Neighborhood Number Two – Normal Hill

This neighborhood is bounded on the north by the Clearwater River, on the west by the Snake River, on the east by 21^st Street and on the south by 25^th Avenue.

Figure 1: Map of Neighborhood No. 2 Normal Hill

a. Residential Land Use

Of the 3,892 residential units in this neighborhood in 1990, 47.4% are owner occupied and 52.6% are renter occupied. The population of this neighborhood in 1990 was 8,232, down from its 1980 population of 8,902 reflecting the slow transition of the large older homes from multi-family back to single family as well as the loss of housing due to expansion of St Joseph Regional Medical Center and Lewis Clark State College. There are a variety of housing types including single family, multi-family (both apartment complexes and renovated homes), senior housing and transitional housing all ranging in age from late 1880’s to late 1990’s.

b. Commercial Land Use

Downtown Lewiston is located in this neighborhood, with its mix of shops, offices, government offices and tourist lodging, it is the largest commercial center in the City. The district extends from the Normal Hill bluff northward to the Clearwater River.

21^st Street is also located as the eastern edge of this neighborhood with a large variety of goods and services available. This is a typical commercial strip development extending the length of 21^st Street but is quite shallow in most of its extent. Local and national retailers, auto dealerships and fast food franchises line the street.

The Lewiston Center, a mid-size regional shopping center is located on 19^th Avenue between 17^th Street and 21^st Street. Anchored by four major department stores, the center provides a variety of goods and services in a mall setting.

There are also small pockets of commercial uses located within this neighborhood, one being located at the intersection of South Way and Snake Rive Avenue, another extending east from 7^th Street to 11^th Street along 16^th Avenue, a small pocket at 5^th Street and St Johns Way and one at the intersection of 8^th Street and 7^th Avenue. There are numerous home occupations within the area as well.

The West End Historic District extends from the Snake River eastward to 5^th Street and from the Normal hill bluff northward to the Clearwater River. It was the first such district in the State of Idaho and is comprised of commercial uses. The site of the original Territorial Capital is in this area as well as the first school (site) and the first platted lands in the City. Development within the Historic District is governed by design guidelines to protect the visual quality of this area. Fires in recent years have resulted in the loss of significant structures including the Bollinger Hotel, the Weisgerber Building and the Beehive and Beech Buildings. A replacement structure, the Bollinger Financial Center, was constructed on the site of the Bollinger Hotel and is reminiscent of commercial buildings in the historic downtown core.

c. Industrial Land Use

Industrial land uses are focused along the Clearwater and Snake Rivers and comprise a variety of uses, including food processing, boat manufacturing, cement processing, grain storage, ammunition manufacturing, railroads and other industrial uses. As seen on the accompanying aerial photographs, these industrial uses are located in a narrow band along the western and northern fringe of this neighborhood.

The industrial uses along Snake River Avenue affect the residential uses of Normal Hill and the park along the Snake River through noise and air pollution. The industrial area is located in quite close to the Lewiston Levee Greenbelt system and is becoming a less desirable use in this current location as a result of these incompatible land uses.

Fully surrounded by the City but located in the County is the Blount plant site, which manufactures ammunition. It is located at the intersection of Snake River Avenue and Bryden Canyon Road.

d. Public Land Use

Public lands within this neighborhood are significant and have a major influence on the neighborhood.

The City of Lewiston maintains several parks in the area, including Brackenbury Square downtown, Pioneer Park, Trevitt Park, Kiwanis Park, Fenton Park, DeMolay Park, Skateboard Park and Prospect Park. The City also owns City Hall on “F” Street, the Bell Building on “D” Street, Headquarters Fire Station on 13^th Street, the Police Station on “F” Street, the Community Center on Main Street and the Traffic Shop on 19^th Avenue. There are several public parking lots in the central business district developed and owned by the City. The City owns the Normal Hill Cemetery as well. The Idaho Land Trust holds title to portions of the Modie Park land in trust for the City; other portions of the land are owned by the city and are being developed through a partnership with the Modie Park Conservancy.

The Independent School District No. 1 owns school sites for Webster Elementary on 8^th Street, Whitman Elementary on 9^th Avenue, Jenifer Junior High School on 17^th Street and the Lewiston High School on 11^th Avenue as well as Bengal Field.

Lewis Clark State College (LCSC) campus is located on Normal Hill and extends from 4^th Street to 6^th Street and 7^th Avenue to 12^th Avenue, with expansion plans in the works. This is a significant land use in both the neighborhood and the city as a whole. Within the neighborhood, it affects adjacent land uses with parking, special events, traffic and student living.

