Latest Harris Ranch expansion would move up into Boise Foothills. Where does it stand?
Two years after first proposing it, a developer is taking steps to get a new subdivision in the Boise Foothills off the ground.
HRE Development, owned by James Hunter of Boise Hunter Homes, got approval for a preliminary plan for land on the eastern side of the Harris Ranch area in June 2021. In late January, the developer submitted a new application to get approval from City Council on the final proposal.
A council hearing was originally set for April 4, but the location of a public hiking trail had not been finalized, so that meeting was postponed. No new hearing date has been set.
Located at 320 South Council Springs Road, the community would sit on a hilltop above East Junior High School and the Idaho Shakespeare Festival, just north of East Millet Drive.
Hunter Homes, which will be building the Harris Ranch East subdivision, bought the land from the Harris Family Limited Partnership more than two years ago, according to Harris Ranch developer Doug Fowler. Hunter Homes also built Harris Ranch North.
Though approval of this preliminary Foothills plan is more recent, the city in 2007 agreed to allow development of the area when it adopted the Harris Ranch Specific Plan. Eight years after that, the city approved a proposal to allow a combined 301 new homes in the future communities of Harris Ranch North and Harris Ranch East.
Boise Hunter Homes built 173 homes in the northern subdivision, leaving the possibility of 128 more on 115-acre Harris Ranch East. The developer’s application this year sought to build just 59 homes, though, “well under half of what could be allowed under this original entitlement.”
The 59 homes would sit on lots ranging from 8,400 to 29,280 square feet, according to the application. Under the approved preliminary plan, Boise Hunter Homes would develop 22 of Harris Ranch East’s acres for houses and keep the remaining 93 acres as natural open space.
“They did a good job on Harris North,” Fowler told the Idaho Statesman by phone. “We’ve worked with them a lot over the last 12 or 13 years, and they’ll do a quality job on Harris East.”
New hiking trail would connect to nature reserve
City Council had scheduled the April 4 hearing on whether to approve the final subdivision plan for April 4, but Boise Hunter Homes requested additional time to work with city planners to determine the location of a public hiking trail it plans to build. The new date for a hearing has not been set.
The west side of the trail will start near the Homestead trailhead and wind through the Peaceful Valley Overlook Reserve to the development.
“This will provide a much-desired trail connection in this area,” Todd Tucker, Boise Hunter Homes project manager, wrote in an application letter.
The exact path of the connection for the trail’s east side has not been determined, according to Lisa Duplessie, the city’s Foothills and open space superintendent. Duplessie said the city has been working with Hunter Homes to ensure that the trail is built in a sustainable way and won’t disturb the topography or cause erosion.
“Anytime we can make connections for our trail users to function better in the Foothills and create these sustainable routes, it’s always a positive for the members of the community,” Duplessie said.
Because the trail will be at an elevation above what the city’s Ridge to Rivers program maintains, the Harris Ranch Owners Association will perform upkeep on it.
Boise Hunter Homes also agreed to donate $30,000 to the Harris Ranch Wildlife Mitigation Association for vegetation and hillside improvement projects on the hillside below Harris Ranch East.
The Barber Valley Neighborhood Association told city officials that it approved of Boise Hunter Homes’ plan in 2021, but some residents in the area initially expressed concern about lack of parking for people wanting to utilize Homestead trail.
In response, developers proposed adding 26 on-street parking spaces along both sides of the extension of Council Springs Road, not far from the trailhead.
Drainage and flooding raise new questions
A drainage issue arose after a bout of rain this spring. The developers drained excess water into the road, causing nearby streets to flood. The city placed a temporary hold on work around the project until the problem was addressed.
During an April neighborhood meeting, Barber Valley Neighborhood Association Secretary Gary Veasy said the flooding caused the neighborhood board to become concerned about whether the city was reviewing engineering plans closely enough.
“If something is a red flag, the city should be raising that red flag and questioning engineering assumptions,” Veasy said.
The city told residents that the drainage was an “emergency measure.”
“The draining of the muddy water to the road was an emergency measure performed to prevent the failure of an onsite retention pond, flooding of a neighbor on Millet in the Triplett townhomes, and to prevent muddy discharge to Council Spring Creek,” the city planning department wrote in an email to the neighborhood association.
“Among other issues, the site did not adequately plan to handle runoff from above the site to pass through and flow into the creek without negative impact from the disturbed areas, but instead tried to retain the water onsite, which failed.”
The city told residents that the Ada County Highway District would be working to ensure that the developer cleaned up the area, and remediated the storm drains and seepage beds to prevent a repeat incident.
“All parties involved have been extremely professional and have addressed the issue with urgency,” Veasy told the Statesman by email.
This story was originally published May 17, 2023 at 4:00 AM.
