Downtown Revitalization Plan

In January 2008, the City of Mountain Home commissioned a community-wide questionnaire to solicit citizen input on a number of issues of importance to the city. At the time of the survey, Streets, Sidewalks, Water Service and Building Department were among the top rated for dissatisfaction. With the insights provided by the city-wide survey, it became evident that the City of Mountain Home should put more emphasis on improving the quality of life. When the survey results were collected, they showed a strong desire for growth and development, revitalization, and repair and maintenance of infrastructure. View more results of the 2008 Comprehensive Plan Survey. 

In 2009, both an Action Plan for Downtown Revitalization and a City of Mountain Home Downtown Alleyway Project were created. These were the first actionable items started by the City in an effort to make much-needed updates in our town. With a continued focus on revitalizing the downtown core, the City and Economic Development Office expanded their efforts in order to attain this goal. This took the form of projects such as the "Uptown" development at Exit 95 and the inception of a Rail Industrial Park.

In 2018, the City of Mountain Home began their Comprehensive Plan update where another community-wide survey was released for a 5-week time frame. The results of the 2018 Comprehensive Plan Survey mirrored results of 2008 with 48.62% of respondents thinking that things in Mountain Home are generally headed in the right direction.

These major projects further work toward an improved quality of life by offering more restaurants and retail options. It also includes potential for industrial and manufacturing plants that encourage further economic growth and the creation of more opportunities for professional and skilled workers.

Upon taking a closer look at the responses for desired goods and services, it was apparent that retail and restaurants were a top priority. According to a Buxton Retail Leakage Report, Elmore County is losing approximately $18 million dollars in potential revenue to businesses outside the county. This includes men, women and children's apparel, shoes, and jewelry stores. Elmore County's restaurant leakage is more significant yet. With approximately $20 million leaving our community, equaling about 60% of the potential sales, there is plenty of room for growth. When residents were asked what location best describes where they do their primary shopping, out of 1,156 people who took the survey 65% said Mountain Home and 29% said the do their shopping in Boise. View the full report for information on other retail categories.

In 2016, world renowned branding expert Roger Brooks came through our community and gave us his feedback on Mountain Home through the eyes of a visitor. His "tell it like it is" style was light-hearted but pointed and was largely the impetus for our current downtown revitalization effort.

Assessment Findings and Suggestions Report by Roger Brooks

Here, you can view the complete Gallery of Roger Brooks' Assessment Findings and Suggestions in individual slides. Brooks' Assessments Findings and Suggestions was a catalyst for our community. From that report came more businesses taking pride in their storefronts, more local artwork displays and painted windows, and the current Downtown Revitalization Plan. The City of Mountain Home worked with Horrock's Engineers Inc., to create the revitalization plan based on Mr. Brooks' findings. Check out the implementation to date and how his suggestions helped to shape the 2018 Downtown Master Plan.

Strategies for City and Business Implementation in the Downtown Core

2018 Presentation

Roger Brooks did a follow up presentation via live webinar for the City of Mountain Home in 2018. This presentation discussed his previous presentation and shared his thoughts and opinions on the 2018 Downtown Master Plan.

Here, you can view the complete Gallery of Roger Brooks' 2018 Presentation in individual slides.

VISION STATEMENT FOR DOWNTOWN MOUNTAIN HOME 

"IMAGINE DOWNTOWN..."

Downtown Mountain Home is a clean, safe, walkable destination with attractive storefronts, inviting streetscapes and exciting activities and events where people come to shop, dine and play; both day and night. Our downtown is a business-friendly destination for residents and visitors with a healthy mix of retail, restaurant, entertainment and service businesses with a reputation of working together, welcoming and supporting new businesses, and celebrating entrepreneurship. Close-knit and engaged citizens, of all ages, come together to volunteer, socialize and collaborate to positively impact our community. Our vision is to celebrate our rich history, provide robust amenities and encourage downtown living, all while preserving our small town charm.

