Council approves Fairway Estates Division 26 final plat and development agreement; Sage Lakes Boulevard connection expected in spring

The Idaho Falls City Council on Feb. 13 approved the development agreement and final plat for Fairway Estates Division 26 and authorized the mayor, city engineer and city clerk to sign the necessary documents.

City development director Tim Sander told the council the subdivision covers 31 lots (30 residential and one detention lot) and follows a preliminary plat condition that required two accesses. He said a bridge over the Idaho Canal has been constructed and that the new Sage Lakes Boulevard will provide the eastern connection to Lewisville Highway. “The bridge is constructed,” Sander said during his presentation. “Whenever those houses start being built, then this will be that connection that I think Fairway Estates has been waiting for to the east.”

Council discussion focused on traffic and emergency access. Sander and Public Works staff said the connection was required for fire safety to provide two accesses. Public Works explained the developer will construct turn lanes at the nearby approach (a right‑turn pocket for southbound traffic and a left‑turn pocket for northbound traffic) sized for design speeds; the city may require bonds or letters of credit to ensure completion before building permits are issued. Councilor Freeman asked whether Lewisville Highway in that portion would be annexed into the city and whether the city could set a lower speed limit on the corridor; staff said annexation and larger corridor projects are coordinated with Bonneville County and the Idaho Transportation Department and that the developer’s improvements will not include full five‑lane widening but will provide the required turn lanes.

The council voted to: (1) approve the development agreement for Fairway Estates Division 26 and authorize city signatures; (2) approve the final plat and authorize signatures; and (3) approve the related statement of relevant criteria and standards.

No legal conditions beyond the recorded development agreement and the preliminary‑plat access requirement were added at the meeting. Staff projected Sage Lakes Boulevard construction during the coming construction season; the council also discussed bonding and the city’s authority to enforce completion of required public improvements if a developer defaults.

The record shows council approval by roll call; the motion carried on recorded voice votes.