Idaho Falls agency authorizes eligibility study for Riverwalk urban renewal area

The Idaho Falls Redevelopment Agency on May 15 approved Task Order No. 9 authorizing consultant Brad Kramer to prepare an eligibility report for a proposed Riverwalk Urban Renewal District.

The motion to hire Kramer cleared the board after a brief exchange; members gave the task order authority to proceed with the draft map that staff and applicants provided. Kramer told the agency he used a map supplied earlier by the applicants and focused the draft eligibility analysis on parcels the applicants identified as most likely to see development in the next three years, including a northern parcel where a hotel site plan is pending.

Agency members questioned the geographic scope of the draft map and whether the study should be limited to parcels immediately adjacent to existing hotels. Kramer said the map was developed in coordination with applicants and that three parcels were prioritized because applicants believed they could start development within a three-year horizon; vacant riverfront parcels further east were described as unlikely to develop within three to five years and were treated more cautiously.

Board members and staff discussed potential infrastructure consequences if development proceeds. City staff said current road and intersection capacity was considered in an earlier preliminary plat and that a traffic study historically is triggered when proposals generate about 200 peak-hour evening trips; whether an updated traffic study will be required will be determined when formal plans are submitted and reviewed by the city engineer and planning staff. Public-works concerns raised during the meeting included the intersection at Pankey (Pan Cary) and Utah, where additional turn-lane work and lighting were noted.

Members also discussed whether the eligibility area should be extended to include an undeveloped section of River Gardens and a railroad bridge that Parks and Recreation has identified as needing repair. Some board members said extending the district to capture those elements seemed like a stretch to fund a city project; others said including them could allow redevelopment funds to support trail completion and bridge improvements. The board directed staff and Kramer to refine the map and eligibility report with that feedback.

The motion to approve Task Order No. 9 passed by voice vote during the meeting; the board did not take a roll call for that item.