HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem #2 Downtown PlanChubbuck Downtown [name?] Specific Plan
The specific plan for the urban gathering place in the City of Chubbuck.
History
Chubbuck is relatively new, having incorporated in only 1949 and having developed largely as a bedroom
community of the towns of Pocatello and Alameda, also in northern Bannock County. As a relative newcomer as
far as cities in the West are concerned, the Village of Chubbuck lacked the unorganized growth patterns frequently
found on main streets in pioneer cities that resulted in business corridors characterized by shared wall buildings,
mixed architecture, horizontal and vertical mixed uses, and an active streetscape.
Chubbuck has experienced much of its growth from the 1970s onwards and has been subject to the
trending development patterns. While the City contains a healthy economic corridor consisting of an indoor
shopping mall, several big box stores that serve the regional market, and a healthy, diverse mixture of other
commercial uses, development and architectural trends did not lend themselves towards the creation of a
pedestrian -friendly commercial city center.
Community Engagement Part I- Strategic Plan
From 2017-2018, the City of Chubbuck sought broad public input while developing a strategic plan. Input
from residents, business owners, and visitors was sought on a variety of topics including: general thoughts and
perceptions about: Chubbuck as a place to live, work, and play; quality of life; cultural, shopping, employment,
civic, and recreational opportunities; safety; transportation; whether Chubbuck had a vibrant downtown and
public spaces where people wanted to spend time; and quality of city services and infrastructure.
When asked "What does Chubbuck's future "city center" look like, many responses seemed to treat the
existing commercial corridor on Yellowstone Ave (State Highway US 91) as what would forever be the center hub
for Chubbuck (e.g., "I don't envision a city center- it's always been a street"). Others could not identify an area
for where a city center would occur with comments such as "Not sure what city center is or [where it is] located.
We are {sic) so spread out in the city" and "Needs a more defined downtown area ... there is none at this point"
and "Where is city center?". Others offered ideas for what they'd like to see in a city center area; suggestions
included:
• A walking district with businesses and eateries
• Clean, shaded areas to sit on a bench, easily accessed by walking/riding bike or non -motorized vehicle,
eating places, shopping set up like 'Station Park' in Farming, UT. This could be done on a smaller scale with
room to expand. Near new freeway interchange."
• A gathering place with grass/parking for events, family -friendly and convenient. Library and other services
would be concentrated there.
• Outside shops with walking paths with restaurants and outdoor shopping.
• Not on Yellowstone. Master -planned city center where citizens can park and walk between buildings.
• Needs to be a more defined downtown area ... there is none at this point."
• "Not on Yellowstone. Master planned city center where citizens can park and walk between buildings".
Based on input from the surveys, the Council approved a strategic plan with the following action items
(Exhibit 1):
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• Create a downtown plan for all ages and abilities.
• Develop a downtown plan to create an area in the city where youth will feel valued and have
opportunities; ensure that youth have a seat at the planning stage table.
• Develop a downtown plan with art and cultural opportunities throughout and with programmable
and programmed space.
Facility Needs Assessment- New City Hall
In 2017, the City obtained the services of LCA Architects to perform a facility needs assessment based on
historical and forecasted trends including city growth and associated city personnel needs to estimate future
building and site area space. With the information from the study, the City was better able to understand
budgeting and scheduling needs and to evaluate alternative approaches to solving facility needs. After reviewing
the study and available options for funding, the Council and administration decided that the City would
immediately pursue the construction of a new City Hall followed by a reconstruction of the existing city hall to be
serve as a police station expansion.
Downtown Pitch to City Council
Based on the input received through the strategic planning process, in 2018 the community services and
public works departments sought to identify areas in Chubbuck which could be home to both a more urban
downtown of the City as well as to a city hall. Several areas were considered, including greenfield areas at the new
Northgate Interchange and on Knudsen Boulevard, as well redevelopment possibilities, including the area
between 1-86 at the south and Chubbuck Road at the north and the railroad tracks at the east and Yellowstone
Avenue at the west, and other areas along Chubbuck Road and Yellowstone Avenue. Based on a city staff visit to
the Idaho Central Credit Union headquarter campus in Chubbuck and having assessed surrounding development
and conditions and of the plans and needs for the credit union, city staff proposed the including the area between
1-86 at the south and Chubbuck Road at the north and the railroad tracks at the east and Yellowstone Avenue at
the west, and other areas along Chubbuck Road and Yellowstone Avenue as the site to pitch to the City Council as
an option.
In February 2018, the directors of the community services and public works department presented to
the City Council. The presentation included the preliminary results of the strategic plan related to the
community's input and desire for a downtown area, a concept drawing of a possible layout and land uses in the
identified area, and rational for a downtown area in Chubbuck based on economic development and
placemaking concepts. The Council was overwhelmingly supportive of the downtown concept and of locating
the new city hall in the identified area and when the CEO of Idaho Central Credit Union stood and offered to
secure an available piece of property for the new facility until the city could purchase it, the puzzle pieces fell
together, and the downtown planning process commenced.