Nearly 20 years ago, the planning of revitalizing the downtown core of Mountain Home began. Since then, the City of Mountain Home has been diligently working to enhance the downtown core through commissioning studies that aid this effort. Through the planning documents and improvements that have been accomplished to date, it is apparent that there is a desire for the revitalization and renovation of the downtown corridor.

• 2000 - Mountain Home Downtown Revitalization Plan 
• 2008 - City of Mountain Home Comprehensive Plan
• 2009 - Action Plan for Downtown Revitalization
• 2009 - City of Mountain Home Downtown Alleyway Project
• 2016 - Assessment Findings and Suggestions Report by Roger Brooks
• 2017 - Main Street and North 2nd East Street Traffic Study
• 2018 - Parking Assessment Study (BSU)
• 2018 - Economic Impact Assessment of the Downtown Revitalization Project

Public Involvement

The part that public involvement has played in the creation and adaptation of the 2018 Downtown Revitalization has been invaluable. An online survey was presented to the community and was able to provide beneficial insights that illustrate the most-often stated desires or concerns that the public wants to see addressed during the revitalization effort. View the full results captured from the online survey in the Mountain Home Survey Summary.

The 2018 Downtown Revitalization design reflects the integration of public input, along with the collaborative efforts of a variety of experts and partners, including ITD and URA. The result improves on both roadway and pedestrian safety, while enhancing the aesthetics and atmosphere of our downtown, for the benefit of our residents and businesses. Check out some of the changes the City of Mountain Home has been working as a result of public input in the Downtown Revitalization Plan Infographic.  

Proposed Concepts

The original concepts were a combination of planner suggestions and feedback of the two-Day Stakeholder Charrette. After the City received the original concepts they were able to hold an Open House where citizens could come in and view the plans, voice opinions regarding the concepts, recommend changes, and brainstorm ideas. After the Open Houses and other opportunities for public input, such as the online survey, the City was able to reevaluate the needs of the community and take it back to the drawing board with Horrock's Engineers Inc. With the collection of  public input, as well as partnership with outside organizations such as the Idaho Transportation Department, a new concept was created and delivered to the City of Mountain Home at the beginning of 2018.

The latest concept, which was adopted on March 26, 2018 by the City Council, works towards the goal of place-making. The downtown revitalization is designed to benefit the community as a whole by reclaiming the community feel that has been lacking for so long. The objective of this revitalization is to promote gatherings for citizens and groups, to inspire pedestrians to linger in a place where they feel safe, and to improve the core as a whole. Downtown Concepts Gallery

The 2018 Downtown Revitalization Master Plan is a guideline for downtown revitalization. It is not a concrete plan and continues to be malleable. Specific design elements presented in the plan may serve as inspiration for possibilities, but in no way restrict the City’s choices when it comes to implementation.

Downtown Renderings

Phase 1: North Main St. (Fall/Winter 2019)

The first phase of the project will encompass North Main Street from Jackson to E. 5th N.  Sidewalks will be extended and be slightly wider than the original footprint. Our goal, in partnership with ITD, was to square up blocks that were uneven and create a more uniform curb and gutter line along N. Main St. As a result of the project, The ITD-owned roads - Main Street and North 2nd East - will have a lane of traffic removed, taking the thoroughfare from three lanes of one-way traffic down to two lanes of one-way traffic. Parking will remain on the business side of the street while parallel parking will be removed along the Rail Road Park side of the street. In order to make the downtown a more accessible and inclusive area that meets ADA requirements, ADA ramps will be installed throughout and ADA parking will now be marked in the downtown core. Additional work will be completed underground to aging and decayed infrastructure including the addition of a storm water management system and new drop inlets to catch water and move it out of the downtown core more effectively.  Utilities, such as fiber optics lines, water and power, will also be upgraded and run throughout the project.  

Planter beds have been added for landscaping and trees to create an inviting area and encouraging people to shop, dine and linger.  Decorative stamped and colored concrete, new light posts, trash receptacles, benches and pots will be added to create a cohesive aesthetic that modernizes downtown while keeping Mountain Home's small town charm.

View the Downtown Streetscape and Plant Palette for more details.

