TWIN FALLS, Idaho — The Twin Fall City Council is working to reimagine and revitalize the city's downtown area. One way they're making that a reality is by providing more residential housing.
Pheasant Meadows is one of several subdivision projects in southern Twin Falls. The project is finally entering its third and final development phase after the city council's approval at Monday's council meeting.
The project was initially approved in January 2004 but experienced some delays throughout the years, including the 2008 recession.
This final phase will allow developers to move into the remaining portions of the subdivision and start constructing single-family homes on the 49-lot site.
"It's providing more home inventory which is certainly going to help us as we move forward on, not only population growth but economic development and quality of life," said Joshua Palmer, Twin Falls Public Information Coordinator.
While the homes are not directly downtown, the subdivision offers quick access to the area and other services.
"If you're a retired resident who moved here, you may want to be close to medical services. We have a lot of families that want to stay close to the college as well and those services. There is an attraction to living within the city, for the most cases, to proximity for those services," said Palmer.
The final phase couldn't come at a better time as housing demand increases. The latest reports show from September 2019 to September 2020, the number of new single-family home building permits increased from 326 to 573.
"We know that there have been individuals who have passed up Twin Falls because there wasn't a home that was available for them or the type that they wanted. It's really going to come down to that inventory, building it up, so there is opportunity for interested individuals," Palmer said.
While there's no estimated date for when this phase will be completed, once finished, Pheasant Meadows will have over 350 homes in total.
