Idaho Falls has changed a lot in the last 25 years. We’ve seen the west side of the city grow and flourish with new a new mall, multi-plex theater, and dozens of new restraints with good food. Empty fields to the west, south and east have turned into housing developments with thousands of homes.
Businesses who are trying to make it work appear to be having a hard time staying afloat.
Empty buildings now litter the streets and those wanting to succeed seem to be moving to find a better location. In economic terms, if feels like death all around. What has caused the death of what was once one of the most active and prosperous parts of Idaho Falls? Certainly the building of the Grand Teton Mall, and development on the west part of town has had an impact, but it might also be somewhat in part to outrageously “bad neighbors”. There is little question that some of the businesses that remain are awful neighbors. They let their buildings deteriorate to the point of crumbling and few (if any) take care of their own landscaping –
Post Register
Even the our own Post Register cares so little they let the front of the building become overrun with weeds. Others don’t bother to pick up the trash in their parking lots. And it is a natural assumption that these external scabs represent managements mentality of their internal business practices as well, including how they take care of their employees, equipment, and customers. If these bad-neighbors were to clean up their act and each of them go out and pick up their parking lots, pull the weeds, wash the windows, 
and give the building a fresh coat of paint, just think the life that could be breathed into this part of town.
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. Plus that leaves me a day to spend money elsewhere, so yes, there is money to be made on Sunday.
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{ 22 comments… read them below or add one }
The stretch of Northgate from the underpass to Holmes cannot be salvaged in any sort of big business form due to limitations that exist with the geography. Its fenced in on one side by the railroad and the other by residential areas. As such there is no room for any big box store to come in and build unless they raze a whole big section of residential area. But why would any big box store do this when there are better open places to build on the east side or west side?
So your stuck with smaller businesses that are not destination oriented (i.e., they go to customers, not vice versa). Things like plumbers, electricians, etc and thats basically what you’ve got already.
One thing I think the city could do is build their new police station there. Tear down or renovate one of the empty buildings and use the adjoining lot for parking.
Top ↑Joe:
The “weeds” in the Post Register planters are perennial plants indigenous to our desert climate. I assure you that we do not have garbage littering our parking lot. The photo you posted is at least two months old, since we removed the overhang on our facade in early November (and with it our cherished old Post Register sign). We have a new sign waiting for installation, but since much of our facade is stucco we must wait until better weather to finish the project.
I’m pleased to note that the former Jewel Electric building has been remodeled and awaits a new tenant. The former Phase 4 Stereo building has a new tenant. Our good neighbors North Hiway Cafe and Scottie’s continue to serve delicious food, as they have for decades. Sayer Dodge has expanded into its former BMW dealership, which has moved down the street into a remodeled building that used to be the Nissan dealership (which has moved to Woodruff).
In fact, this section of Northgate Mile is probably less “dead” than it has been in years. Yes, there are some industrial sites and a feedlot that was there long before the city grew up around it. It’s a transitional zone, typical of cities of our size. It’s hard for me to imagine how this looks like death to you.
As you proceed on down the street, the Fred Meyer complex is nearly full and thriving. Yes, the former Fred Meyer and Albertson’s sites remain empty, but these are well down the street and not indicative of the many responsible and successful businesses between Anderson and the train overpass near our good neighbors, Big O Tire.
I appreciate attempts to provoke, but you went over the top on this one, Joe.
Roger Plothow
Top ↑Editor and Publisher
Post Register
Idaho Falls – forgotten and neglected, you’re kidding – right?
Throughout the U.S.A. many “old down towns” in multiple areas have gone down the toilet. Here in I.F., our down town has been rebuilt and rejuvenated. Old businesses have been restored, and those that have left have mostly been replaced.
In the last 25 years, Idaho has been one of the busiest, fastest growing States in our Country. Even in this depressing economy, Idaho Falls, ID is still listed as one of the most desirable places to find a job, and one of the fastest growing job and population environments in our nation.
In the state of being, our home town is sitting pretty.
(p.s. I still need a job. If any of you out there have any connections, please hook me up. Thanks)
Top ↑“25 best cities to find a job
CNN has the list of the 25 best cities to find a job
1. Sioux Falls, South Dakota
2. Rapid City, South Dakota
3. Idaho Falls, Idaho ”
I don’t know what’s in South Dakota but their roads must be made of gold and their women must have head’s of hair made of silk.
Top ↑North Idaho Falls is definitely in need of a face lift. I hate driving to that part of town. It feels off there.