Nez Perce County owns the Juvenile Detention Facility in Downtown Lewiston as well as the County Courthouse on Main Street and the Brammer Building on Idaho Street and the County Prosecuting Attorney’s office on “F” Street.

St. Joseph Regional Medical Center is located in two locations in the Normal Hill neighborhood. The main hospital campus is located along 6^th Street and consists of a number of buildings, including the main hospital building, the Radiation Oncology center and the Carondolet House. Numerous medical related businesses have located nearby. The hospital also operates Home Health and Hospice located at Idaho and 13^th Street. This remote location also serves as an alternative parking lot for Hospital employees; they are provided transportation from to the hospital from this remote site.

The State of Idaho owns a large office building for State services in the 1100 block of “F” Street and the Job Service office in the 1100 block of Idaho Street; they are tenants in other buildings in this neighborhood.

The United States Government owns or leases a number of properties in the neighborhood. The main Post Office is located in the 1600 block of Idaho Street. The Social Security Administration owns a large office building in the 1600 block of 19^th Avenue. Other Federal offices are located in rental space throughout the neighborhood, which uses consist of congressional offices, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and armed services recruiting.

e. Vacant Lands

Vacant land in the older residential portion of this neighborhood is quite limited, and consists of scattered undeveloped lots.

Within the newer, southern portion of neighborhood two, the vacant land is being held for future development or is in planning stages for development.

Within the Central Business District and nearby areas, several tracts of vacant land remain generally created through demolition of older structures or the abandonment of uses. Redevelopment potential exists on lands north of “D” Street near the confluence, on land south of “F” Street between New 6^th Street and 9^th Street, and south of Idaho Street east of 9^th Street. Other redevelopment pads are located on Main Street created as a result of fire (1100 block) or the remediation of hazardous waste sites (1500 block).

f. Landforms

Lands along the Clearwater and Snake Rivers is flat and was the first area in the City developed in the 1860’s. Rising abruptly from this flat riverfront plain is the Normal Hill bluff which is quite flat on top. This bluff is bisected on its southern end by a ravine in which South Way is constructed. Lands rise again south of South Way.

There are no floodways or floodplains along the Clearwater River or Snake River as a result of the Levee system.

g. Transportation

US 12 is classified as a principal arterial; Main Street, “D” Street, South Way/16^th Avenue, 17^th/18^th Street and Snake River Avenue are designated minor arterials. Prospect Avenue, 5^th Street, 13^th Street, 14^th Street south of 166^th Avenue, 11^th Avenue, Idaho Street and “G” Street are classed as collectors. All other streets in the neighborhood are classed as local streets.

US 12 and Snake River Avenue are designated as through and local truck routes; South Way/16^th Avenue, 17^th Street south of 16^th Avenue and 21^st Street are local truck routes.

Existing bicycle paths are located on the Lewiston Levee Greenbelt along the Clearwater and Snake Rivers. A bike path is scheduled for construction in Fiscal Year 2001 along South Way/16^th Avenue from 8^th Street westward to Snake River Avenue. 11^th Avenue and 17^th/18^th Street are proposed bicycle routes.

A boat launch is located along Snake River Avenue near 16^th Avenue ands a small floating dock in the 600 block of Snake River Avenue; there are small floating docks located at the Confluence (Lewis and Clark interpretive site) and on the Clearwater River (Clearwater Landing interpretive site).

h. Desired Futures for Neighborhood Number 2 – Normal Hill:

1. Lewis Clark State College continues to expand in area and student enrollment. A separate plan element and implementation strategy addressing the impact of this expansion is to be developed and is documented on the Lewiston 2020 Land Use Plan Map as the LCSC Special Planning Area. This special plan will include recommendations for amendments to the zoning ordinance, recommended right of way vacations, reconfigurations to traffic patterns and land uses amendments. It will also discuss methods to protect both the need of LCSC to grow and the special neighborhood characteristics of the nearby residential areas.

2. St. Joseph Regional Medical Center will continue to expand, both on its main campus and on satellite centers; this area is shown on the Lewiston 2020 Land Use Plan Map as the Hospital Special Planning Area. As a sub element of the Comprehensive Plan, the Special Planning Area will identify the impacts of this development on the surrounding community and develop strategies to help address them, while enhancing St Joseph Regional Medical Center’s ability to provide quality health care service to the community and region. The City and St. Joseph Regional Medical Center must work cooperatively in the formation of a district plan to address these impacts.

