POCATELLO — Historic Downtown Pocatello is accepting public comments on a 20-year plan seeking to transform the heart of the city with projects such as a new City Hall, a town square, enhanced Portneuf River access and pedestrian paths.

More in-depth planning is already underway on the top three priorities identified by the plan.

The most pressing project in the plan involves building a town square with a performance stage, a playground, an ice rink, a splash pad, restrooms, trees and a food truck staging area. The second priority calls for developing pedestrian and bike paths to connect the Idaho State University campus area with the downtown area via Terry Street and First Avenue. The third priority involves creating green space and small-scale commercial development along the Portneuf River, to be called Portneuf Landing.

Bookending the proposed town square would be the Pocatello Civic Center — a new City Hall location in the historic federal building at 150 S. Arthur — and an expanded Marshall Public Library, 113 S. Garfield Ave.

According to the draft plan, having City Hall located downtown would demonstrate the city is invested in the community.

Comments on the proposed Pocatello Downtown Development Plan may be submitted online through Feb. 23 at river.pocatello.us/pocatello-downtown/. The Pocatello Planning & Zoning Commission will host a public hearing on the plan at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 23 at City Hall, 911 N. Seventh Ave. The City Council has scheduled a public hearing for 6 p.m. March 17 at City Hall.

The plan has been in the works for more than three years. The prior vision for the downtown area ended in 2018. City staff and Utah State University experts assisted in the new plan’s development.

The plan emphasizes building connections between the ISU campus and the city’s downtown and divides the downtown area into five districts spanning both sides of the Union Pacific Railroad tracks: Historic Downtown, Portneuf, Downtown East, Warehouse and Bengal.

“I think the main focus of the plan is really creating that connection between ISU through the Warehouse District, Downtown East to the west side and the core of the river,” said Stephanie Palagi, executive director of Historic Downtown Pocatello.

Palagi believes the concepts in the plan have the potential to get people out walking and biking, strengthen neighborhoods and connect the community more cohesively.

“These are projects that are happening right now. These are not projects that we hope will happen or that are a pipe dream,” Palagi said of the priority projects.

The plan also calls for improvements to the Center Street Underpass, which would be connected to walking paths and bike lanes, as well as a proposed pedestrian overpass. Beneath the Benton Street Overpass, the plan calls for creating a plaza, as well as walking paths and bike lanes.

“There’s so much momentum and activity happening in the downtown area,” Palagi said.