The Idaho Falls City Council recently approved a moratorium on development around the airport in an effort to allow Community Development Services to work with IDA and the public on plans to ensure the public safety and future viability of the airport.
“We plan to host several meetings for the public and stakeholders in the area so they can learn about the importance of this critical area and give their input as we develop the codes that will govern future land uses there,” said Community Development Services Director Brad Cramer. “We want to make sure we are planning uses that are safe for the public and allow for the future viability of the airport while ensuring the best and highest uses for the surrounding lands.”
The first meeting will be an open house on the Airport Overlay Zone. That meeting will be held Feb. 12, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Ethel Boyes Elementary School. The open house will feature displays showing the basic parameters of the code and explain how it applies to properties in the city. It will also demonstrate how development around the airport has occurred over the years and why the code and protecting the airport is so important. Staff will be on-hand to answer questions.
The second meeting will be a stakeholder meeting for those with interest in land north of the main IDA runway and east of the Snake River. That meeting will be held on February 21, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Ethel Boyes Elementary.
That meeting will feature an introductory presentation followed by group discussions related to topics specific to the future of those impacted areas. Invitations will be sent to property owners and known stakeholders in the area, but the meeting is open to anyone who would like to attend.