POCATELLO — NeighborWorks Pocatello recently received a $40,000 grant from Wells Fargo to assist with landscaping of its Bonneville Commons subdivision located at the site of the former Bonneville Elementary School. Additionally, local Wells Fargo employees will be assisting with the planting of several trees around the parameter of the development during a Welcome Home volunteer event on Thursday from 1 to 5 p.m.

Bonneville Commons is a brand-new subdivision located between the 300 Block of North 8th and North 9th in Pocatello. Planning for the project began in early 2020 when NWP acquired the property from the Pocatello-Chubbuck School District. At the onset, a team of volunteers, which included residents of the Bonneville Neighborhood, professionals from Myers-Anderson Architects in Pocatello and The Land Group in Boise was assembled to create a development to provide new attainable housing and an injection of resources into a 2-acre site, which was the location of a school that had sat vacant for 17 years.

“One major goal of this project is to help revitalize the Bonneville Neighborhood,” said Mark Dahlquist, NeighborWorks Pocatello executive director. “If we want the development to look its very best and be something the neighborhood and community can take pride in, a high standard of landscaping is needed and it’s something that shouldn’t be skimped on. An injection of an extra $40,000 for this specific purpose is a huge boon to the project and makes those all-important finishing touches a reality.”

Throughout NWP’s 30-year history, Wells Fargo has been a significant lead funder of the organization.

Dahlquist said, “We have many important partners coming to the table to support our needs, but no other private entity has financially supported us at the level of Wells Fargo. Year in and out, Wells Fargo is always there supporting our mission — whether it be with unrestricted operating grants, special down payment lending programs, such as NeighborhoodLIFT, or with employees serving on committees or rolling up their sleeves to assist with landscaping projects.”

Wells Fargo is a member of the Federal Home Loan Bank. In May, Wells Fargo worked closely with NWP to obtain matching dollars from the FHLB of Des Moines’ Member Impact Fund, which was a one-time fund set up to support non-profit housing organizations that have established relationships with FHLB member institutions. Wells Fargo leveraged a 3:1 match from the FHLB to NWP and eight other nonprofits across the state. This is above and beyond the $40,000 grant for landscaping meaning Wells Fargo has supported and facilitated a total of $112,000 to NeighborWorks® Pocatello in 2023.

“Today’s landscaping work is part of a Wells Fargo initiative called Welcome Home, whereby bank employees across the country are working with local nonprofits like NeighborWorks Pocatello to make an impact in the communities where we serve, live and work,” said Kory Call, district branch network senior manager at Wells Fargo. “Through Welcome Home, Wells Fargo has provided over $2 million in funding to charity partners to engage in housing affordability community engagement events. The funding supports more than 250 events working to achieve affordable, sustainable housing and communities across the global footprint.”

Bonneville Commons includes 26 housing units with many of the units either completed or soon-to-be-completed. Twenty percent of the homes (a total of six homes) are set aside for low- and moderate-income households making less than 80% of area median income. Special financing is available for the six income-restricted homes, which translates into affordable monthly house payments for qualified buyers. The homes range in size from 1,080 to 1,600 square feet. Each unit has a single-car garage with a selection of two- and three-bedroom units.

NeighborWorks Pocatello is investing just over $8 million in this 26-unit project. There will be a common area maintained by a Homeowners Association. A large wood pergola in the shape of a railroad roundhouse will be in the common area.

“We are really thrilled with the look and feel of the new Bonneville Commons. Not only is it providing some new attainable housing for the community but it’s also providing a major uplift to one of Pocatello’s oldest and most historic neighborhoods,” added Dahlquist.

For more information about Bonneville Commons, visit https://nwpocatello.org/bonnevillecommons/ or the model home at 348 N. 8th between the hours of 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. each Monday through Saturday or call 208-232-9468.