Idaho Falls council to consider 10-year historic preservation plan as SHPO outlines Section 106 review process

Idaho Falls officials presented a draft historic preservation plan for potential adoption and heard a detailed briefing from the Idaho State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) on how federal funding triggers Section 106 reviews and possible mitigation requirements.

The plan, presented by Caitlin Long, long-range planner for the Community Development Services (CDS) department, was drafted with consultant Kurt Cutbaker Preservation Strategies and is slated to appear on the council agenda on Thursday for potential adoption. Long said the plan was partially funded through a Certified Local Government (CLG) grant and reflected public outreach, including a community survey and a January open house that drew about 30 attendees.

"We are gonna be talking about the historic preservation plan that has been drafted and will be, on the Thursday's council agenda, for potential adoption," Caitlin Long said.

The plan establishes four broad goals: identify and designate areas of historic significance; cultivate community through education and partnerships; coordinate preservation with city planning and incentives; and provide training and capacity building for staff and volunteers. Mary Scales, chair of the Historic Preservation Commission, said the plan is intended to give the commission a clearer, multi‑year work program.

"Ideally, this helps us to solidify some of the paths forward for the next 10 years," Mary Scales said.

Public outreach…