By Shelbie Harris sharris@journalnet.com Jul 10, 2019
A group of East Idaho developers are about to begin construction on the first phase of a massive project that will combine commercial, retail and residential development in the same east Chubbuck neighborhood.
The developers and city officials say the project could forever change Chubbuck.
Lyn Yost, who lives in Bannock County, is one of five developers involved in the 1,800-acre project named the New Day District, located in the large undeveloped area west of Interstate 15 between Tyhee and East Siphon roads.
Yost’s 226-acre development, called Northside Crossing at New Day, will include various commercial property types.
The New Day District is located just west of the much anticipated Northgate interchange that will provide local residents with another exit and entrance to Interstate 15.
Construction on Yost’s portion of the New Day District is set to begin on Monday when he’ll break ground on a 72,000-square-foot assisted living center with 86 beds on about 6 acres of land.
“The other four partners are little bit further behind on the construction cycle than I am but they are right around the corner getting started as well,” Yost said. “But in addition to the assisted living center, I am also building an urgent care and an assortment of family medical buildings right off of (East) Siphon Road.”
Yost said that the construction of 1,000 to 1,200 residential dwellings in the New Day District is set to begin this fall and will include a combination of single-family homes, apartment complexes, duplexes and a retirement community.
“This phase of the project will involve a community for people who are 55 and active, not 55 and older, because this is not intended to be a community solely for the elderly,” Yost said about the retirement community. “It’s as close as Chubbuck would get to a retirement community. It has its own clubhouse with a pool. And to balance the rest of the neighborhood we will have a large recreation center and pool that is separate from the (retirement community).”
Throughout this sprawling new neighborhood that intertwines retail and commercial properties with residential homes, Yost said over 35 acres have been dedicated for parks and green space.
There will also be seven miles of walking paths throughout the New Day District, Yost added.
“Our intention is to feature a wide-open walking neighborhood with a focus on these beautiful homes,” Yost said. “In East Idaho we have a habit of building huge houses with three car garages that you have to walk around to get to the house. These homes will be either side-load or rear-load garages with more of an emphasis on the front porch of homes.”
Yost added that the New Day District has partnered with the Pocatello-based construction company Sage Builders to build high-quality homes that will be energy efficient certified, will incorporate smart automation to offer residents the latest in technology, and will be capable of accessing fiber optic data connections.
Most of the homes in the New Day District will be priced between $250,000 and $350,000, Yost said.
Another part of the New Day District will be called The Hub and will feature residential dwellings on the upper floors of retail and commercial establishments. The Hub will have boutique-style commercial space, outdoor gathering areas, a pool and a meeting center for residents.
Yost said the idea behind The Hub is to hopefully attract younger populations such as millennials to the New Day District.
“This has been called Chubbuck’s Northgate but this is our own thing,” Yost said about the New Day District. “I don’t want to come across negative of Northgate, because quite frankly I want to see it succeed. Though they will be our direct competition, the reality is we need more homes in this area to stimulate growth. If we want additional retail to come into the Portneuf Valley we need to start building a lot more homes.”
The Northgate project includes the construction of the Northgate Interstate 15 interchange at East Siphon Road and Olympus Drive as well as plans from developers to build industrial parks and thousands of houses in the area. The interchange is currently under construction but the houses and industrial parks have not yet come to fruition.
Northside Crossing at New Day will also take advantage of Chubbuck’s creative community zoning district, a new zoning designation that encourages a blended approach to community building.
Yost has partnered with the city to create a new community look and feel at Northside Crossing. It is modeled after a very successful development in South Jordan, Utah, known as Daybreak.
“There is no debate about that at all,” Chubbuck Mayor Kevin England said about the opportunity for the New Day District to forever alter Chubbuck. “Over the years, most of the development that we have seen has been what I call those cookie-cutter developments. And part of that is because our ordinances pushed that type of development.”
England added, “I’d say we’ve stifled the creativity of a developer from trying something different (but) this new creative community zoning district allows for just that, more creativity, which comes in the form of higher density residential properties and a mixture of retail and commercial lots.”
Yost said he will release more information about the New Day District project as it continues to develop, adding that he is thankful that working with the city of Chubbuck has been a painless process.
“We are beyond excited for this,” Yost said. “This is a perfect time in the market and unless we start building homes now, we will never see any growth in this area.”