POCATELLO — The Pocatello Development Authority is seeking responses from qualified developers and their teams in an effort to redevelop or restore the Monarch Hotel in Historic Downtown Pocatello.

Constructed in 1909 and originally known as the Monarch Hotel, the building was gutted by a significant fire in 2014 and has remained undeveloped for over a decade. Its previous owners recently donated the building to the Pocatello Development Authority, or PDA, and the city organization is now looking for development teams who understand its historical significance and potential as a core fixture in Historic Downtown Pocatello.

“We’re interested in anything from redevelopment of the site or restoration of the site and we recognize it’s a historical building,” said Brent McLane, executive director of the Pocatello Development Authority. “There is some historical significance to it, but it’s also a building that has had so much damage that it may not be able to be saved. What we wanted to do is create a request for proposals that would allow for people to really look at what would be the best fit for historic downtown, but also be a financially viable project, recognizing that there’s a lot of cost in either the remodel and retrofit of the building or the removal of the building.”

McLane continued, “We do want to build it back into something that’s going to be vibrant and add to the downtown and feel like it fits into downtown. We want to be able to have some options to select someone who understands that and is wanting to work with the Pocatello Development Authority and the downtown group to create an infill project that would be really beneficial to help drive economic growth in downtown.”

The Monarch building is located near the Center Street Underpass and neighbors a variety of popular commercial properties like Brick 243 Gastropub, The First National Bar, Vintage Vinyl & Antiques and areas such as the nearby dog park and a large public parking lot. The .11-acre building is also only 800 feet from Lookout Point and a variety of other downtown shops and gathering places.

“I think the ideal solution would be to revitalize that building,” McLane said. “It may not be the existing building as it is, but something that essentially will provide the same architectural interest and character as that building. We’re not interested in a parking lot — that doesn’t help with the economic viability of downtown. We want it to be a structure. I would love to see, probably a mixed-use structure, where you would have some sort of commercial operation on the main floor and either residential or office space above that, or a combination of things. We definitely want it to not only fit the fabric of the buildings downtown but also be economically viable.”

Interested developers are being asked to fill out a proposal form that adheres to its minimum requirements and the submission of a detailed summary of the proposed project, submitted by mail or in person to Pocatello City Hall before Sept. 8, 2025.

If the PDA is unable to find a qualified developer for the project before the September deadline, McLane said that it would ultimately be up to the local development authority to decide what the next step would be, including potential removal via demolition due to the structural concerns surrounding the fire-damaged structure.

McLane said the PDA would also consider an extension to acquire additional proposals for the building. McLane would also follow up any inquiries if the organization didn’t receive more proposals to understand why potential developers were hesitant about investing in the property.

Depending on those results, the PDA may have to absorb the cost of removal of the building at some future point, using urban renewal funds.

if we don’t get those requests or those proposals in, I will probably contact those who reached out to me and just kind of get some feedback as to why they didn’t, or what, what concerns they had with the building so we can revise that request for proposals, or are we just not giving enough time? Or what are the issues that they’re running into with with submitting a proposal for it? And try to educate ourselves as to what, what those reasons might be

“I think our downtown is really up and coming,” McLane said. “I think we’re doing a lot of cool things with the historic buildings, with things like Relight the Night. We have our downtown plan that has some really good bones to the revitalization and improvements of downtown. You have Lookout Point that is a really great park in the downtown area that just opened, and I think (the Monarch Hotel) is situated in a great location.”

McLane continued, “The potential is there to have something special and really grow and develop in downtown that has been struggling for a number of years. It’s greatly situated. Its location is ideal for new development and it’s ideal for investment. I think someone will see the return on this property. If we can do something that really feels like it belongs there, it will be something that that people will be excited about and really grow to treasure and love.”

For more information and details on the proposal visit, pda.pocatello.gov/documents/rfp/RFP-monarch-redevelopment.pdf