Development threatens Canyon County vineyards, owners say. What 2 candidates told them
Canyon County winery owners and farmers in Canyon County’s Sunnyslope fear for their land and livelihoods as development threatens the largest wine region in Idaho.
“There were times where I am up at night worrying about what’s going to happen to Sunnyslope,” said Craig Davis, owner of Kindred Vineyards in Sunnyslope, a region in unincorporated eastern Canyon County that is home to nearly two dozen wineries. “And about what’s going to happen to the ag land around us. We really just have to stop the development that’s going on here.”
Canyon County is facing unprecedented growth. Since 2020, its population has grown 2% to 5% each year, according to the Community Planning Association of Southwest Idaho. Sunnyslope is located 10 miles from Caldwell, a city that saw a 10% increase in its population since 2020, according to Compass.
Davis spoke to the Idaho Statesman ahead of a forum Wednesday at his winery that featured two Canyon County Commission candidates running in the May 17 Republican primary to represent District 2, which includes Sunnyslope. About 30 farmers and winery owners grilled the candidates about how they would protect the “special” area.
The candidates were incumbent Keri Smith and Greenleaf Mayor Brad Holton. A third candidate, Connie Constantine, did not participate.
Smith told attendees that she was born and raised on a 20-acre farm in Canyon County. Before being elected to the commission, she said, she went to work for the Canyon County Development Services Department to try to manage growth.
“It’s a balance and it is a hard balance, where we’re just gonna have to continue working on it,” Smith said. “I know the value of the terroir, and we don’t get this land back. I know how valuable our slopes are.”
Terroir (tear-WAHR) is a French term for a natural environment where wine-grape vineyards do well. Any local terroir includes a specific type of soil, topography and climate.
Sunnyslope is made up of vineyards and orchards. In the spring, the fruit trees bloom with pink blossoms. The region sits right above the Snake River as the river threads between Owyhee and Canyon counties.
In 2017, the winery owners in the area started the Sunnyslope Wine Trail, a nonprofit organization that helps plan events and support the wineries. Sunnyslope has a four-season climate, ancient volcanic soil and abundant water supply from the Snake River that makes it a perfect place to grow grapes, the Idaho Wine Commission says on its website.
Holton, who has been mayor of Greenleaf for 27 years, said he would bring his experience as mayor to address growth and protect the agricultural land he has lived around. He wants to bring a critical eye to development applications to ensure that development does not swallow up agricultural land in the county.
“Canyon County is important to me and agriculture, until the last probably 10 years, my wife and I would take our time and help with the harvest,” Holton said. “So we are intimately involved with farming.”
Development applications in Sunnyslope
There are three open development applications in the Sunnyslope region, according to Canyon County’s application tracker.
One application is from Laurie Bingham to build a 15-home subdivision at Morellino Way and Hoskins Road. The development would be part of the existing Bella Toscana Subdivision. The new homes would be built on 61 acres. The area is zoned for rural residential. Bingham proposes that each home be on 3.5-acre lots.
Applications like the one to develop Bella Toscana concern the Sunnyslope farmers.
“I don’t think people that are coming from the city realize how special this land is,” Davis said.
Hops growers and seed producers also farm in the Sunnyslope region. They worry about losing their land to development, too.
Idaho seed growers produce 70% of the hybrid temperate sweet corn seed produced in the world and is a top producer of other vegetable and grain seeds, according to the Idaho Department of Agriculture. Canyon County ranks in the top five producing seed regions of the world, with $300 million brought in each year, according to the Idaho-Eastern Oregon Seed Association.
“The growth of these industries is going to be stifled as the land here is paved over with subdivisions,” said C.J. Northrup, the moderator of the panel, a winery owner and a geology professor at Boise State University.
An attendee asked the candidates how they would protect the agricultural land in Canyon County.
Smith said that as commissioner she took steps to protect agriculture land by pushing for a complete rewrite of the county comprehensive plan that acknowledges the value of agricultural land. The rewrite is underway, Smith said.
Smith said she has encouraged fellow commissioners to push back on development applications and rezoning requests that would have a negative impact on agricultural land around them. A county ordinance requires that subdivisions built in agricultural zones must have no more than one home for every 40 acres unless the county approves a development agreement or a rezoning.
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Holton agreed with Smith that the comprehensive plan is important for protecting and reserving places in the county for agricultural uses. As commissioner, he said, he would look critically at development applications on county land, because building a subdivision outside of city limits would most likely have impacts on agricultural operations.
The other two development applications are off Lonkey Lane. One is for a nearly 3-acre lot near Friends Road. The other is for 15 acres near Beet Road along the Dotson Drain.
Water concerns
Many farmers were concerned with water and the impact that new development, especially residential development, will have on the area’s aquifer.
Last summer a different group of Canyon County residents had the same concerns. Many of their wells, in a subdivision south of Lake Lowell about 13 miles south of Sunnyslope, had gone dry. After they spoke up to oppose a proposed subdivision, the commissioners denied the application.
Holton suggested that any residents with problems with wells going dry should band together and make sure their voices are heard during the public hearing on development applications in the areas.
“Water will become an issue in building permits,” Holton said. “The question is, how are we going to do it fairly and equitably as growth keeps knocking on the door?”
Smith said the commissioners know there are some areas in the county where wells have gone dry and pumps are having to be lowered. She said any applications in those areas were tabled or denied.
“That’s our obligation as a community to make sure that we’re not impacting other people,” Smith said. “I do have experience with handling those sensitive issues.”
The primary election is Tuesday, May 17. Early voting begins in Canyon County on Monday, May 2.
This story was originally published April 24, 2022 at 4:00 AM.
