A ‘village center’ in Southwest Boise? P&Z approves plan for shops, public space

New stores and a public town square are coming to Southwest Boise after the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission approved a plan to develop a new residential and business subdivision in Syringa Valley, near the Boise Airport.

The approved portion of the Barnwood Village Subdivision would include 118 single-family homes, three commercial buildings and 19 lots of public space off South Cole and West Lake Hazel roads. Central to the plan is a “Village Center,” which would ultimately blend a series of courtyards, picnic areas, sport courts, clubhouses and other amenities with apartments, parking and new businesses for CBH Homes’ expanding Locale planned community.

The full Barnwood build-out will come in phases, comprising 1,050 total housing units, Bailey Engineers stated in its report on behalf of the applicants. Commercial and multifamily aspects still require design review and City Council approval, Cece Cheney, a spokesperson for CBH Homes, told the Idaho Statesman in an email.

This portion of the design finally fulfills a condition of the city’s Syringa Valley Specific Plan, the guiding document behind the 2,000 unit Locale subdivision, now almost a decade into construction. Barnwood, with its prospective businesses and town square layout, is a central piece of Locale’s buildup, which is already underway along the New York Canal to its west.

In 2016, the City Council required Locale developer CBH Homes to introduce between 45,000 and 60,000 square feet of commercial space before the city approves the development’s 450th lot. Barnwood’s application was filed by Boise’s Trilogy Development on behalf of Endurance Holdings LLC, a Meridian firm registered to Corey Barton, the “CB” in CBH Homes, per state records. Trilogy will develop the site, then CBH will build the homes, Cheney said.

A representative for Trilogy did not return a call for comment. John A. Laude Sr. is president of Trilogy.

The Barnwood Subdivision that P&Z unanimously passed on Monday, Dec. 8, covers just under 70 of Locale’s 600-acre span. The original Syringa Valley plan allows for up to 2,500 households, according to a city staff report.

“The village center is intended to remain neighborhood-focused with commercial options available such as small restaurants, coffee shops, fitness studios, dry cleaners, and office space,” according to the staff report. Cheney said these business aim to “meet daily needs without drawing regional traffic.” Bigger businesses — namely a grocery store — are envisioned for a larger commercial center northeast of Barnwood, staff stated.

Advocates in Southwest Boise have begged for businesses in the overwhelmingly residential neighborhood for years, the Idaho Statesman previously reported. Previously desert, the area has been a hotspot for development, with subdivisions capable of delivering more than 6,600 homes targeting previously open land, the Statesman reported.

For its part, Locale is still growing.

“We will continue to roll out in phases with infrastructure, housing, and neighborhood amenities delivered incrementally over the coming years as the community builds out,” Cheney said.. Existing homes in Locale start at $495,000, she said, adding that prices for future phases “will be determined closer to delivery based on the market.”

“This portion of the plan, Barnwood Village, is a key component of the project,” she said. “It will serve as a mixed-use village center with residential housing, neighborhood-scale retail, offices, and restaurants designed to support a walkable, complete community.”