3. Residential development in this mostly built up neighborhood should be infill of a size and scale similar to the neighborhood in which it is built.

a. Accessory structures must be consistent with the scale of the neighborhood as well as with the material of construction.

b. Many of the lots in the older portion of the neighborhood are non-conforming as to size and dimension. Zoning regulations for properties in this area must be reevaluated for their effect on neighborhood development and amended as needed to preserve community character. For example, many lots have a front width of fifty (50) feet while the zone district minimum lot width is seventy (70) feet.

4. Portions of the Normal Hill area may be suitable for National Register Historic District classification. This classification would enhance the character of the neighborhood by providing design control for remodeling existing buildings and the construction of new.

a. Identify those areas eligible for nomination to the National Register and prepare the necessary applications for such nomination.

b. Should areas be designated as Historic Districts, develop and implement design standards to protect neighborhood character.

5. Conservation districts are a tool that could be made available to property owners within this neighborhood. Such districts are similar to Historic Districts but may be smaller and locally established to protect neighborhood character of a more local interest. These conservation districts would, in general, be established at the request of property owners.

a. Amend Lewiston City Code to establish standards and procedures for the establishment of such districts.

6. Along all streets in this neighborhood, the installation of curb, gutter and sidewalks must be made a priority for pedestrian safety and community improvement. Utilize Local Improvement Districts as a funding source for these community benefits.

7. The entire Normal Hill area has a history and tradition of beautiful trees, both on private property and as street trees. A tree replacement strategy must be developed and implemented to retain this essential feature of the Normal Hill neighborhood.

8. The Central Business District is a major entry to the State of Idaho and must present the best face of our community:

a. There is great potential in this area for redevelopment of the many fine buildings in the downtown core, for use as tourist oriented businesses, as business incubator spaces and as second floor residents for those wishing to live in a unique environment.

b. The Central Business District must be enhanced to provide those services only it can provide. This Central Business District is shown on the Lewiston 2020 Land Use Plan Map as the Central Business District Special Planning Area.

c. The public must remain an active participant in the revitalization of the downtown area by encouraging and engaging in the redevelopment of the vacant or underutilized lands and structures within the area. is area.

d. There is a need in the community for parcels of land in the range of ten to fifteen acres in extent for larger big box retailers, entertainment centers and similar ventures. Identify parcels in the downtown core near the large public parking lots that could be attractive to these uses.

9. 21^st Street will remain a major shopping street, despite its difficulties in access. Along the west side of 21^st Street, commercial development will cease at 20^th Street except in those areas designated as cluster commercial nodes at the following locations:

a. Main Street;

b. 10^th Avenue to 12^th Avenue extending to 19^th Street:

- commercial development will not be allowed access from 19^th Street;

- no business signage will be allowed on 19^th Street;

- parking lots abutting 19^th Street will be required to maintain site obscuring landscape buffer along the full frontage, lighting will be so placed to eliminate glare onto nearby residential uses, no access to parking lots shall be made from 19^th Street.

c. 16^th Avenue to 19^th Avenue extending to 19^th Street:

- commercial development will not be allowed access from 19^th Street;

- no business signage will be allowed on 19^th Street;

10. Property facing or abutting commercial development will be protected by strong controls to minimize negative impacts on their home or business. The City must enact design standards to control the impact of commercial uses on nearby and abutting residential uses. In addition, the City should evaluate the use of contract zoning in those areas where areas intended for commercial use lie in close proximity to residential uses.

11. Over the twenty year planning horizon envisioned in this Plan, the industrial corridor along Snake River Avenue should begin to transition to uses more compatible with the nearby recreational and residential uses.

a. Ideally, this area could be used for tourist and visitor services to take advantage of the proximity to the parks and river.

b. Reconstruct Snake River Avenue from its intersection with Main Street (US 12) to Southway Bridge, installing curb, gutter and sidewalk its entire length and providing safe pedestrian crossing to the parks along the Snake River.

12. Redevelopment of the 5^th Street Corridor, from the Dike Bypass to “F” Street must remain a priority and include, at a minimum, the following elements:

a. The construction of a Cruise Ship Dock at the Clearwater River and 5^th Street;

b. Construction of a Regional Visitor Center at the intersection of Dike Bypass and 5^th Street;

c. Traffic improvements to the intersection of Dike Bypass and 5^th Street;

d. Construction of an overhead pedestrian walkway from the Levee to Downtown at 5^th Street to reconnect the downtown with the River;

e. Construction of streetscape improvements including curb, gutter, sidewalk, street trees, benches and interpretive signage along 5^th Street;

13. 8^th Avenue Boulevard is an overlooked amenity in the Normal Hill area.

a. This boulevard should be upgraded and maintained to provide a linear public green space linking areas of the community.

