Growth comes to small Idaho town: Melba in ‘imminent peril,’ could double in size
With a population of around 580 people, Melba is indisputably a small town. Located 14 miles south of Kuna, most of it is farmland. The biggest event of the year is the annual “Old Tyme” Fourth of July celebration, which features an antique tractor pull, a horseshoe pitching contest and a live chicken roundup.
“People live in Melba because they like small towns,” Melba Mayor Cory Dickard said in a phone interview. “They don’t want to see it change.”
But change could be coming soon. Proposed new subdivisions would nearly double the southern Canyon County town’s population. Melba is becoming the latest Treasure Valley location to see a population boom as a result of Boise’s growth and housing shortage.
The subdivision proposals sent a shock wave through a quiet town that bills itself as “The Seed Heart of America.” Melba-area seed farming includes onion, carrot, pea, bean and sweet-corn seeds. The town has no police department; the fire department is volunteers. The City Council comprises a pastor, a librarian, a train engineer and a teacher.
Residents aren’t happy. They’re so unhappy that the City Council is considering halting the approval of new land divisions through an emergency moratorium, citing an “imminent peril to the public health, safety, or welfare.”
Population could double
Three years ago, Melba’s Planning and Zoning Commission began working with a developer to build 26 homes in a new subdivision. Called Melba Estates and owned by Nampa attorney Kevin Dinius, it would be located between Southside Boulevard and the 20-year-old Colonial Subdivision.
Just one resident appeared at the 2019 public hearing to testify against it, citing concerns about increased traffic. Construction broke ground on May 1.
In May, three more developers suddenly requested approval for three more subdivisions.
Property owner Eugene Borman, a Nampa veterinarian, wanted to build 11 homes on 2.7 acres. The Planning and Zoning Commission rejected it, saying the plan proposed too many homes for the property size.
Two other subdivision proposals are still on the table.
One proposal is for the Royalmaid Estates subdivision, owned by Melba livestock breeder Jon Mortensen. It would contain 20 homes on 20.3 acres on Randolph Avenue.
The second is for the Freedom Park subdivision, owned by Melba real estate agent Jon Stosich, for 36 homes on 13.3 acres of land on Blue Ox Lane.
Stosich also happens to be a member of Melba’s Planning and Zoning Commission. He has recused himself from decisions regarding the subdivision. But some residents have expressed concerns to city officials that he will still have influence over the other board members. Dickard said City Council members are working to address public concerns about Stosich’s role.
When asked how a new subdivision would benefit Melba, Stosich simply said, “local business.” Stosich said he plans to share more at the public hearing on Monday, June 21.
Meanwhile, residents have taken to social media to express frustration and to urge neighbors to attend the hearing.
“People move into Melba feeling like they’re the last ones who can move in,” Stosich told the Idaho Statesman by phone. “Most people who are complaining are move-ins.”
The Mortensen and Stosich subdivisions seemed far likelier to receive approval than Borman’s, city officials say. The city has already approved the annexation of both subdivision plots.
A public hearing on Mortensen’s and Stosich’s subdivisions was set to take place June 10. But a Planning and Zoning member suddenly resigned that day, leaving the commission without a quorum. Dickard said the member cited time commitment issues. The hearing was postponed.
Then, on June 11, the City Council announced it would hold a public hearing of its own to discuss placing an emergency moratorium on the acceptance or processing of land division proposals for 182 days through Idaho Code 67-6523, which allows the government to enact such holds in cases when the community is in “imminent peril.”
Dickard said the hearing will focus on two things. It will first discuss how Idaho’s new property tax law will affect the city’s ability to handle growth. More people may mean the city needs to bring in things like a police department, more teachers and expansion of city amenities.
“We won’t know until maybe July how that will affect our budget,” Dickard said. “We don’t want to have growth we can’t sustain.”
The City Council will also discuss creating a new subdivision ordinance with laws on how subdivisions must be built.
“Until we have the subdivision ordinance in place, we don’t want these developments to be able to be developed without a guide from the city,” Dickard said.
Planning and Zoning Commission member Jeff Sessions said the ordinance will include guidelines on housing density, how far apart homes must be, how close to the road they can be, and water systems.
The mayor says most people will want him to try to stop growth altogether. However, Dickard says there is only so much he can do. The city annexed the subdivision lands because if they didn’t approve the subdivision, he believed the county would. More and more new homes have been pushing up against Melba’s city limits in recent years.
“We annexed them in because, if we don’t, the county will allow them to develop,” Dickard explained. “So No. 1, we are becoming landlocked. And No. 2, we are not getting any benefits. The homes that are bordering the city’s limits are putting in septic systems that are polluting our water system with the nitrate levels. This way, we can control it. They have to hook up to our sewer and our water. We can control lot sizes, control having curbs and sidewalks. Making it a place that will fit in with Melba.”
Control is the key word for Dickard. He isn’t sure what will happen, but he wants to have a say.
“Honestly, I’d like to keep it small, too,” Dickard said. “But there’s only so much we can do to limit growth. So what we want to do is control the growth.”
The public hearing will be held at 7 p.m. Monday at the American Legion Hall, 304 4th St. It has been moved to the American Legion Hall in anticipation of an unusually large crowd.
Sally Krutzig covers Treasure Valley growth and development. Have a story suggestion or a question? Email Krutzig at skrutzig@idahostatesman.com.
This story was originally published June 20, 2021 at 4:00 AM.
