Pocatello planners recommend annexation of North Craft Road parcel with public access easement condition

The Pocatello City Planning and Zoning Commission on Aug. 13 recommended approval of an annexation and zoning application for a 1.86-acre parcel at North Craft Road, subject to a condition requiring a minimum 20-foot public access easement to provide Greenway Trail and river access.

Matthew Lewis, senior planner for Pocatello City, told the commission that the annexation request submitted by property owner Tia Lloyd would bring a 1.86-acre parcel into the city and designate approximately 0.63 acres of the rear portion as open space where the property extends to the centerline of the Portneuf River. "Staff is recommending a condition be added requiring a minimum 20-foot wide public access easement be placed on the rear of Lot 2 as measured from a high watermark," Lewis said, adding that the easement should be open to the public for access to the Greenway Trail and river access.

Lewis also said the parcel can be served by water but that sewer service would require an extension of about 450 feet; the application included a requested exception related to that extension, and public works staff indicated support for the exception. Lewis said staff had received no written public comments and that the application meets standards under Idaho law and Pocatello Municipal Code subject to the conditions in the staff report.

During the public hearing the applicant did not attend and no members of the public testified. The commission moved to recommend approval, attaching the staff-recommended condition about the 20-foot public access easement and authorizing the vice chair to sign the findings of fact. The motion was moved by Commissioner Benjamin Gomez and seconded as recorded in the meeting record; the roll-call vote recorded four yes votes and resulted in a recommendation to approve.

The commission opened and closed the public hearing on the annexation during the Aug. 13 meeting; the item will be forwarded to the next step in the city review process per municipal procedures.

Details recorded in the staff report and the motion include the requirement that a note on the plat specify the easement is open to the public for access to the Greenway Trail and river access, and that the easement be placed at the rear of Lot 2 measured from the high watermark of the Portneuf River. Sewer extension length was stated as approximately 450 feet and an exception to timing/cost of that extension was requested and supported by public works staff.