Kuna said no to this subdivision. Now its developers are back. Their plan: 2,700+ homes
Two years ago, a group of developers proposed a subdivision east of Kuna big enough to house nearly 7,000 people. They asked Kuna to annex it. Worried about congestion and strains on city services, the Kuna City Council said no.
Now the developers are back. They still want their subdivision, but this time they’re asking Ada County to approve it, without annexing it to any city.
The Spring Rock subdivision would bring more growth to what is now farmland in the desert south of Boise and Meridian. It would cover 761 acres in a 2-mile-long strip between Kuna Road and Ten Mile Creek Road from Hubbard Road to Cole Road. It would have 2,775 homes, including single-family houses, town houses and apartments.
“The Spring Rock Planned Community Sub-Area Plan (and the community in general) is different from other planned communities in that its vision focuses on post-pandemic trends in how we live and work to create an inclusive neighborhood that will be affordable to a wide range of household incomes,” said Spring Rock developers in a letter to the Ada County Planning and Zoning Commission.
After Kuna denied the project in August 2020, developers David Yorgason, Patt Duynslager and Chris Findlay, of Spring Rock Development LLC, worked with the city to remove the acreage from Kuna’s area of impact — land that a city plans eventually to annex. That way the project could be proposed on just county land, the developers said in a letter.
Spring Rock would be a self-contained community with schools, commercial development and parks and open spaces, just as the Avimor and Hidden Springs developments have on unincorporated county lands north of Boise and Eagle. Spring Rock would rely on the Kuna Rural Fire District and schools in the Kuna and West Ada school districts but would be “a self-sufficient planned community,” the developer said in a letter.
The application did not indicate how many units of each housing type the development would have, but it said one could expect 395.7 acres of homes, 51 acres of town houses and 36 acres of apartments. It would also have 73 acres of commercial development, two schools and 53 acres of open space like parks and trails.
Without being connected to city sewer, Spring Rock would have to rely on its own wastewater treatment plant. The developers propose a centralized sewage treatment and wastewater reuse development. It would be built in phases as the community is constructed, the application said.
Spring Rock would develop in two phases, according to the application. Completion of the first is projected in 2027 and the second in 2040.
In 2020, Kuna City Council members worried about the congested roads and the city’s ability to service thousands of new residents with a small police and fire department.
In its application to the Ada County Planning and Zoning Commission, Spring Rock developers said the Ada County Highway District plans to make various road improvements in the area, with financial help from the developer. The improvements include the intersections of Cloverdale Road with Hubbard and Columbia roads, widening Cloverdale Road, and various roundabouts on Ten Mile Road.
The 2020 proposal drew sharp opposition from two ACHD commissioners, including Kent Goldthorpe, whose district includes Kuna. They argued that the highway district would be unable to afford the road improvements needed to support all the additional residents.
Ada County residents have voiced concerns over the project during a community meeting with the developer and in letters to the commission. The residents worry about water shortages and traffic.
“The increased development in the Treasure Valley (and in Idaho) has placed an extraordinary demand on the water supply,” wrote Kim and Gary Briggs, of Kuna, in a letter. “As a result, our well went dry a few months ago. Our well was at 340 feet deep and they had to drill 450 feet before they hit water with the new well.”
In response, the developers said Veolia will provide water to the new development from a deeper aquifer. They also said the development may break up clay layers that block water from refilling existing aquifers.
Another Kuna resident, Tina Apostolou, who owns a trucking company, wrote that the traffic in the area now consists of gravel trucks and semis.
“I can almost guarantee that over time there will be an accident on this road involving trucks and cars,” Apostolou wrote.
The Planning and Zoning Commission is scheduled to hear the proposal at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 15, in the Commissioners Main Hearing Room at the Ada County Courthouse, 200 W. Front St., Boise.
