Boise suburb’s dream of a classier future starts to take shape. What just happened
The small but fast-growing city of Star has just taken a big step toward city leaders’ dream of one day turning ranch land south of the Boise River into a spiffy new community where people live, work and recreate.
The land is “a blank canvas” that might become the lively heart of a new Star, Mayor Trevor Chadwick says, but only if developers eager to cash in on the Boise area’s skyrocketing housing prices aren’t allowed to put up subdivisions willy-nilly.
The city is preparing a South of the River Plan that outlines parks, walking space, businesses, restaurants and apartments south of the Boise River. On Jan. 11, the City Council approved three subdivisions that comply with the plan and would add more than 300 homes to the area.
Longtime Boise-area developer Randy Clarno is the developer of all three subdivisions.
The biggest of the three developments is Inspirado Subdivision, with 195 single-family homes, two town home lots and six commercial lots.
Inspirado would be built on 124 acres at the northeast corner of Star Road and Chinden Boulevard.
The South of the River Plan encouraged a mix of businesses, apartments and single-family homes. The plan identifies the area off Chinden Boulevard near Star Road as an area for commercial businesses.
“Inspirado would be on the edge of the rim above the Phyllis Canal,” said Deborah Nelson, land use attorney with Givens Pursley, representing the development team. “These would be high-end residential homes with amazing views. Chinden also presents commercial and residential opportunities.”
The next-largest subdivision is Star Pointe, with 71 single-family houses west of Inspirado on 29 acres at 6825 N. Star Road and 8405 and 8755 W. Joplin Road.
The smallest subdivision is Oaklawn Crossing, with 65 homes and one lot for a commercial business, such as a restaurant or a drive-through coffee shop, on nearly 26 acres at 8005 W. Joplin Road, immediately north of Oaklawn Crossing.
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The three subdivisions would connect to one another with pathways through the neighborhoods.
Chadwick negotiated with Clarno to include a pathway that would connect with the future network of pathways proposed in the South of the River plan.
Nelson told the City Council that the subdivisions don’t currently have any neighboring subdivisions and that the landowners in the area supported the development.
The three subdivisions are going up around a five-acre property that belongs to Pete Aldrich. Aldrich was concerned that the water used to fill a few ponds in the subdivisions would take away from his water supply. He irrigates on his land, he said.
The water from the ponds and Aldrich’s irrigated water would come from an artesian well in the area. The City Council members and the developer agreed that he would ensure Aldrich had water before the ponds were filled.
Aldrich is part of a handful of farming families who live in the area south of the Boise River. Chadwick told the Idaho Statesman in December that he hopes that the families can remain farming in the area, but just in case, he wanted to develop a plan.
The most prominent feature of the South of the River Plan is a walkway along the Boise River that would have apartments alongside and boutiques, restaurants and coffee shops for pedestrians and bicyclists.
“We want it to be San Antonio River Walk-style, where you can walk, bike and paddleboard through a canal,” Chadwick said in a December interview with the Idaho Statesman.
The three developments are about a mile from the Boise River. If approved, the South of the River Plan aims to have pathways throughout the neighborhood that connect to paths along the Boise River and various canals. Inspirado is near the Phyllis Canal, where a public pathway would connect to the Boise River pathway.
The City Council plans to continue a public hearing it began in December on the South of the River Plan at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 1 at Star City Hall. The hearing was extended because landowners and developers told the council they were not aware of the plan until the Statesman published a story about it in December.
This story was originally published January 14, 2022 at 4:00 AM.
