Owner of old Eagle quarry plans luxury housing, shops. The city council decided this
A major development that would bring 200 luxury apartments and condominiums and 35,000 square feet of commercial space to a 27-acre parcel off Idaho 55 in Eagle has cleared a significant hurdle.
The Eagle City Council unanimously approved a motion to amend the city’s comprehensive plan and to rezone the property from business park to mixed use with a development agreement.
Cindy Greco and 10 other heirs of the late Ray Dowding Jr. and his business partner, Myron Stahl, have long envisioned housing and commercial development on the former quarry at the northwest corner of Hill Road and Horseshoe Bend Road, just east of the highway. The development, which would be built in four phases, is named Quarry Village.
“We hope to build a legacy project that will honor our fathers who left us this land and bring a beautiful community gathering spot to Eagle,” Greco, a San Diego resident, told the council. “Ever since we traveled to Europe, where most of the towns were built long before the automobile, I have dreamed of live living in a walkable village where I could stop driving my car for almost all my daily errands.”
Greco, who plans to live at Quarry Village part of the year, said her vision is to create an upscale village with the ambiance and amenities of a 5-star resort. Condominiums would likely sell for $750,00 and up, Greco’s land development consultant told the council.
“The luxury units at Quarry Village will be a lifestyle choice for discerning residents who want ultimate luxury and minimal responsibility,” she said. “They will have spacious lobbies and beautiful common areas for meeting and socializing with other residents and guests amenities like complete fitness centers, wine bars, cafes and elevators.”
The development also would include 240,000 square feet that could be used for offices, a hotel, and a theater or other entertainment venue.
The developer had sought 40,000 square feet to 50,000 square feet of other commercial space, butthe council accepted only 35,000. But it left open the possibility of increasing that space when Greco comes back with more specific details as the project moves forward.
Greco sought an additional 50 condominiums above the 196 residential units requested in Quarry Village’s application. She said that would allow her company to offer larger and more personalized units in those condos. The council agreed to allow 200 total units.
The council decided against requiring a road through the middle of the development that would have provided access to a neighboring property to the north. Dave Yorgason, a local development consultant hired by Greco, said it would be unfair to have to shoulder the cost of a road that would benefit the neighboring landowner and throw off the aesthetics of a planned central plaza area, Quarry Commons.
“We just cannot have a road running through the middle of the project, which would just break it up and bisect the functionality of Quarry Commons in the central heartbeat of the community,” Yorgason said.
In 2019, when the project was in its earliest stage, the Idaho Transportation Department told Greco that the development would require major road improvements. The department said she would have to pay to widen Idaho 44 south of the parcel, and to construct high-capacity intersections where Idaho 44 intersects with Idaho 55 and Horseshoe Bend Road. At the time, Greco estimated the costs of construction at close to $20 million, which she said she could not afford.
There was no mention of that Tuesday. A traffic study will be required before construction can begin, Yorgason said.
If all 200 apartments and condos are built, they would provide a significant increase to Eagle’s housing inventory. In the past five years, 709 multifamily housing units were built, 9% of the housing built in those years, according to a city report. Those units are 61% of the total multifamily units in the city.
During the same period, 3,156 single-family homes were built. Those constitute 29% of the total number of homes in the city.
No one expressed opposition to the project. Several people who testified and who submitted letters said the development would be a great improvement for the old quarry site.
“Any open lots are blight, in my opinion, unless it has some really unique landscape vegetation habitat,” Council Member Brad Pike said.
Some council members were skeptical that much of the 240,000 square feet planned for offices, a hotel and entertainment would end up as offices.
After the coronavirus pandemic sent most office workers home, council members said, they did not believe there would be much future demand for office space in Eagle.
“I think the old ideas of these giant office buildings are kind of going the way of the dodo bird,” Council President Charlie Baun said. “I think we’ll have a lot more home offices.”
This story was originally published February 9, 2021 at 11:31 PM.