I wasn’t around before the Grand Teton Mall was built, but the bigger mall could have had an impact, especially if the north part of town used to be the happening part of town.
Maybe the businesses in the area could get together and pool funds for improvements and set up guidelines for the upkeep of the area. Or maybe the city should step in and put in some rules about weeds and business appearance. Revitalizing an old part of town like this could have a great impact on that area’s local economy.
I think West Yellowstone has some rules somewhere about the look of buildings and businesses, and it seems to work well for them.
Top ↑Roger,
I don’t think Joe was accusing you of having garbage in your parking lot, he said other businesses had garbabage. Maybe he could specify which businesses are the worst trash offenders. But to be fair, your flower pots do look a mite unkept.
And clicking on the picture of the Post Register above, your building does look like it could use a some TLC. The building has likely seen better days.
You are understandably sensitive, however. I would be too if it was a topic that hit close to my home.
Top ↑Wendyjo makes a good point in where this is an issue in most towns/cities across the country, not just here. There are sections like this in almost every town across the country where the “older section” of town used to be thriving but as the city grew and once a mall or even strip malls went up in nicer parts of town, the original “happening parts” sections of town were soon neglected as tenants moved out and the upkeep of said areas went into decline.
Top ↑I think Roger made some good points though and although that area could definetely use a face lift, I do think it could be worse.
Good topic, thanks Joe!
You know, I like that part of town so much that I moved right across the tracks from it. There is more character in Downtown, Northgate Mile, and the neighborhoods surrounding than anywhere else in this city. I suppose you would like it all to be torn down and made into cookie-cutter businesses and homes.
It doesn’t feel off, it feels like home.
Top ↑There have been some really good points made on this topic. I, too, wasn’t around before the mall, but when I worked in that area of town I noted (still note when I drive through) that yes, it could use some TLC…but it’s also true that it could be worse, and based on what Roger P. wrote, it sounds like some changes are on the way.
And it’s true that it’s an awkward part of town for businesses that aren’t service-oriented (as described above, that is), and those sorts of businesses are not likely to care quite as much about appearances as other sorts of businesses.
As to the idea of pooling money or the city stepping in with some mandates…Improvements require money. Are the city and its taxpayers willing to fork over some dough to help them out? It is, after all, terribly unfair to toss out new mandates that could and probably would cost a business a good chunk of cash that they may or may not have – especially if the mandate only covered certain sections of town.
I am also with Marcus – areas of town with character are “home”. I grew up on just the other side of those train tracks, by the ball field, and when I drive around with my camera it is those areas I drive to – they are the most interesting.
Buuuut…they can be a bit on the intimidating side if you don’t know the city very well.
Top ↑I grew up on Garfield just off the Northgate Mile.
Top ↑My uncle owned B&F distributing and I spent many hours hanging around the old warehouse by the PR watching my Dad get red-nosed with his brother and cousins. My Grandad traded at the stockyards monthly and I loved to go along and see what he was buying or selling. My first memory of eating out at a fast food joint was at Scotties with my Mom in our ’66 Bonneville. I delivered papers for the PR in the early ’70s( FYI: it was a dump in ’72 and I’ve seen NO CHANGE since then). I was there with my family the day they opened the Country Club Mall. One of my best friends in high school was Todd Warren, his folks owned the North Hiway Cafe for 35 years. I worked for 2 years in the chipping room at Idaho Falls Foundry & Machine. That job provided me with enough money to go to college. I bought my first brand new truck from Ron Sayer Dodge.
I think it’s safe to say I have some lifelong memories and ties to the Northgate Mile.
That being said; I’m with you Joe, I feel the whole area is an embarrassment to Idaho Falls and is in dire need of a face lift. I would like to see a Taylor Crossing / Snake River Landing / University Place type retrofit from downtown to Fred Myer.
Oh yeah; Roger, we here in Idaho Falls call “perennial plants indigenous to our desert climate”….WEEDS! You remind me of a guy with 9 junk cars parked in front of his trailer telling the world what a beautiful home he has. Gimme a break.
Alumni, you must be the poor fool that thinks you need to surgically repair that scar on your forehead because it’s simply getting to be too much of a bother to tell the story of how it got there.
[edited by moderator] Northgate Mile and Downtown Idaho Falls are just about the only real urban areas left in this city, and to tear either down with the intent to replace with Taylor Crossing-esque doll houses would really be a shame.
Top ↑Yes Marcus,
Top ↑I am a poor fool. You must be just like John Edwards to gleen so much information about my character with just one post. Kudos………
C’mon guys….lets not go there. We’ve been doing so well lately.
