Council ratifies mediation changes to Willows Place PUD; revised PUD to return for public hearing

The Idaho Falls City Council on May 21 ratified a proposed mediation agreement for the Willows Place Townhomes planned unit development, a step that follows an earlier denial and a request for reconsideration. Counsel summarized the mediation outcomes and the council voted to approve the agreement so the applicant can prepare a revised PUD for a later quasi‑judicial hearing.

City counsel explained that mediation addressed council concerns about privacy, streetscape, parking and the location of public amenities. “One of the big ones is the number of units here has been reduced from 14 units to 12 units,” counsel said. The agreement swaps the playground location to make it clearly accessible from a public street and requires a sign noting public availability.

The mediation also reduces parking—by 10 stalls according to counsel—and increases the proposed landscaping ratio from roughly 48% to 57% by enlarging spacing between units. Counsel said driveway depths were adjusted to provide 25‑foot driveways where there had previously been 20 feet, to reduce the risk of vehicles overlapping into private streets.

Two council members who participated in the mediation abstained from the vote under ex parte rules; council discussion stressed that ratifying the mediation does not guarantee final PUD approval. If the revised PUD is filed, the public and the full council will have a separate opportunity to comment and vote during a quasi‑judicial hearing.