This farmland along I-84 in Boise area is on track to be developed with taxpayer help
On a drive up Interstate 84, past the last Caldwell exit heading west toward Ontario, drivers pass acre after acre of farmland. Some is actively farmed, but a lot of it is dry, awaiting interested developers. Off the highway near Farmway Road, drivers pass abandoned farm buildings and mining operations, gravel pits and murky ponds.
Caldwell Mayor Garret Nancolas and his staff want to transform the area over the next 20 years. They are making a plan to foster the development the landowners await by installing roads, traffic signals, sewer and water.
The city hopes to attract developers, particularly industrial businesses, including perhaps a food processing business to keep agriculture alive in the area. The city also hopes to take advantage of highway traffic by adding stores and restaurants.
But this vision has not been greeted warmly before. Two years ago, Canyon County commissioners said no to Caldwell’s request to turn 947 acres near I-84 into a business-employment mecca. You’d be making us give up part of our future tax based, the commissioners said.
Now, with a new county commissioner on the board, Nancolas hopes to push forward the new proposal during his last few months in office.
Caldwell hopes to replicate business park success
The City Council is considering an 895-acre district along I-84 and U.S. 20/26 near Farmway Road. Some of the mostly agricultural acreage is within Caldwell, but most is on county land that the city would annex.
Touting the success of Indian Creek Plaza and the Sky Ranch Business Park, the city wants to create an urban renewal district to attract large industrial developments and businesses in northwest Caldwell.
Caldwell’s only existing urban renewal district, which helped fund infrastructure for Indian Creek Plaza and Sky Ranch Business Park, is expiring in 2022. The city wants to continue to use the funding tool to attract businesses.
Caldwell Economic Director Steven Jenkins said one reason the city is looking for another urban renewal district is because the Sky Ranch Business Park is filling up.
“Sky Ranch was once 400 acres of (agricultural) land, and now it is a robust and growing industrial park,” Jenkins said in a Zoom interview. “We are pleased (with) the outcome. We have close to 2,000 jobs, one million square feet under roof and 50-plus businesses in the area.”
Jenkins wants to replicate the Sky Ranch success.
The district needs approval from Canyon County
On Sept. 20, the City Council determined that the area fit the “deteriorating or deteriorated” description needed to qualify it for urban renewal.
The decision marks the second try by Nancolas and the City Council at getting the district approved. In 2019, the council approved a similar area for urban renewal, but the Canyon County Board of Commissioners denied the city’s request.
The district had to go before the commissioners because the site is largely on county land. County officials were concerned about losing potential tax revenue to the district.
When an urban renewal district is created, the tax base for other taxing jurisdictions in the area is frozen. Tax revenue from the frozen base continues to go to each taxing district, but any revenue from increases in property values is diverted to the urban renewal agency until the district expires in 20 years.
The diverted revenue pays for infrastructure projects and making the area ready for developers to move into.
The three-member commission voted 2-1 to deny the proposal.
Commissioner Tom Dale and Commissioner Pam White opposed the proposal. Dale retired last year and was replaced by Commissioner Keri Smith, who was the executive director of Destination Caldwell.
City Attorney Mark Hilty told the City Council, “There was a change in leadership (on the board), and we are going to try again.”
Natural landscape has made development difficult
The area’s irrigation waterways helped qualify it as deteriorating, Hilty said.
“There are canals and drain structures associated with the river,” he said. “The limited-access highway and topography have made it difficult for private development to bridge those gaps.”
Hilty said most of the revenue from the urban renewal district would go into road projects.
“Some of the agriculture uses are being abandoned,” he said. “There are holes in the ground that cause difficulties. The is no street layout and little developed traffic infrastructure. There are obsolete buildings and deteriorating structures.”
In his final State of the City Address on Sept. 23, Nancolas talked about how Indian Creek Plaza brought safety and an improved quality of life for Caldwell residents.
Jenkins agrees. He said Indian Creek Plaza helped the city staff improve Caldwell’s reputation and allowed it to attract residents and also developers and businesses to the city.
The City Council will not approve a plan for the area until the Urban Renewal Agency Board, the city Planning and Zoning Commission and the county commissioners weigh in.
Rachel Spacek covers western Ada and eastern Canyon counties. Have a story suggestion or a question? Email Spacek at rspacek@idahostatesman.com.
This story was originally published October 4, 2021 at 4:00 AM.