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(Concept Plan presented to City Council)
When it was decided to build the new City Hall near the corner of Burley Drive and Linden Avenue, the
Chubbuck Development Authority quickly purchased approximately 7 acres of blighted or underdeveloped
properties in the area so that the properties did not immediately redevelop under current city commercial zoning
standards and so that they could be disposed of only once the City had developed zoning standards befitting a
downtown area of the City. From 2018-2020, the city hall building and surrounding area were designed through
the efforts of consultants and Chubbuck staff. With an eye to the future, the city hall property and those CDA -
owned properties around it were redeveloped to have angled parking, streetlights and trees, and usable public
space which could be programmed and used, and it is with the design of that project that a model was built for
the streetscape in the Chubbuck downtown area.
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Community Engagement Park II- Steering Committee
In January 2020, a group of 32 stakeholders from across the community gathered to provide input in a
visioning workshop facilitated by J -U -B Engineers, the Langdon Group, and Gateway Mapping, Inc. Stakeholders
included representatives from the Idaho Department of Commerce, City of Chubbuck, Idaho Transportation
Department, Pocatello-Chubbuck Chamber of Commerce, Portneuf Library District, REDI, Bannock
Transportation Planning Organization, Chubbuck Development Authority, SICOG, Myers Anderson Architects,
Pocatello Regional Transit, Jackson Land Design, city residents, and representatives from a number of area
businesses including Idaho Central Credit Union, Palace Theater, Patriot Square, . From the workshop,
important elements where identified to be addressed in future planning efforts (Exhibit 2):
• A theme should be developed for the downtown area- ideas for themes included using local
natural features for names and symbols, ;
• Art and street furniture are important and street furniture should be consistent;
• The area should be a modernized urban area instead of attempting to reinvent and compete
with Historic Pocatello;
• The area should have representative art that includes murals, sculptures, and possibly wrapped
utility boxes;
• The area should be cozy and have areas for gathering;
• If alleys are used they should be wide, clean, well -lit, and paved;
• Well-designed lighting and streetscapes are desired. Streetscapes should be landscaped and
trees used for shade.
• Streets should utilize angled parking for efficiencies.
• Possibly publicly available amenities could include gas fire pits allowing for multi -season use, a
skate park, outdoor bands, events, etc.
• The downtown area should have multi -modal connectivity with other areas of the city.
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Community Engagement Park III- Community Surveys
Following the visioning workshop, from 2020 — 2021, a number of community surveys where provided
to the community for input on a number of specific elements in the downtown area (Exhibit 3). With the
ongoing COVID-19 pandemic affecting the ability to gather in-person, online surveys and use of the City's social
media pages and the use of the app, Nextdoor, were to be deemed appropriate to collect feedback from city
residents, businesses, and others within the broader Portneuf Valley. With concurrent construction of the new
city hall building in the new downtown area and the need to create additional local streets and streetscapes,
survey results influenced choices that were made for lighting and street names (local natural features).
Furthermore, results of the survey were used to influence this plan and will be used to create the ensuing
downtown subarea ordinance of codes and standards.
Existing Uses and Conditions
The area from 1-86 at the south and Chubbuck Road at the north and the railroad tracks at the east and
Yellowstone Avenue at the west contains approximately 100 acres of land and a variety of land uses ranging from
the newly developed Idaho Central Credit Union headquarter campus (ICCU owned approximately 1/3 of the
entire 100 acre area), self-service storage units, aged large lot residential properties, gas stations, banks, fast food
and other restaurants, and other interspersed. Although the area of the identified downtown along Yellowstone
Avenue and Chubbuck Road experienced private investment for redevelopment, the internal area not fronting the
arterial streets largely have not (apart from the ICCU campus). Again, not including property owned by Idaho
Central Credit Union, approximately 20 acres of the Chubbuck downtown area are currently undeveloped without
residential or commercial structures.
The Chubbuck downtown area contains 2 major arterial roads, Yellowstone Avenue (state highway 91)
and Chubbuck Road, 1 functionally designated minor arterial (Burley Drive), 2 functionally classified collectors
(Linden Avenue and Evans Lane), and five local streets including: East Burnside, Evans Lane, East Linden Avenue,
Kinport Crossing, and Scout Mountain Way, Kinport Cross and Scout Mountain Way are the newest streets and
together with the streetscape improvements on Burley Drive and E. Linden Ave that were done as part of the new
city hall project, they serve to model the vision for the rest of the street network internal to Chubbuck's
downtown.
