Planning commission recommends Willow Place Townhomes PUD after neighborhood objections

The Idaho Falls Planning and Zoning Commission on Oct. 7 recommended approval to City Council of a planned unit development for Willow Place Townhomes, a proposed 14‑unit single‑family attached subdivision on portions of Lots 4, 6 and 7 in New Sweden Estates.

The developer’s planner, Brad Kramer of Perspective Planning Consulting, presented the application and said the project was designed to meet the city’s comprehensive plan and zoning standards for the site’s suburban designation. “My name is Brad Kramer, with Perspective Planning Consulting, address at 1742 Avalon in Idaho Falls,” Kramer told the commission as he began his presentation. He and an engineer from Mountain List Engineering described a two‑story product on 25.1% common open space, two amenity areas and more parking than required.

Kramer said the 14 units equal approximately 7.7 units per gross acre (under the PUD ceiling of 8 units per gross acre for R‑1 PUDs) and that the project maintains a 25‑foot rear yard consistent with the R‑1 zone. He said the development provides at least one amenity (two were proposed) and that stormwater would be contained on site. "There's an 8‑inch sewer line in Plowman, an 18‑inch line in West…