Phase 2: West side of North Second East St. (Spring 2020)

The Second Phase of the downtown project is scheduled to take place in Spring of 2020. Construction will begin on the west side (Mellen Hotel side) of North 2nd East and work towards East 5th North Street. Similar to the lane diet on Main Street, the three lanes of one-way traffic will be reduced to two lanes of one-way traffic. With the additional space, sidewalks will be widened to allow for patio dining and additional furnishings along the businesses. A unique feature for North 2nd East is the addition of a linear park strip running the length of North 2nd East softening the feel in the downtown core and making it a more inviting space for visitors.  Decorative stamped and colored concrete will again be added to blend with the work done on North Main St. Similar tree and plant pallets will also be used to mirror the aesthetics of North Main Street to create a cohesive project.  

Stay tuned for additional renderings.

Phase 3: East side (Wells Fargo) of North 2nd East (Spring 2021)

The third and final phase of the downtown revitalization project will be the east side of North 2nd East. This will include new sidewalks complete with decorative stamped and colored accents, new trees and planter areas.  The sidewalks will be very similar in dimension to the existing sidewalks now and reflect that of North Main Streets completed project.

In the Summer of 2021 Idaho Transportation Department will come through and complete a mill and inlay asphalt project to rehabilitate both North Main St. and North 2nd East adding a final touch of updated infrastructure.  

Q: How long will front door access be taken away from business on North 2nd East during construction?

A: Temporary gravel sidewalks will be placed in front of businesses during construction.  There will be minimal impacts when the old sidewalk is being removed and when the temporary access is put in.  There will be a one-day (approximately) interruption when concrete is poured to allow it adequate time to set.  Impacts/closures to entrances will be coordinated in advance with business owners.

Q: What is the schedule for construction in Phase 2?

A: Construction will begin on East Jackson Street the end of June to replace storm water drains and will wrap around to North 2nd East in July.  The project should be complete by late October. 

Q: Will 2nd Street be taken down to 1 lane after construction?

A: During construction N. 2nd. E. will be a single lane to allow construction teams to complete their work and ensure worker safety.  This is temporary and the street will be opened to two full lanes as soon as it is safe to do so.

Q: What are the safety considerations for semis in downtown, how were they calculated?

A: Horrocks Engineers used two different traffic modeling programs (Synchro and Autoturn) to calculate the truck turning radii against the new street configurations.  They used the largest truck configuration to test the turning movements throughout the downtown core. 

• • The turning movements came back safe through their tests.  Idaho Transportation Department verified the findings and approved them all as well. 
  • The corner of American Legion Blvd at N. 2nd E. was of particular concern, and to further facilitate truck turning movements the radius of the curb on the corner by Chase Bank was reduced.  This allows for additional pedestrian safety as well.

Q: Will there be any parking on the left side of N. 2nd E.?

A: The majority of parallel street parking will be removed along the left side of N. 2nd E.  Three parallel parking spots will remain: one in near Mountain Home Printing, one in front of the old Beall's building, and one in front of Mountain Home Youth Ranch.

Q: Will the cross streets (E. 2nd N., E. 4th N.) be made into one way streets?

A: No, they will remain the same as they are now.

Q: Is it true all of our traffic/parking/economic studies were "reverse engineered" to give us a pre-determined conclusion?

A: There have been several studies conducted in conjunction with the Downtown Revitalization Plan.  Once we went from the visioning and planning to Planning/Engineering with Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) and Horrocks to accomplish the downtown plan many additional studies were needed. 

ITD required that the City of Mountain Home conduct a Traffic Impact Study to determine if it was feasible to reduce from 3 lanes of traffic to two lanes of traffic prior to any approvals of the plan by their department.  The study was conducted by Horrocks Engineers and then validated by ITD engineers prior to moving forward with engineering.  This step was necessary in order to move forward with construction of the downtown plan.  It was not done to prove a pre-determined conclusion but to test the lane diet and ensure that our plan was feasible with traffic volumes (and anticipated future traffic volumes with estimated future growth).

