2,000 homes planned in Southwest Boise

Developers will probably break ground next year on Syringa Valley’s first phase, city of Boise planner Todd Tucker said Tuesday.

Developer Michael Coughlin, a foot and ankle surgeon for Saint Alphonsus, plans to build 453 homes on 101 acres on Boise’s southwest border, northeast of the corner of Lake Hazel and Cole roads.

That’s the first one-sixth of a much larger development that Coughlin is planning. Tucker said the entire development — expected to include 2,000 homes on 601 acres, as well as a high school, an elementary school, a city park and two commercial areas — will unfold over the next two decades.

Coughlin has requested a “specific plan” for Syringa Valley, which would be the third in Boise. Harris Ranch, located east of the East End neighborhood, and Barber Valley, located east of Harris Ranch, were the first two.

City planners use specific plans to lay out details for large phased developments. The City Council must approve them and any future changes.

Coughlin’s project would include an extension of Lake Hazel Road through Syringa Valley between Cole Road and Orchard Street, Tucker said. It would form the southern border of the project’s first phase. He would also extend Orchard south through the project, forming its eastern boundary.

The Boise Planning and Zoning Commission is scheduled to consider Syringa Valley on Jan. 4. But Tucker said that hearing likely will be pushed back if the project runs into controversy at meetings held by the Ada County Highway District, which controls public roads throughout the county.

This story was originally published December 15, 2015 at 10:46 AM with the headline "2,000 homes planned in Southwest Boise."