14. The Normal Hill bluff provides a strong visual backdrop to the downtown area and should be protected from inappropriate development

a. Preservation of this bluff its entire length as open space made a priority.

b. Reconstruction of historic stairways and construction of new stairways should be implemented to provide the pedestrian connection to the downtown area and the parks along the Snake River.

15. The south end of the Memorial (Clearwater) Bridge should be retained and enhanced as a community entry park. Although the Idaho Transportation Department has long range plans for the replacement of this bridge, there is no funding available at this time. Therefore its construction and resultant impacts are not included in this planning horizon.

16. Portions of this neighborhood, generally located south of Idaho Street and north of 8^th Avenue Boulevard, are deteriorated, with public infrastructure poorly maintained and residences needing repair:

a. Seek funding to upgrade the infrastructure within this deteriorated area, bringing it to current standards, installing curb, gutter and sidewalks, improve surface drainage and upgrade street surfacing;

b. Seek funding to provide financial assistance for the renovation of the residences within this area.

17. Areas around current and proposed parks show the greatest potential for higher quality development or redevelopment. People value parks as an amenity and are generally willing to invest more in a home to be near a high quality park. The City and its residents must ensure that development in, around and leading to parks is of a high quality to reflect our community’s pride in them. Sites shown on the Parks and Open Space Master Plan should be acquired or otherwise secured to ensure their future use as a park for the benefit of the neighborhood and community as a whole. Individual property owners should be encouraged to donate these community amenities in memory of family members, significant community events or other meaningful times and people.

18. The area at the intersection of 21^st Avenue and Vineyard Drive has developed into a significant health related center. Future uses in this vicinity should be promoted to provide additional medical related services, as well as to provide housing opportunities for the elderly. Expansion of the health care related uses should be accomplished by the use of Planned Unit Development agreements.

19. In general, industrial land uses within this neighborhood should be phased out over the time of the duration of this plan with the land reverting to commercial or recreational uses. Industrial uses should be relocated to industrial parks designed to address the special needs of such businesses.

i. Land Use Plan Map

The land use plan map is a graphic depiction of the desired land use future for this neighborhood and is intended to be a guide for land use changes over the next twenty years. It is to be used in conjunction with the desired futures described in this neighborhood plan.

j. Residential Density and Location Criteria – Neighborhood Number Two – Normal Hill

The Lewiston 2020 Land Use Plan Map depicts areas of housing at a variety of densities. The allowable density for these land use categories shall not exceed the following unless higher densities are approved as part of a planned unit development (PUD):

RESIDENTIAL LAND USE	DENSITY (Units per acre)	OPTIMUM ADJACENT LAND USE	OPTIMUM TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM
Rural	1 (Used only where public sewer is not available)	Not Permitted in this neighborhood	N/A
Suburban	5 or fewer (Used only where animal rights are allowed)	Not Permitted in this neighborhood	N/A
Low Density	5 to 8	Other residential, sub-neighborhood commercial, open space	Local Street, collector street, walkway, bike path
Medium Density	8 to 17	Other residential uses, open space, local commercial, community commercial	Local street (minimum right of way width 50 feet), collector street, minor arterial, walkway, bike path
Higher Density	18 or more	Other residential uses, open space, business and employment centers, major shopping destinations	Collector streets, minor arterials, major arterials, walkways, bike paths

k. Commercial Land Use Location Criteria:

Commercial Land Use	Optimum Transportation System	Optimum Adjacent Land Use	Design Location Criteria	Zoning
Regional	Major or Minor Arterial	High Density Multi-family Housing, Related regional commercial uses	Regional cluster or a cluster integrated in a regional center	Planned Unit Development (PUD)
Community	Minor Arterials, Collector Streets	Medium or high density multi-family housing	Regional center or commercial cluster	Commercial zone or PUD
Neighborhood	Minor Arterial, Collector Streets, Walkways, Bike Paths	Neighborhood scale uses	Neighborhood Center as shown on Plan	PUD
Sub-neighborhood	Minor Arterial, Collector Streets, Walkways, Bike Paths	Residential, office or industrial complexes	Within neighbor- hood as shown on Plan	PUD

l. Industrial Land Use Location Criteria:

As described in the “Desired Futures,” industrial uses in this neighborhood are to be phased out over the next twenty years with the exception of the Blount site.

m. Future Annexation

Parcel Number (Refer to Land Use Plan Map)	Location Description	Projected Use	Estimated Time Frame for Annexation
2-1	Blount Plant (Snake River Avenue and Bryden Canyon Road)	Industrial	5 to 10 years

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