By Jacob Fullmer

December 1, 2006 | NIBLEY -- A new subdivision was approved Wednesday night by Nibley Planning and Zoning but some citizens have mixed feelings about potential new neighbors.

"People come out here because they want elbow room," said locally raised Bonnie Darrington. Bonnie grew up just down the road from her current 3200 South home. Then she moved to Montana for a portion of her degree. The Darringtons moved back back to Nibley in March 2005 to raise their family. Growing up, she remembers Nibley being similar to the nearby city of Paradise. She and her husband, Eldon, understand why people move to Nibley. But they're concerned the area could lose its country feel.

Bonnie, who describes her house by saying it isn't a "snob house," said she gets concerned when her daughter's friends come over and ask about the absence of things like a trampoline, Nintendo, or other commercial items. "I don't want everyone coming in and saying my house is taking down their property value," said Bonnie.

Ashbury Estates, to be located just south of City Hall, will have 24 one-half acre lots. City Planner Conley Thompson said the developers had originally asked to have more lots with only one-third of an acre each. The idea was dismissed.

"Driving around the city, most people with half acres only maintain about half of it any way," Thompson said.

A unique characteristic of the new subdivision is what Thompson calls a "creative solution" by the developer's engineer, Brandon Ames, to conform with city ordinance. Two of the originally proposed lots were about two feet short of the zone's frontage requirements. Instead of redrawing the number of lots proposed, Ames planned a semicircle in the middle of the road resembling one-half of a cul de sac. This bulge in the middle of the road increases the frontage for the two previously lacking plots and allows Ashbury Estates to have the same number of proposed lots. The creative solution is completely legal but raises some city official's concern about safety. Commission Chairman Wayne Anderson predicted it could become the neighborhood basketball court.

Bonnie wonders if these will be three-story houses blocking her view of the sunset.

After the subdivision was approved, the commission unanimously approved a request from Boyd Schiess to rezone almost 40 acres as agricultural. Jan Stephens, who moved to Nibley 13 years ago for the rural atmosphere, is pleased to see the city putting things back the way they were.

"For so long I've been coming to these [meetings] and all I hear about it is development," Stephens said. "At what point do you stop?"

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