Ammon Park development heading to Pocatello City Council with recommendation of denial from P&Z Commission

POCATELLO — Following Wednesday’s nationalist hearing, which lasted astir 3 hours, nan Pocatello Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously to urge denial of a projected improvement astatine nan city’s Ammon Park.

The connection to create 86 townhomes astatine nan parkland will now spell to nan Pocatello City Council, pinch nan commission’s denial recommendation.

During nan nationalist hearing, much than 25 residents said successful guidance to nan projected development, while nary said successful support of it. Two residents did speak from nan constituent of non-commitment, though 1 of those speakers, erstwhile City Council campaigner Lydia Noble, said she was opposed to nan scheme but chose not to speak from nan constituent of guidance arsenic she does not unrecorded successful nan neighborhood.

At nan conclusion of nan four-hour meeting, commissioners concisely discussed nan proposal, stating nan pros and cons they were being asked to consider.

On 1 side, nan commissioners said, location is simply a interest that adding nan 86 townhomes to an already congested organization would present a organization density that is “way excessively high” for nan area. However, they agreed, location is simply a lodging costs rumor that would beryllium alleviated — astatine slightest somewhat — by nan summation of 86 caller townhomes.

After nan discussion, nan commissioners voted 6-0 to urge nan improvement beryllium denied by nan City Council.

Courtesy YouTube

The chat regarding nan Ammon Park improvement connection began pinch a little connection from Brent McLane, nan metropolis Planning and Development Services Director.

McLane asked to reside nan “bevy of lies, misinformation and accusations” being circulated connected societal media astir nan improvement proposal. He said that, contempt claims shared online, onshore was not being donated by nan metropolis for nan development.

“Ammon Park is not being developed into housing, Ammon Park is remaining Ammon Park,” he said.

Joel Dixon, from Knudsen Engineering which represented nan applicant developer CMJ Holdings LLC. presented nan projected “Park Place Townhomes.” The 10.34-acre development, he said would see nan 86 townhomes, 2 communal abstraction areas, a clubhouse and stepping trails. The schematic he displayed during his position appeared to show townhomes and communities amenities taking up overmuch of what is now Ammon Park.

The projected development, pinch yellowish boxes representing nan townhomes that would beryllium added should nan connection beryllium approved. | Courtesy YouTube

As a parade of residents revenge to nan podium, they addressed not conscionable nan committee and applicant, but a packed assembly chambers, filled pinch dozens of chap residents who seemed to beryllium unanimously opposed to nan plan.

They addresses galore issues — from overpopulation and accrued postulation successful an area already constricted connected abstraction to nan nonaccomplishment of a celebrated parkland and dangers of a projected runoff pond.

Because children are not allowed to speak astatine these hearings, 1 of nan speakers chose to personification her clip reference a connection from her mini child.

“Please, I request of you, time off my vicinity and parkland alone,” nan kid wrote successful part.

Greg Cates, a Pocatello constabulary serviceman and erstwhile Bannock County Assessor campaigner said successful guidance to nan park.

“I spot this full point arsenic a for-profit disaster,” he said. … “It’s crazy, 86 townhomes successful that mini corner.”

Several speakers said to nan thought of nan scheme being, arsenic Cates called it, “for-profit.”

“A Utah developer is going to travel successful and destruct that neighborhood. Period,” 1 speaker said.

Given to opportunity to connection rebuttal, Dixon addressed that claim, saying that: “a batch of nan members of nan LLC” grew up aliases spent clip successful Pocatello.

“We’re not distant from this area,” he said. “We do — some nan engineers and nan developer want to spot this done correctly. … We want this to beryllium successful, not conscionable for america but for everyone.”

As for overpopulation and postulation concerns, Dixon added:

“Every improvement has added traffic. A batch of nan concerns that person been spoken of person been extracurricular of our control.”

Ammon Park | Kalama Hines, EastIdahoNews.com

When Dixon was done, McLane returned to nan podium to explicate to nan crowd and committee that nary matter what nan unpaid commissioners decided astatine nan meeting, nan connection would yet spell earlier nan elected metropolis council, wherever it will again beryllium taxable to a nationalist hearing.

The Park Place Townhome improvement is not yet included connected immoderate upcoming agendas for nan council, according to metropolis spokeswoman Marlise Irby-Facer.