The plan to tear down the former Idaho Youth Ranch retail building in Twin Falls is being sent back to the city's Planning and Zoning board, despite receiving approval from the board and the city council.
The new construction will be six-stories and 75-feet-tall, and the state’s first Opportunity Zone project. Downtown business owners are concerned about parking and the height of the building. In a city council hearing, the developers said for the financing to work out, the building has to be six stories tall. Otherwise, there won't be enough rent from the apartments to cover the construction costs.
The developer’s plan is now being sent back to the two groups for another look because of some problems with how the city notified neighboring businesses of the meetings. The developer sent notices to addresses within 500 feet of 160 Main Avenue North. But that’s the wrong address. The information should have been sent to neighbors near 160 Main Avenue South, which is only a short distance away.
This will likely delay the timeline of the project, as the Youth Ranch was slated for demolition this month.
Find reporter Rachel Cohen on Twitter @racheld_cohen
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