2,900 people in 2 Boise developments. Apartments neighbors don’t want. Coming near you
The latest proposed developments, housing and other construction projects, and new businesses around Idaho’s Treasure Valley:
Boise
Two side-by-side residential developments that could bring an estimated 2,900 new residents to Boise Bench are advancing.
The Boise Planning and Zoning Commission gave its blessing to a developer’s plan to build 892 homes on one of the last large tracts of undeveloped Boise Bench land. Meanwhile, the City Council is considering another developer’s plan to build 358 apartments on another parcel on the same tract right next door.
The Idaho Statesman reported on both proposals in July. They’re on farmland the south side of West Victory Road, north of the Boise airport and the New York Canal and east of South Vista Avenue.
The larger development, called Vista Point, would be developed on 44 acres at 2017 W. Victory by Layton Construction, a Utah company, and Welltower, a real estate investment trust in Ohio.
The smaller one, initially called Victory Road Apartments but now called Seasons of the Bench, would have 358 apartments developed on 18 acres just to the west at 2521 W. Victory by Morgan Stonehill LLC, of Las Vegas, the Statesman reported Nov. 30.
Boise Planning and Development Services Director Timothy Keane praised Vista Point’s developers during a Planning and Zoning Commission meeting Dec. 5, saying they had “started over” with a new design team after submitting a low-quality proposal that city officials disliked. The result, Keane said, is “an excellent plan.”
Vista Point must still obtain City Council approval for its proposed rezoning and preliminary plat.
Neighbors objected to the project. Together with the Seasons of the Bench, the projects would increase Victory Road traffic from 2,700 daily trips to more than 10,000, said Dave Kangas, of the Vista Neighborhood Association.
Residents of Sunrise Rim Road said the apartments would disrupt their clear views of the Boise Front to the north. Developers submitted renderings showing the outlines of the apartments to demonstrate that the mountains would still be visible above them.
John Mooney, a member of the Planning and Zoning Commission, lamented that city officials were restricted to considering the two projects separately. “Three thousand residents ... and we’re looking at it piecemeal,” he said.
Layton and Wellpoint also joined forces on another Victory Road development a few miles west. Their 301 apartments and townhouses at 8373 W. Victory Road, called Victory Flats, won City Council approval in March.
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Full Circle Health, formerly the Family Medicine Residency of Idaho, said it has opened a 10,000-square-foot pediatrics clinic in a strip shopping center at 8610 W. Overland Road, east of Maple Grove Road.
The clinic is staffed by Drs. Perry Brown, Susan Bradford, Asma Butt, Lisa Labor, Savarra Mantzor, Tom Patterson, MD and Kelly Showalter, plus advanced practice providers, licensed clinical social workers and community health workers, Full Circle said in a news release.
“Our goal is to help families receive the compassionate and exceptional care they need for any condition, all at an affordable cost, with or without insurance,” the release said..
The Family Medical Residency of Idaho rebranded itself to Full Circle Health in May. Dr. Ted Epperly remains its president and CEO.
The nonprofit says it trains family medicine and pediatric physicians, clinical pharmacists and clinical psychologists to work in Idaho with an emphasis on underserved and rural areas. It has 10 clinics in the Treasure Valley.
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Jessica Heggie with Studio H Architects has filed a request for a permit for an existing commercial building at 8030 W. Emerald St. to be converted into Terra Cotta Salon & Suites.
The new use would renovate and combine the entire building into one salon space, according to the application.
The building has previously had various uses from salons to professional office spaces, including State Farm Insurance.
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Rebecca Douglass, of National Veterinary Associates, in Agoura Hills, California, has applied to open an animal hospital in an existing office building at 3637 N. Lakeharbor Lane, off State Street in the Veterans Park neighborhood.
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Meridian
A Meridian resident is appealing the decision by the Meridian City Council to allow a developer to build 235 apartments near the corner of McMillan and Ten Mile roads.
The Bridgetower Apartments were the subject of six hours of public testimony at a council meeting on Nov. 15. Council members agreed that they wished they could deny the apartments, because of the traffic and school overcrowding they may cause. But they said they were hamstrung by prior decisions and the way land use law works.
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Back in 2008, the City Council annexed the site, which is 16.6 acres on McMillan near its intersection with Ten Mile. Then in 2010, the council approved an agreement for the property that authorized its development at a density of 15 living units per acre, according to the initial application. That’s why the council in November decided it had to approve Bridgetower’s 14 buildings with the 235 apartments.
But in a letter written by Meridian Resident Paul Elam wrote a letter requesting reconsideration. Elam said he was writing on behalf of all the people who opposed the apartments at the Nov. 15 meeting. The City Council was expected to consider the request.
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Providence Properties, a business managed by E. Don Hubble, of Hubble Homes, wants to build 22 houses near the northwest corner of East Ustick and North Locust Grove roads.
The Prairiefire subdivision would be at 3539 N. Locust Grove Road. The homes would be located on 3.1 acres.
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A small hospital may be coming to the Prescott Ridge subdivision near the intersection of McDermott Road and Chinden Boulevard.
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HCA Healthcare Inc., of Nashville, operator of the West Valley Medical Center in Caldwell, wants to build the West Valley Emergency Center with an emergency room and medical offices, according to the application.
The hospital would have 11,241 square feet on 2.4 acres.
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Boise Hunter Homes, of Eagle, wants to build a subdivision with 81 town houses, 250 apartments and three commercial lots on the northwest corner of West Ustick and North McDermott roads.
The development, named McDermott Ridge, would be on 40 acres, according to the application. It would be built in three phases.
The businesses would include retail stores and restaurants.
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Around Idaho
Sun Valley Resort has announced a multi-year improvement plan on Bald Mountain that it says “will enhance skier and rider circulation, increase accessible skiable terrain, and improve both lift and snow quality, efficiency and sustainability.”
The resort hopes to begin in April to replace and realign the Challenger Chairlift, build a replacement for the Flying Squirrel Chairlift, and extend the Flying Squirrel trail and snowmaking. The resort hopes the two new lifts will be open by the winter 2023-24 season.
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