• View Traffic Impact Study

Parking Study: Many citizens were concerned with the loss of parking and in response to their concerns, Boise State University was commissioned, as an impartial 3rd party, to conduct a Parking Study.  Their contracted mission was to assess the current, and project impact of reduction of parking to the downtown core.  BSU determined the best approach to the project and research parameters.  The City of Mountain Home was provided with their final report. No pre-determined assumptions/results were part of the contract. 

• View Downtown Mountain Home, ID Parking Assessment Study

Economic Impact Study: Another concern of residents and businesses owners with the Downtown Revitalization Plan was loss of business and retraction of economic impact due to construction.  Again, Boise State University was commissioned to conduct a study as an impartial 3rd party.  The team at Boise State conducted research to determine economic impact from downtown revitalization projects nationwide in similar communities.   They gathered the data and provided the final report once complete to the City.  As research and analytical experts, we relied on Boise State University to determine the best methodologies to determine the Economic Impact of the Downtown Revitalization Project. No pre-determined assumptions/results were part of the contract.

• View Mountain Home Economic Impact Assessment of the Downtown Revitalization Project 2018

Q: What local experts were used in the City urban planting purchases? What experts determined which plants/trees were going in. Will they cause growth problems in 20-30 years?

A: Extensive time was spent on finding the appropriate trees and plants for the landscaping in the downtown plan.  

ITD requires specific tree types and varieties along ITD owned roads.  They provide those specific varieties and from there the City contracted with a landscape architect,Jensen-Belts, who works with municipalities in Southeast Idaho.  She took the ITD list and then selected trees that would work best in our area.

After the landscape architect narrowed down the field of trees and plants for our plan, the City looped in our local University of Idaho Horticulturist for final vetting of our choices for local pest, climate and water impacts. 

The trees and plants selected were chosen specifically for size and hardiness in urban environments.  The trees will grow taller but not very tall to ensure they are adequate for streetscapes.

The tress chosen for the streetscape downtown are: Street keeper Honey Locus and Chanticleer Pear.   

Trees in urban areas do have a lifespan and we will need to replace them years down the road.  With proper care we may get twenty to thirty years (average lifespan) of City streetscape trees.  Usually this lifespan correlates with the lifespan of streetscape lifespan.  Usually by 20-30 years street and sidewalk work in urban areas will need to be updated or replaced.

A recent USDA study analyzing tree life expectancy in urban areas finds the typical street tree living between 19-28 years (https://extension.illinois.edu/blogs/flowers-fruits-and-frass/2020-01-24-extending-life-your-urban-tree-part-1) 

The new design utilizes large planter areas for the trees, providing them with additional soil and room to grow versus the smaller tree wells currently in the downtown.

Q: Can alleys behind stores/businesses be made one-way?  

A: The current downtown revitalization plan has no intention to make the alleyways one-way.  They will remain as is.  If a need arises, this can be evaluated in the future.

Q: Will there be any bike lanes in the downtown renovation?

A: Yes, there is a bike lane on N. Main street.  However, there is no bike lane along N. 2nd E. The public asked if we would remove the bike lane from N. 2nd E. and instead connect it through side streets.

Q: Can we ban semis from going on Main Street as well as 2nd Street?

A: N. Main St. and N. 2nd East are Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) owned streets.  ITD determines who utilizes those streets.  The City of Mountain Home does not plan to request ITD to limit these streets to semis.  

Q: Can individual businesses place signage that assigns public street parking spaces as designated for their business only?

A: No.  All street parking spaces (on public right of way) in downtown are for public parking only and may not be designated for a specific business.  

Q: Is it possible to place speed limit signs on downtown cross streets?

A: Speed limit signs are normally not posted on cross streets in the downtown.  The more signage that is posted, the less impact they have. People tend to stop paying attention to them.  It also becomes a budget issue with the cost for additional signage. City code 6-3-2, Speed Limit, states that the maximum speed for the maximum speed for the city alleys shall be ten (10) miles per hour.  

However, if a citizen feels that a need exists they may approach the Traffic Safety Board, which meets the 2nd Wednesday of the month at 6 pm in City Council Chambers (160 S. 3rd E., Mountain Home).