Pocatello council approves rezoning for 83-acre Northgate Ridge to allow mixed residential uses

Pocatello City Council approved a map amendment and rezoning for roughly 82.96 acres east of Olympus Drive and Northgate Parkway on a motion by Council Member Paulson and a second by Council Member Cheatham. The change redesignates the parcel on the future land use map from commercial to mixed use and rezones it from Commercial General (CG) to Residential Commercial Professional (RCP).

Planning Manager Becky Babb told the council the staff report evaluates the application against the city code criteria for map amendments and concluded the proposal meets those standards. Babb said the change “would recognize substantial changes to the actual conditions of the area” and that utilities and fire protection are available to serve the site.

Applicant Buck Swaney, who spoke in place of the originally listed representative, said the rezoning would allow a mix of product types—single-family, townhomes, multifamily and neighborhood commercial—and “this is actually a fairly straightforward, process that we're looking at right now.” Swaney said the rezoning would pave the way for a preliminary plat and further project-specific reviews.

Planning Director Brent McClain told the council that the Northgate area had been through prior zoning adjustments and that parts of Northgate are already designated and zoned RCP. McClain said the city has seen changing market conditions—especially housing demand since COVID—and that restoring the mixed-use/RCP designation on this parcel would “be better served going back to what it was originally planned to be.” He said RCP allows residential densities up to about 30 units per acre and can accommodate a range of housing types.

Two long-time residents urged approval. Arla Luke described prior community planning work tied to the Northgate concept and said housing would be needed to attract jobs, while another resident identified only as Gene urged the council to view the project as part of a larger planned-community vision that could attract employers.

Council members asked about compatibility with adjacent zoning, whether the change would preclude commercial development, and the density allowed under RCP. Staff clarified that commercial uses remain possible under RCP (some large commercial uses would require conditional use permits) but that the key difference is a broader range of residential types allowed outright under RCP compared with the current CG designation.

After public testimony and a short applicant rebuttal, the council voted on the rezoning motion. The motion passed on roll call; the members present voted in favor.

The rezoning changes the allowable uses on the parcel and clears the way for a developer to submit a preliminary plat and site-specific plans. Any future plats or development permits will be reviewed under the city’s development standards, including utility, fire and conditional-use requirements for certain large commercial uses.