(City of Pocatello Facebook, July 10, 2026)
The appeal related to the Hearing Examiner’s decision on the proposed data center Conditional Use Permit at 1800 River Park Way has been scheduled for consideration by the Pocatello City Council July 16 at 6 p.m.
The meeting is open to the public and will be held at Pocatello City Hall, 911 North 7th Avenue. The meeting will also be livestreamed and recorded through Pocatello Community Media at: youtube.com/PocatelloCommunityMedia
The City would like to clarify that this is NOT a public hearing. The public hearing process has already been completed, and the record for the application has been closed.
Under Idaho law, the Mayor and City Council are acting as the appellate body and will review the appeal based on the record established during the original hearing process and the issues raised in the appeal. The Council will not be taking new testimony or considering new evidence that was not part of the original record.
As this is a land use matter before the City Council, the Mayor and City Council cannot engage in discussions about the appeal outside of a properly noticed public meeting. Idaho’s Local Land Use Planning Act establishes specific procedures for handling land use appeals, and elected officials must follow those requirements to preserve their ability to participate in the decision-making process.
In these cases, the Mayor and City Council serve in a quasi-judicial role. Similar to a judge reviewing a case, they cannot receive testimony or evidence outside of the official public process. This helps ensure fairness to all parties and protects the integrity of the appeal process.
The Council’s role is to determine whether the Hearing Examiner’s decision was consistent with applicable laws, regulations, and standards. Following its review, the Council may affirm, reverse, or modify the decision.
The agenda and meeting materials are now available at pocatello.gov/agendacenter.
The appeal submission is available as a public record and may be viewed or downloaded at cityofpocatelloid.nextrequest.com/requests/26-1050.
Because this matter remains part of an active appeal process, City staff cannot comment on the merits of the application or speculate on the outcome of the appeal.