The blocks in this area are longer that is typically promoted for highly walkable and accessible
developments with the distances being as shown below:
—920,
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1,360'
—434' —920'
—354'
1365'
630'
.420' —970'
652 1 t-656'
mplementation Goals & Policies
—425'
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To create a long-lasting downtown area that attracts businesses and residents alike, the identified area in its
current form will require modifications to zoning, its built form, and land uses and structures. To facilitate the
transition, as a policy of this district plan, the goals and policies of this Plan are adopted by the City of Chubbuck
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into the Comprehensive Plan and supersede and control any conflicting goals and policies found in other portions
of the Comprehensive Plan:
Goal 1: A transportation network will be developed which will promote enhanced pedestrian and bicycle
mobility within and to the downtown area.
Policies:
a. This map is adopted as the functional class road map for the downtown area for the purpose of
identifying type, design, and function. While general street and right-of-way locations are identified
in the map below, it is not intended to set specific locations; deviations in specific route location may
be approved through the development or permit approval process provided the proposed route
meets the intent of this Plan.
District Functional Class Road Map
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Downtown Streets
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Functional Classification
Principal Arterial
District Collector
District Local
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Pedestrian Corridor -
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b. Properties which are adjacent to streets and/or walkways or which have proposed streets and/or
pedestrian corridor locations containing the streets and/or walkways will be required to
deve|op/redeve|npin accordance with this plan.
1. Right -of -Way and Improvement Requirements for Evans, E. Linden, and Burley Drive and
other streets where angled parking isused (be|ow)
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TYPICAL STREET I EITIGN
Z. Right -of -Way and Improvement Requirements for all other streets where parallel parking is
used (below)
V�/PARALLEL PARKING
3. Typical locations and dimensions of striping, lighting, trees, and curb extensions (below)
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4. Pedestrian corridors (or wa| seos) shall be designed in relationship with their
surrounding building environment at the pedestrian scale. When pedestrian corridor, or
pasen, is encroached upon by buildings, the City may be require that the taller the building
the wider the corridor shall be and may require landscaping or other features to "soften" the
space and make it more inviting for pedestrians.
c. Through the development exaction and/or building permit process, defined streetrape and
pedestrian corridors as shown in this plan will be dedicated and constructed.
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d. Sight triangle requirements are encouraged to be lessened in this district when compared with
traditional commercial and mixed-use developments commonly found in the City.
e. Bicycle and pedestrian routes such as crosswalks, paths/sidewalks, bike lanes, etc., which connect to
the downtown area are a priority of the City. Priority crossings outside of the district itself which will
encourage access to the district via alternative means of transportation are the installations of
crosswalks on Yellowstone Avenue from 1-86 north to Park and on Chubbuck Road from Hawthorne
Road to Hiline Road.
f. Through a combination of public and private efforts, bicycle racks shall be provided to encourage
biking to the area and to prevent the use of trees, benches, trash bins, etc from being used for bicycle
parking. Bicycle racks must be located to allow a clear walkway to comply with the Americans with
Disabilities Act and racks should be located in either the furnishings zone or on curb extensions where
possible. Inverted "U" and loop rail racks sturdily attached to the ground are preferred for normal
sidewalk installation but all others except traditional/grid bike racks may be considered.
Goal 2: Through a combination of street, sidewalk, on -street parking, landscaping, lighting, setbacks and
architectural design requirements, the public realm is inviting, accessible, aesthetic, and safe and ensure that
the district is visually cohesive.
Policies:
a. Streetscape types will include street -level setbacks (build -to line) where necessary to create a street
wall by locating buildings adjacent to the sidewalk or front property line.
b. Alleyways are encouraged and when used, will require designs that recognize them as programmable
public space and a right-of-way. Public art and building access through alleys are encouraged to
activate the spaces. The use of alleys for commercial unloading is encouraged.
c. Tasteful public art, including murals, which enhance the intended characteristics of the district is
strongly encouraged in the downtown area to activate walls or otherwise blank spaces.
d. Pedestrian accessibility is crucial between buildings and the public realm and public easements,
sidewalk connections, and public entrance doors will be required.
e. Street names, when new or changed, shall be reflective of natural features with proximity to
Chubbuck, or to geographic features recognized commonly in the state of Idaho (i.e., "Idaho Street").
f. General architectural standards will be developed for structures in the downtown area but it is not
the intent of this plan to restrict creative solutions or plans. Architectural standards shall be reflective
of the need to create buildings that enhance the public realm, that are compatible with surrounding
(current and planned) structures and spaces, and that create an appealing visual interest without
being overly prescriptive.
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g. Ground level architecture and design shall be such that pedestrian walks on sidewalks are interesting
and engaging, factors which encourage walking. This can be accomplished through elements such as
store front windows with retail displays, outdoor dining areas, art displays, and placing restrictions on
unbroken fagade appearances, requiring vertical facade features, etc.
h. Building heights will limited to specific minimum and maximum heights in order to create a unified
district and to create a public realm in public rights-of-way (public or private) that is comfortable and
inviting.
