Pocatello planning director walks residents through how zoning, plats and permits work

Brent Mlan, director of planning and development services, laid out Pocatello's process for land-use decisions, permitting and subdivisions, telling a town-hall audience that "in planning everything starts with the comprehensive plan." Mlan said the city adopted its comprehensive plan in July 2023 after more than two years of public input and that the plan and the future land-use map form "the backbone of all the planning decisions" moving forward.

Mlan described three linked systems for shaping development: the comprehensive plan and future land-use map, the zoning map (11 zoning designations, each with its allowed uses and standards), and the permitting and plat workflows that translate those policies into individual projects. For prospective businesses he advised a first visit to the planning department to confirm whether a proposed use is allowed, participation in the multi-department weekly site-plan review (Tuesdays at 1:30) and then submission of a building-permit application through the city's online portal.

On permitting, Mlan said the city uses an online system called ETracket for applications and noted plan-review fees are paid before staff will begin technical review. He described a multi-department review that can include building, planning, fire, water, engineering, sanitation and streets; requests for corrections are returned to applicants and the review cycle can repeat until the submission is complete.

Explaining subdivisions, Mlan outlined the preliminary-plat stage (a high-level review of roads, utilities and lot buildability, with departments typically returning comments within about 10 working days), the final-plat stage (technical construction drawings reviewed by departments), and the option of short plats limited to four lots that can sometimes skip the preliminary stage. He stressed that the preliminary-plat hearing before the planning and zoning commission is the principal public-comment point for land-use concerns and that "this is not a chance for you to make public comment" at the final-plat city-council hearing because land-use matters should already have been decided at the comprehensive-plan and zoning stages.

Mlan also described practical steps and timelines: the planning department conducts completeness reviews, applicants may bond improvements to enable earlier plat recording, contractors schedule inspections after permits issue, and certificates of occupancy follow final inspections. He said the city will soon undertake a major overhaul of the zoning ordinance to make it easier to navigate and invited residents to sign up for planning-notification lists (planning@pocatello.gov) and to use the QR links he provided to follow planning updates.

The presentation closed with Mlan encouraging early engagement: "If you're concerned about land uses, the zoning dictates the land use, and that happens long before the development happens." He offered city staff follow-up meetings for residents with development questions.