Tomorrow's Post Falls point of focus tonight at comprehensive plan open house

POST FALLS — Now is your time to help shape the future of Post Falls.

The city will hold an open house and workshop at Post Falls City Hall tonight to involve citizens in updating its Comprehensive Plan.

"Help guide growth," said Jon Manley, the city's planning manager. "The intent is to start delving into the future. Public participation and assistance is extremely valuable."

The schedule includes:

- 4:30 p.m. — open house to view displays visit with staff.

- 6:30 pm. — presentation on the plan background, project scope, conceptual planning map and possible zoning strategies.

- 7 p.m. — participant groups review conceptual land-use map and zoning strategy.

- 8 p.m. — question-and-answer time, next steps.

"In reality, this is not just an update," Manley said. "The goal is to have an overhaul to the Comprehensive Plan and a new Zoning Code replacing both of the city’s current zoning codes."

The city population is projected to grow from about 34,000 today to roughly 90,000 over the next 20 years.

"We'll be seeing some more urban pressures, but at the same time there's hope of preserving that rural identity," Manley said. "The goal is to have a plan that matches what the community wants."

The Post Falls Comprehensive Plan was last updated in 2010. Updates are recommended about every five years.

The City Council is expected to adopt the new plan in late fall after the public input phase.

Stakeholders, including business owners, community groups and professionals, were interviewed in November as part of the input process.

The city is in a much different economic climate than it was seven years ago during the last plan update, Manley said. The recession still had its grips on the country in 2010, but the city is once again experiencing rapid growth. Housing projects bit by the economy have been revived.

Multiple large housing projects — including Tullamore, Crown Point and Foxtail — were in their infancy or slowed by the economy in 2010. Those developments have since taken off.

The Highway 41 corridor is also expected to develop out to Prairie Avenue. The city center, which has received a recent spark with Post Falls Brewing and Roger's Ice Cream & Burgers, is also destined to grow.

Manley said one of the major changes expected for the comprehensive plan will be developing a single zoning code that's easier for residents and developers to understand and allows for some flexibility.

Most of Post Falls is zoned under a conventional zoning code, while newly annexed areas and the city center are under Smart Code zoning.

When the Smart Code was adopted in 2010, it was required for all annexed properties greater than 10 acres. The condition has since been removed to allow applicants to have more planning options.

Manley said the Smart Code has been scrutinized by residents and developers. He said the initial intent was there was some presumed flexibility with it, but upon implementation it was realized it was not that flexible.

Manley said the Smart Code required some developers of single-family subdivisions to develop with new housing plans.

But the Smart Code also resulted in some attractive city center projects, Manley said.

The new zoning code, which is expected to be approved next spring, will likely combine parts of both existing codes into one, making implementation easier.

Questions or comments can also be directed to Manley at jmanley@postfallsidaho.org or by calling 457-3344.