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Lewiston agrees to begin general-plan update with Bear River Association of Governments
Summary
After a presentation from the Bear River Association of Governments, the Lewiston council agreed to use BRAG for an update of the city's general plan; staff and BRAG estimated costs, timeline and the public-input process.
Lewiston officials told the council on May 20 that they plan to begin a general-plan update using technical assistance from the Bear River Association of Governments (BRAG). The council indicated it will move forward with BRAG's services and staff said they will begin the contracting and scoping steps.
Why this matters: the general plan guides land use, transportation and affordable-housing policy. An updated plan helps the city meet statutory planning requirements, set priorities for zoning and make funding applications.
Presentation summary and council decision - Russ Price, the council's BRAG contact, told the council BRAG maintains a program that can support smaller municipalities and that BRAG receives state funding in the range of $150,000 annually for planning assistance to local governments. - Price estimated a typical full master-plan update could cost roughly $50,000 to $70,000, depending on how much work the city performs in-house; he estimated 8 to 12 months as a typical project timeline. Required elements for Lewiston include land-use planning, transportation and affordable-housing analysis. BRAG staff offered templates and public-input support, and said planners typically craft tailored resident surveys. - Council members said they intend to proceed with BRAG and staff will begin coordination for scope and schedule.
Public-input and next steps - Price said the process normally includes data collection, analysis, visioning and drafting and that public outreach (surveys and hearings) is integral to the plan. Councilmembers asked about state influence; Price said planners react to data and statutory requirements rather than "central planning" from the state. - Staff (Abel) will follow up with BRAG on scope, costs and an initial timeline; the mayor said staff will start engagement for the project immediately.
Clarifying details and deliverables - BRAG noted it can rotate assistance among jurisdictions and that two regionally assigned planners are available. Price said BRAG is not the only available contractor but that BRAG was a preferred, lower-cost option for the council. - The council's decision was framed as starting the planning process with BRAG rather than a binding long-term contract.
Speakers quoted in this article spoke at the May 20 meeting; this report does not add or speculate beyond their statements.