Top ↑Have a great weekend everyone!
isu – same to you bud. Whole reason I posted that introductory line is because you did the same to Plothow. [edited by moderator]
[moderator note: please refrain from the personal attacks and stick with the topics of discussion. We can express strong views without going after a particular individual]
Top ↑Oh come come now…not everyone gets circles. They’re very complicated, you see.
Top ↑“If you don’t like the way it looks enough for it to keep you away, stay away, we don’t want you.
Scrud, Marcus, why not ask Mr. Plothow to nominate you to the ‘Chamber of Commerce’ “WELCOME TO IDAHO FALLS” committee?
I’m sure he and all of Idaho Falls would be more than delighted to have a silver tongued Saint, like yourself, to represent us.
Top ↑Once upon a time ago, I lived on the North end of town as a teenager. It may be run down now, but not so long ago, we spent Saturday mornings watching the horses run through the livestock yards, and Saturday nights dancing at Ropers (which is now Ashley Furniture). We rode at the barn up St. Leon road which is due to be torn down within the next few years, and through the fields that are all real estate property now. We spent our weekend nights driving ‘The Cruise” off Northgate Mile and remember driving our beater trucks up the huge snowpiles in the old FM parking lot. Those were beat up trucks we worked our butts off and paid for ourselves. We were hardworking kids who didn’t get into too much trouble, and who went to Church on Sunday to repent for anything we might have done on Saturday night. We were good kids, who found things to do without drinking or drugs. We shopped at the Ware-Mart on the old highway where you could buy decent-priced groceries and a hundred other things…. So society up and moved to the east, (and I’ve heard builders say that cities move towards mountains and scenery), I tell them to look north…our memories are arguably better
and if you keep going north up the old highway, you’re bound to have gorgeous scenery too.
Top ↑I agree that some things could be improved upon, downtown has been refaced and improved as well, while maintaining character. You just can’t beat the old-town feel of walking into a drugstore where they know everyone by name and still offer delivery to the elderly and impaired, and you can’t compare the extensions of Ammon and Taylor Crossing on the west side to the older sections of IF….they just don’t have the history.
A long time ago I didn’t live here and neither did my parents or my brother or sister. That was back in the 1970′s. But we still came up here, and through here to visit family.
Down the Yellowstone Highway way was some sort of mall. I don’t recall it’s name. I was real young back then and not into shopping (and never have been), but my Mom was, so we stopped to shop.
My little sister was standing next to one of those round carousel like clothing racks. She must of tugged on something cause the whole damn thing fell over on her. I didn’t see the incident, only heard it; big POOF!
Mom starts screaming. My little brother remains attached to her hip and is now crying. Lots of people have surrounded the pile of clothes on the floor and my sister has disappeared. I wasn’t sure W-T-F to do so I did nothing. (Give me a break! I was only 8 y/o.)
Anyway, lots of real helpful bystanders and clerks unburied my little sister. We were real grateful, yes sir. With the exception of a broken nose she was undamaged and her pupils were equal.
The store paid for my Mom and Dad to have her nose fixed and my parents didn’t even have to ask. Them were the good old days. My little sister has had to have that nose surgically redone to correct her breathing problems twice since then.
My mom and Dad are part of the good old days, just like that mall; they are honest; and don’t sue for a living.
HECK! That’s a bit off track! What I meant to say is that there is enough of the old Idaho Falls in Idaho Falls to preserve the new Idaho Falls. Just take it forward.
Top ↑I don’t see a lot of businesses lining up to get in at Snake River Landing and Taylors Crossing. Who will be the first to declare backruptsy in 09?.
Top ↑I think it’s a good idea, and common sense, for businesses to take care of their facilities or suffer the consequences.
I think businesses in that north part of town really haven’t taken very good care of their places overall.
They don’t need to remodel to be like Taylors Crossing, they just need a bar of soap and a bath – or a paint job and some simple clean-up.
I agree with the comment about downtown IF. It looks much better today than it did seven or eight years ago. The businesses in North Idaho Falls could learn from their example.
Top ↑Ya know…everytime I’ve driven down that particular stretch of road, I’ve looked at it a bit more closely and I”ve come to a couple of conclusions: First, it has the worst color scheme in the history of man and second that it is actually that color scheme that makes it look run-down.
It really isn’t run down much at all, if one could call it run down at all.
So on the whole, I have to retract my opinion that it did.
That said, it’s interesting and worth the consideration of the business owners that “run down” is the impression they give people passing through. What to do about it? Add more color
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