HAYDEN — Residents had a lot of questions for Councilor Ed DePriest on Wednesday night, most surrounding the growth of the city.

About 20 people attended a town hall-style meeting put on by DePriest at the Hayden Library, which he stressed was not a city of Hayden event.

Rather, it was a chance for those who “live, vote and pay taxes in Hayden” to speak directly to a councilor, DePriest explained.

“I struggle with those who live outside and, as I call it, ‘chirp in,’” DePriest said. 

Many residents attended to voice dissatisfaction with the construction of new housing developments in Hayden.

According to DePriest, the city has reduced the mixed-use density allowance from 20 dwellings per acre to 12 dwellings per acre; since doing so, there have been no applications to build apartment buildings in the city over the past four years.

“Developers have told me, 'We can’t make a profit with the changes you’ve made,’” DePriest said. “I think we’ve done the best we can.”

Additionally, the city has removed zoning for residential multi-family projects and replaced it with mixed-residential use, meaning fewer single-family, duplex or triplex homes can be built per acre, DePriest said.

Traffic flow was another area of contention Wednesday night, with residents saying outdated infrastructure is part of the reason drivers run red lights or otherwise drive aggressively.

“Part of it is the lights,” said Hayden resident Brenda Patrick. “They’re not timed up right.”

DePriest said that traffic cameras at intersections could be a solution to curb aggressive driving but would likely be met with resistance from the community.

“Who cares?” Patrick said, adding that she didn't have any concerns about privacy. “This is my face. It’s out there anyway.”

DePriest emphasized that city planners could not have predicted the growth Hayden and surrounding cities have seen in recent years.

“What they projected to happen in 20 years is now happening in five,” DePriest said. “But can you blame them for not seeing it?”

A few residents pointed out that they have noticed similar trends when visiting other growing cities such as Bozeman, Mont.

“Anywhere that’s nice, where people want to live, is dealing with what we’re dealing with,” DePriest said.