public at large. According to city code, if a use is not listed in the code as a specific use, then there must be a full-time resident on the property. An upholstery business is considered a general use. Derith confirmed she plans to live on the property and operate her business in the garage.
WRITTEN CORRESPONDENCE: none
SUPPORTERS: Taffy Kettenburg stated she is Derith’s mom. Derith is meticulous and if she says she will do something, she is going to do it well.
NEUTRALS: none
OPPONENTS: none
APPLICANT REBUTTAL: none
QUESTIONS FOR APPLICANT: Dan Gautney asked what her hours were and if she was working only Monday – Friday. Derith explained she has no planned hours of operation because things are slow. It usually starts with a phone call to discuss and then she’d start the project. It was asked if she would work late at night. She responded she would work on her personal projects at night. Yolanda Stout asked where customers would park. Derith stated she would encourage them to park on the property, but she’s not sure where they will actually park. Yolanda was concerned if there is snow, that customers aren’t in the way of plowing.
James Zehner stated he looked at the parcel viewer and wanted to know if Mill Street existed as it didn’t show on the map. City Administrator Kennedy explained Mill Street became a public street through prescriptive dedication under Idaho Code; however the city doesn’t own the street. Derith owns out in the street but the city continues to maintain Mill Street for public use.
James questioned if a customer needs a seat, do they bring vehicle or just seat. Derith explained it depends on the job. If it’s a seat, then they normally bring just the seat. If it’s the curtain for a boat, she needs the boat to make it fit correctly. Kevin Asker stated in response to Yolanda’s parking concern, there is a slab of concrete in front of the garage that is off street and just past garage there is gravel parking too. Kevin asked if she’s working in the garage, would the air compressor be located inside. Derith responded yes. Kevin said that would also make it quieter.
Hearing closed at 6:16 p.m.
DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATION: Dan Gautney didn’t see a problem with the application. On motion by Dan Gautney, second by James Zehner to recommend to the city council to approve her conditional use application. James Zehner felt this town needs an upholstery shop. ROLL CALL VOTE: YES: Gautney, Stout, Rauzi, Perry, Zehner NO: none. ABSTAIN: none. The motion passed.
STAFF REPORT: City Administrator Kennedy stated the variance application for Freebird Holdings LLC was approved by the Council as recommended by the commission.
ELECTION OFFICERS: On motion by Brian Perry, second by Yolanda Stout to nominate and approve Kevin Asker as chair. Motion carried. On motion by Yolanda Stout, second by Brian Perry to nominate and approve James Zehner as vice-chairman. Motion carried. On motion by Yolanda Stout, second by Dan Gautney to nominate and approve Elijah Rauzi as secretary. Motion carried.
New officers follow:
• Chairman Kevin Asker
• Vice-chairman James Zehner
• Secretary Elijah Rauzi
NEXT MEETING: A meeting is scheduled for February 24, 2026 at 6:00 p.m.
Adjourned by Kevin Asker at 6:27 p.m.
Tonya Kennedy – City Clerk
