D3, Horrocks win Outstanding Plan Award
for Mountain Home Master Plan

The Mountain Home Downtown Master Plan received the Outstanding Plan Award Oct. 3 from the Idaho Chapter of the American Planning Association. The plan is the collaborative result of work by Horrocks Engineers, D3 and the city of Mountain Home. The work of city staff was integral in the process.

The plan centers on the renovation of the downtown corridor in Mountain Home. The goal was to create a renewed downtown identity, increase economic development, provide an exceptional downtown pedestrian experience, improve land use for optimized community development, and address infrastructure issues.

This plan demonstrates the challenges many other rural towns in Idaho face, such as state highways that run through or bisect downtown cores, decaying infrastructure, loss of population due to lack of jobs, and the inability to compete with surrounding areas. Horrocks and the city collaborated with ITD to put the plan together, and it was adopted by the city council in March 2018. 

Both Idaho Highway 51 and I-84B (American Legion Boulevard) run through town.

“When the City and Horrocks first approached me with their idea of a ‘road diet’ I was pretty apprehensive,” said D3 Engineering Manager Caleb Lakey. “But we came up with a really good plan that got them what they desired for their downtown core, and also improved safety and operations on the state highway system.”

“Managing a state highway through the middle of a growing and developing city like Mountain Home is anything but straightforward,” Lakey added. “But this award shows that good partners, working together, can come up with a really nice end product.”

Published 11-01-19