Signs in the downtown area will be limited to scale and location so they are not obtrusive and so that
they enhance the public realm.
j. Distinctive entry features, including arches, monuments, signs and other structures are encouraged
to be planned and constructed to give the district an identify separate from the rest of the city. Such
features should be reflective of the nature theme of the district.
Preferred Locations of Entry Features (below)
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k. Regulations will be developed that focus on form and function of the public realm to a greater extent
than traditional zoning focused primarily on a separation of uses.
Parking regulations will be adopted which promote on -street parking and shared parking areas
(surface and garages) and which to decrease chances that the downtown area will be "over -parked".
Parking garages are highly encouraged to allow for more efficient use of the land area. Parking
standards should be created in recognition of this policy which differ from policies in other parts of
the city. Where uses locate in the downtown district which exceed the number of street parking stalls
fronting the property, the city may require that monies be collected towards the creation of parking
areas in a common parking area in or near the district.
m. Surface parking facilities shall be designed in accordance with CEPTED principles (Crime Prevention
through Environmental Design) to maintain the setback and street wall of the frontage streetscape
and tools for accomplishing the wall may include rows of trees or hedges, or decorative fencing/walls
limited in height.
n. To maximize land use efficiency in the district, stormwater improvements should collect and treat
stormwater below ground with infiltrators.
o. The City will identify street furniture such as street lights, trash receptacles, benches, etc. for use in
the district in public space.
Goal 3: Mixed land uses and the built form in the downtown area will create synergy in the region which draws
individuals, commerce, and events throughout the week and throughout the day.
Policies:
a. The below future land use plan/map is adopted as the policy for the land use growth in the downtown
district.
(A prettier map will be created for the final document)
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Yellow = Highway
Purple = Village
GreLn = C-2 (remaining)
b. Structures and uses currently existing at the time of this plan's adoption shall be allowed to remain in
their current form and function but only permitted uses and structures shall be allowed. For existing
structures, the City will develop and implement regulations and standards for minor modifications
impacting the public realm such that minor modifications will not require complete compliance with
the downtown district standards but will bring the structure closer into the spirit and intent of the
district's vision.
c. Commercial lots and buildings in the downtown area should be scaled such that local entrepreneurs
have access to the downtown property market thus creating a diverse mixture of property ownerships
and uses through a use of dimensional or area maximums.
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d. A mixture of land uses is strongly desired and encouraged within the downtown district so that the
area draws visitors throughout the day and throughout the week. Methods to obtain this mixture
could include limiting certain uses to certain geographic areas in the district or to limiting certain uses
to maximum percentage of floor area of the entire district as a whole (e.g., second hand retail uses
limited to 5% of the total floor area square footage). Uses which will draw visitors to the area more
frequently than others are preferred over those which will draw less frequent visitors. Examples of
preferred uses include things such as a small grocery market, bakery, bicycle shop, restaurants,
offices, studios and galleries, experiential activities, etc., all of which offer regular business hours
during days/evenings and Saturdays.
e. Shared sanitation facilities between uses are desired to minimize frequency of such facilities and
dumpsters in the district. Dumpsters are encouraged to be located in alleyways.
f. Events in the downtown area are strongly desired and encouraged. With increased focus on the
downtown district and with the recent investment in usable public space around city hall on Linden
Avenue, the district would be optimal as it develops for Chubbuck Days, farmers markets, food truck
vendors, and other community -oriented events.
Goal 4: The downtown district will function through a combination of private, quasi -public, and public
cooperation.
Policies:
a. The City should consider the use of a downtown business improvement district (BID) as the primary
downtown administrative body responsible for programming events, landscaping maintenance, activating
public spaces, creating common parking areas, advertising, etc. but until such time that the district is
formed and deemed self -sustainable, the City will lead efforts for said functions. BIDS are allowed by Idaho
Code Title 50, Chapter 26 and allow for cities to create an organization that is publicly sanctioned but
privately directed. BIDS complement standard public services by adding opportunities for enhanced
safety, cleanliness, physical improvements, parking areas, transportation services, etc., and a levy may be
assessed on all businesses or business property within the district to pay the costs for desired features.
b. With a recognized benefit to the broader public of having an urban space and to the economic potential
in the district, the City will carefully analyze and strongly consider establishing an urban renewal area
containing the district so that tax increment financing is available to assist with public improvements of
the streetscape and other areas deemed to be of important public interest.
c. The City, with support and input from stakeholders, should pursue funding opportunities for
infrastructure investments from:
• Idaho Department of Commerce- Community Development Block Grant
• BTPO allocations
• City investments
• Chubbuck Development Authority
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• Local and community sponsors
• Other grant opportunities
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