POCATELLO — After years of discussion and debate the Pocatello City Council is poised to take its first concrete step toward returning City Hall to Historic Downtown Pocatello.

The council will vote Thursday evening on a professional services agreement with VCBO Architecture to conduct a Phase I feasibility analysis of the Historic Federal Building at 150 S. Arthur Ave. — the proposed site for a new downtown City Hall. The contract is valued at $203,000 with reimbursable expenses not to exceed $25,000.

If the project ultimately moves forward, VCBO would also have the option to complete Phase II design and renovation administration work at 6.89 percent of construction cost for the downtown City Hall.

The vote represents the first formal action toward a project that has been years in the making. The concept of relocating City Hall to Historic Downtown Pocatello was part of a downtown master plan approved by the City Council in 2022 — a plan that underwent extensive public input before adoption.

The city conducted a Request for Qualifications process for architectural and engineering services and received 15 proposals. VCBO Architecture was deemed the most highly qualified firm.

The Historic Federal Building in the heart of downtown Pocatello has long been eyed as the ideal location for a new City Hall. Supporters of the move argue that relocating City Hall downtown would bring an estimated 1,200 people per day into the downtown core — employees, visitors and residents conducting city business — providing a significant economic boost to downtown restaurants and businesses.

The feasibility study will be a critical step in determining the project's viability and actual costs — something that has been a source of significant debate. Cost estimates have varied widely with downtown property owner Denis Clijsters estimating the total project could come in around $10 million while watchdog group Pocatello for Accountable Government Entities has estimated costs could reach $35 million including a potential downtown parking garage.

Retired architect Jerry Myers — a contributor to the downtown master plan — has emphasized the importance of exactly the kind of professional analysis the council is considering Thursday.

"Getting proposals for architectural services and studying the feasibility is really the first big step," Myers said in September 2025. "Once you know the city's needs and what they want, then you can put a number to it."

The feasibility study will examine repurposing the Historic Federal Building to accommodate the city's administrative offices, meeting rooms, public spaces, a City Council chamber and other support facilities.

The City Council meeting begins at 6 p.m. Thursday at Pocatello City Hall.