Idaho Falls redevelopment agency adopts Riverside urban renewal plan, authorizes technical attachments

The Board of Commissioners of the Urban Renewal Agency of Idaho Falls on Sept. 18 approved Resolution 2025-14, adopting the Riverside Urban Renewal Plan and authorizing agency staff to insert final attachments and make technical edits.

The plan covers the Riverside project area and uses revenue-allocation financing (tax increment) to support public infrastructure and site remediation tied to riverfront and Sunnyside-area development. Agency consultant Brad Kramer told commissioners the plan’s economic-feasibility analysis shows the district can support developer-requested public improvements while leaving a projected funding amount for other municipal projects under conservative assumptions.

Kramer said anticipated private development in the area is substantial and that plan-level public project requests for the Riverside area total roughly $33 million. Under a conservative revenue scenario the two owner-participation agreements (OPAs) modeled in the feasibility study would be paid off over the plan term, leaving an estimated remainder for city or agency-identified projects. Kramer also presented a moderate revenue scenario showing somewhat earlier payoff dates.

Agency staff outlined next steps and review milestones for the plan: a city planning commission review (Oct. 7), discussions with the Board of County Commissioners (anticipated beginning Oct. 9) where county parcels are included in the proposal, public-notice publications (anticipated Oct. 24 and Nov. 7), and a public hearing before the city council on Nov. 25 that would also consider an intergovernmental agreement and a transfer-of-powers ordinance for county parcels.

Staff and the consultant warned that the plan requires final GIS boundary and legal-description sign-off from the State Tax Commission and that the plan’s boundary currently includes some parcels designated as agricultural operations; agency staff said they were still securing required agricultural consents and that any parcel without consent would be removed from the district.

During discussion commissioners debated whether to pause the project and expand the boundary to capture additional undeveloped parcels (to the west and up Pioneer Road) or to proceed with the district as proposed and pursue amendments later. Kramer and staff said an expansion would likely delay final adoption into 2026 because a larger supplement would require additional eligibility and feasibility work; they also noted statutory limits on later amendments without triggering a “base reset.” Commissioners expressed interest in getting additional input from the primary developer group referenced in the meeting before pursuing a boundary expansion, but the board voted to move forward with the plan as presented.

The agency approved Resolution 2025-14 unanimously and authorized staff to insert attachments and make technical changes prior to transmitting the plan to the city for additional hearings and required notices.

What happens next: the plan will go through the planning-commission and council review process with the steps and dates outlined above; staff will return to the board with final maps, any required agricultural consents, and the finalized attachments prior to the council public hearing.