Pocatello Approves 110 Townhome Lots at Northgate Ridge

POCATELLO — After years of delays, homes are coming to Pocatello’s Northgate area. The City Council approved the final plat for the first division of Northgate Ridge, clearing the way for 110 residential lots on just under 20 acres east of Portneuf’s Northgate urgent care, the Idaho State Journal reported (Oct. 2, 2026).

A final plat is the official map that splits land into lots, streets and shared spaces so building can begin. Brent McLane, director of Pocatello Planning and Development Services, called it “the last step to actually move it forward.”

Townhomes first: 283 planned

The council had already approved a planned unit development allowing 283 zero-lot-line townhomes — attached homes that sit on their property lines. The lots are part of a plan covering about 83 acres in five divisions.

Mayor Mark Dahlquist described the townhomes as phase one of a master plan he said tops 1,000 housing units. He said townhomes tend to be more affordable for first-time buyers, and he hopes the next phase brings smaller single-family homes. McLane said phase two is expected to bring detached single-family homes.

Who builds, and when

Utah-based Hamlet Homes, which has built neighborhoods in Idaho Falls, Ammon, Rexburg and Rigby, is expected to develop the area, McLane said. The developer must first hold a pre-construction meeting with the city and sign a development agreement. McLane said he expects substantial progress in the spring, if not sooner.

Homes will be permitted one at a time after the subdivision is finished, and townhomes may go up in batches. “They’re not going to build them all at once with hopes that they can sell them all at once,” McLane said. Full buildout will take a few years and will follow the market.

Prices, rents and stores

City officials said the lots answer a tight housing market. Councilmember Dakota Bates said he hopes the new homes will help steady prices and rents across the city. Bates said developer Buck Swaney of Millennial Development told the council that stores and restaurants won’t follow until more people live in the area. Dahlquist also tied Northgate to a planned rewrite of the city’s Title 17 land-use code, which could favor mixed-use, walkable neighborhoods.

At a glance

• Project: Northgate Ridge, Division 1

• Location: Northgate area, east of Portneuf’s Northgate urgent care, Pocatello

• Approved: Final plat for 110 residential lots on just under 20 acres

• Full plan: 283 townhomes across ~83 acres in five divisions; master plan described as 1,000+ units

• Expected builder: Hamlet Homes

• Timing: Substantial progress expected by spring; buildout over a few years

• Source: Idaho State Journal (Oct. 2, 2026)

More from Pocatello: ISU’s 370-bed student housing plan and the ISU research reactor site. See the Pocatello city guide, Chubbuck, new home communities and jobs in Idaho.

Photo: Pocatello, Idaho (file photo) by Jordan W., CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.