Help determine future of Pocatello development at ‘Codeapalooza’
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POCATELLO – A “prime opportunity” for people to provide direct feedback on the future of the Gate City is coming up soon.
Over the course of four meetings next week, Pocatello residents will hear from planning staff and the consultants they’ve partnered with about a project to rewrite Pocatello’s zoning ordinances. But more than that, these meetings will provide a forum for those residents to share their grievances or praise about how the city has developed, and, more importantly, to express their desires for how they want it to be developed in the future.
These meetings, as well as a work-in-progress presentation on the following Tuesday, will all together make up an event the city has dubbed “Code-a-palooza.”
“(It’s) the prime opportunity for the public to engage with the consultants and with planning staff on how they want the city to develop, (and) how they want to see new things and then old things change,” said Jim Anglesey, long-range senior planner.
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Much of the framework for what the city wants to accomplish with its zoning overhaul was set out in its comprehensive plan, adopted in 2023, which calls for walkable neighborhoods, offering more housing opportunities with a greater variety of choices between styles, built within and alongside mixed-use zoning areas, making more efficient use of already-developed land.
Hoping to maximize public participation and make it easier for people to provide feedback, the city set up Codeapalooza as a multi-day event.
“It’s set up in a way that you know if you miss one meeting, you’re not going to miss the whole thing,” Anglesey said.
The city set up a website, zoningpocatello.com, with a schedule of events for Codeapalooza.
- Opening Presentation & Mapping Workshop (6 p.m.) – Monday, Sept. 28
Please join us for a presentation to learn more about the project and the Codeapalooza™ process, and then participate in a mapping workshop. There will be time for Q&A at the end.
This meeting will be recorded and posted to the website.
- Open Studio & Topical Meetings – Tuesday, Sept. 29
- Open Studio (9 a.m. – 7 p.m.)
Over the course of the Codeapalooza™ you will be able to drop in and talk to the team, ask questions and give feedback! Maps will be out for you to draw on and share ideas, and comment cards will be available to provide suggestions.
- Topical Meeting #1: Open Space & Natural Resources (9 a.m. – 7 p.m.)
This meeting is about open space and natural resources in Pocatello. This roundtable, a free-form type of discussion, is open to anyone!
- Topical Meeting #2: Housing & Development (12 p.m. – 1 p.m.)
This meeting is about housing and development in Pocatello. What types of housing and development do you want to see in the future? This roundtable, freeform type of discussion is open to anyone!
- Topical Meeting #3: Community Character (6 p.m. – 7 p.m.)
This meeting is about the character of Pocatello. We will discuss architecture and design and their impact on the City’s character. This roundtable, freeform type of discussion is open to anyone!
- Open Studio (9 a.m. – 7 p.m.) – Wednesday, Sept. 30
Open Studio continues on Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 7p.m.
- Open Studio (9 a.m. – 12 p.m.) – Thursday, Oct. 1
Open Studio continues on Thursday from 9 a.m.-12p.m.
- Virtual Work-in-Progress Presentation (6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.) – Tuesday, Oct. 6
This is the culmination of the planning work done at Codeapalooza™ between the public, City staff and the consulting team! Tune in to hear what we heard and how we’re incorporating your ideas into zoning for the future! There will be time for Q&A at the end.
All of these events will take place at the Housing Alliance and Community Partnership Resource Center, 750 North 5th Avenue, except for the Opening Presentation & Mapping Workshop, which will be held at the Pocatello City Council Chambers, 911 North 7th Avenue.
The Virtual Work-in-Progress Presentation will take place over Zoom. The schedule on zoningpocatello.com includes a link to register.
Anglesey emphasized that the way zoning ordinances are written is important not only in the present but also for the city’s future development.
“Once something is developed, it’s there for at least 20 years, if not more … and so I think that as people are thinking about ideas, they should start thinking about how they want their kids to live in Pocatello,” Anglesey said.